Pizza east interior at lunchtime
I’ve been pretty lazy since returning from Egypt. Long, heavy meals or lengthy journeys across town have had little appeal the last two weeks. So last week, when a few coworkers wanted to go out for lunch, Pizza East sounded like the perfect option: it’s a 5-minute walk from my office, and a meal doesn’t get faster or simpler than pizza.
Having been to Shoreditch House, I’d stayed away from Pizza East partly because it’s one thing for a bar to be a “scene,” and another for a pizza place to be one (Shoreditch House Group owns Pizza East). For lunch on a Wednesday, though, Pizza East is pleasantly quiet and sunny.
I ate with two friends from work, and we each ordered a pizza, so I can’t comment on the starters or desserts, but our server was friendly and quick, and our pizzas arrived at our table hot-out-of-the oven.
margherita pizza (£7)
Sticking with my “keep it simple” plan, I ordered the buffalo mozzarella pizza, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Crispy, thin crust; generous portions of creamy mozzarella; and a fresh-tasting sauce with a nice balance of sweet and tart flavors. I would’ve preferred having the pizza toppings spread further out on the pizza (i.e., there was quite a large edge of crust on the pizza), but otherwise, it was very good.
spicy sausage and purple sprouting broccoli (£11)
One of my friends ordered the spicy sausage pizza, whose toppings were also very good, but again, there was just a little bit too much “edge” to the pizza crust. Otherwise, it was a very tasty pizza — I really had to pressure him into trading a slice of pizza with me.
On the whole, a perfect lunch spot. I’ve walked by Pizza East at night when it’s packed to the rafters and super noisy, so it’ll probably be a while before I show up for an evening out. But for a quiet, quick, cheap lunch, Pizza East is an excellent option if you work near Spitalfields Market/ Liverpool Street station. We were in and out in under an hour without feeling rushed.
Pizza East, Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JJ; 0207 729 1888; closest tube station: Liverpool Street
Hiya, the starters and mains at Pizza East are surprisingly deelish–though I once had the bone marrow there and it had been cooked with the bone sliced lengthwise, which is rather strange. At night the place is indeed packed and sometimes they force you to wait at the bar area even if you have a reservation. But for a “buzzy” evening with good food, it’s not a bad choice.
I was pleasantly surprised by Pizza East – I really enjoyed it and am quite jealous you work so close to it. Great pizza and all the other dishes were good as well. I am keen though to try Santa Maria which Time Out has just rated as no 1 for pizza.
Mike – Good to hear the starters are worth a try as well.
Gourmet Chick – I just read Su-Lin’s review of Santa Maria, and the photo of one of her pizzas there put me off completely. For now, it sounds not worth the cross-town schlepp for me.
I’ve heard good things about the starters, with even some claiming they were better than the pizzas. Bit of a schlep for me too though.
[...] Then again, on the basis of food and price alone, I’d rather walk a tad further to eat at Pizza East or stay in my neighborhood and walk to [...]
[...] week in Egypt left me ambivalent about independent travel there. In terms of dining in London, I had my first lunch at Pizza East and it’s earned a regular slot on the workday lunch rotation ever since. Good prices, good [...]
Purple sprouting broccoli on pizza sounds amazing.
That picture looks so good, I’d love to try this place.