The Pizza-Ria of Deep-Dish Dreams
- Where? Westbourne Park, 29 All Saints Rd, London, W11 1HE
- How much? ££
- Book ahead? Yes
- Cuisine? Deep dish pizzas & natural wines
- Vegetarian options? Yes 🌽
- Vegan options? No 🌱
- Gluten free options? No 🌾
- Dog friendly? Yes 🐶
Behind Ria’s cute and quaint allure lies a decadent secret: ‘Detroit Style’ deep dish pizza. Allowing their dough to ferment for 72 hours before being loaded with delicious toppings, ranging from potato and lardons to king-sized prawns, results in a thick, oozing, and irresistibly cheesy delight with crusts of crispy goodness. It’s no wonder that Ria’s has attracted an amass of public attention, renowned for its unique aesthetic and distinct menu of only pizza and wine. The secret to their success? Simplicity and speciality. They make one type of pizza and they make it with love, craft, and care, all within a homely cafe-style restaurant with a humble Spotify playlist on shuffle.
I’m an absolute sucker for a casual restaurant – no fuss, no ego – just a pure and honest place that serves good food. Ria’s is exactly that. There’s nothing more effortlessly attractive than pizza and wine, and the fact that it’s dog-friendly is just the cherry on top. The prices are reasonable, the portion sizes are ideal, and you’ll receive friendly service in a sunlit dining room framed by empty bottles of wine. It’s a hip and authentic spot to add to your ‘London eats list’. I’m ashamed to admit it took me so long to tick it off mine!
The Food
The ‘pizza pie’ menu offers just 6 variations, featuring favourites such as the classic and Pepperoni, which you can order by the slice for £5.50 to £6.50, or indulge in a 4-slice whole pizza, with prices varying from £18 to £27 based on the toppings. We each inhaled two slices, accompanied by a bottle of rosé, and felt thoroughly satisfied. And if you’re not quite ready to end the evening at Ria’s, be sure to visit The Pelican pub next door and check off two London gens in one go!
The Classic House Pie – £5.50
Rating: 7/10 – The airy pockets of the fermented dough steal the spotlight in this classic, reminiscent of the light consistency of a freshly baked focaccia. It’s important to note that it leans more towards a bread with a tomato, basil drizzle than a traditional pizza. If you’re hoping for a cheese pull, this might not be the one for you; nevertheless, it was absolutely delicious and turned out to be my friend’s preferred variety. I’d recommend ordering the hot butter dip with this one, as it’s topping light and therefore the ideal dipping companion! However, I’d advise avoiding the parmesan cream drizzle, which was merely a slightly salted, incredibly thin milk sauce that added nothing to either pizza. It’s a shame, but the pizza is delicious anyway, so it’s really not needed.
Pepperoni & Soppressata – £6.50
Rating: 9/10 – My passion for sweet and salty often makes me wonder if I should have been born in the US. Maple bacon? Yes. Honey salted peanuts? Absolutely. Pepperoni & soppressata with hot honey? Hell yeah! I genuinely believe I died and went to heaven upon the first bite, as this was everything I had hoped for and more. The cheese was excessive, but in all the right ways, cutting through the sweetness of the hot honey and melting on the roof of my mouth. Just thinking about it is making me salivate. I would happily gobble a whole pizza to myself – highly recommend!
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