Pizza Express

After a few drinks near our office we walked over here. So the food was predictable like most other of these chains — I ordered a leggera pizza with chicken which is one of my favourites. But this time around the service was really not all that great. The dough balls came out fresh and hot which were awesome. But what I found difficult is I couldn’t understand the waitresses and they seemed to rush us which was a bit annoying. Probably not going to come back to this location.

After meeting my sister for lunch at Moorgate, we decided to grab a bit to eat. I have to say, I was undecided. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve eaten at Pizza Express before. In the presence of my girlfriend I may even be pushed to say I LOVE Pizza Express, but I love Pizza Express how I’d normally eat it… For dinner.
I love pizza, all pizza (even Iceland’s frozen pizza — I’m a cheap date) but my memories of this circular delicacy tend to be of me nomming my way through so much I feel ill… At 12:30 on a Wednesday, do I really need that?
Needless to say, I was (obviously) persuaded to give it a go on the promise that I could have just the right amount to fill me up, without feeling like a whale.
When it came to ordering I was directed to the bottom right of the menu — it was from here (the healthy options) I was to make my choice. Convinced I was already going to be eating too much, I ordered a hot meaty pizza (the name escapes me but if you’re in a Pizza Express, you’ll see it at the bottom) and a coke.
As time went by, I was already regretting my decision. Death by pizza followed by the tube, was imminent. UNTIL (there’s always an until with these things) the ‘pizza’ (loose definition) was placed in front of me.
At first, I was confused… I had a standard thin crust pizza in front of me. You always no what you’re getting with a Pizza Express ting crust and its not ‘light snack’ in my opinion. Admittedly, the moron in the kitchen had dumped a small pile of leaves on the middle of my pizza but i could live with that — I’ll scoop it to the side and crack on with the task in hand.
That’s when it happened… I pushed the leaves and dressing to the side. I was shocked and somewhat insulted (OK, I’m laying it on a little thick now but I’m in this deep. Might as well push through) to find the chef had either:
A) Forgot to cook the whole thing.
B) Take a HUGE hole punch to his creation.
The middle was GONE… It was a doughnut ring shaped pizza (that’s why it ‘healthy’ — you’re not eating a whole thing).
After all this I have to admit, my sister was right. This abomination of a ‘pizza’ tasted amazing and was just enough for lunch. To draw this dramatic EPIC to a concision, it was great, just the right amount. I will definitely be ordering this again, and if you get a chance to visit a Pizza Express at lunch, you’re gna want one of these!

Terrible pizza; tough dough, chewy, hard toppings; yuck.

Fine. All Pizza Express outlets seem to have a certain quality of food, service and décor. This is no exception. Well placed in the middle of the Leadenhall Market.
Perfectly reasonable. Not cordon-​bleu, you understand, but perfectly reasonable.

it’s easy to be snobby about chains but most of them are successful because they do what they do pretty well. Pizza express is a good example of this. It’s consistent, it’s cheap and the pizzas are tasty. At this branch the service was good (unlike the upper st branch where a lone waitress was rushed off her feet). My pizza was nicely cooked with a good crispy crust and lots of toppings. Great desserts too. Solid safe choice with occasional offers. This is how it should be done fire and stone!

A nice little example of a Pizza Express. No shiny blue lights or stone tables, and the downstairs has some character too.
I was a little weirded out by the unisex or female toilets, and am still agnonising over whether I care about that kind of sexism?!
We sat in the corner looking out to Leadenhall Market. This experience made me think that you really can’t beat a good Pizza Express for the mid-​week catchup without major overhead. And I’ve just discovered the stronger and darker beer on the menu. Delicious.