A slice of Italy: Zia Lucia restaurant review

Zia Lucia has won a loyal London following since opening its doors in Islington back in June 2016 - and now pizza fans in the west of the capital are getting a slice of the action.

The independent pizzeria launched a sister restaurant in Brook Green in February, and like the original, it offers a true taste of Italy at great-value prices.

Founders Claudio Vescovo and Gianluca D’Angelo proudly explain that what sets apart their pizzas is the 48-hour-fermented sourdough base; a cross between Neapolitan-style pizza and the slightly crisper Roman variety.

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Diners can choose from four types of doughs: wholemeal, gluten-free, traditional, and the exciting-sounding vegetable charcoal, with an “evocative flavour, dramatic look, digestive gas-absorbing capacities”.

It isn’t only the amazing food but also the warm, family atmosphere that keeps diners coming back for more. Zia Lucia translates as “Auntie Lucia”, a tribute to D’Angelo’s aunt, who inspired and is an investor in the restaurant. She even acts as the restaurants’ logo, with a simple drawing of her face decorating menus, the Zia Lucia website, and the exteriors of both branches.

The decor at the Brook Green branch is equally simple but inviting, with exposed brick walls, hardwood floors and a massive tiled wood-burning oven in the centre of the room where the pizzas are cooked.

Before getting to the main event, my companion and I order two appetisers: bruschetta with chopped tomato and fresh basil, and burrata with olive oil and black pepper.

The bruschetta is piled high with fresh tomatoes and basil, the bread crisped perfectly, for a relatively light start to what we know will be a starch-driven meal.

The burrata, creamy Italian buffalo milk cheese made from mozzarella and cream, is presented simply with just olive oil, salt and pepper, which further highlights the quality of the ingredients.

And so to the pizza. Each one is big enough to be shared between two people, although you may want to keep it all to yourself if you’re feeling especially peckish.

My companion has the “Broccolosa” pizza, topped with tomato, mozzarella, fresh sausage and broccoli. She opts for the charcoal crust, which though tasty, is so thin that the tomato sauce soaked through it. That said, the flavour is fantastic, although we wish it had come with even more of the lovely fresh broccoli.

Meanwhile, I go for the “Arianna” pizza, a decadent concoction of mozzarella, sausage, Taleggio goat’s cheese, pecorino cheese and truffle honey, on the traditional dough base.

The ingredients are very rich, but the sweetness of the cheese and truffle honey is offset by the saltiness of the sausage, to wonderful effect.

We finish the meal by sharing a tiramisu for dessert. The cream is fluffy and light, with a strong punch of espresso - the perfect end to a traditional Italian meal.

If you’ve been searching for a high-quality but reasonably priced Italian restaurant, look no further. Zia Lucia deserves to become a firm family favourite.

Zia Lucia, 61 Blythe Rd, W14 0HP; zialucia.com