Pinsa Romana, the lighter long-fermented Roman cousin of pizza made with a wheat-rice-soy flour blend, is not yet everywhere in London. The honest version of this article is that the city has a handful of places doing it properly and a longer list of Italian restaurants that have added pinsa to the menu because the customer demand exists. Here is where pinsa is the headline act, and where it is the secondary one worth ordering anyway.
If you are not familiar with the format, our pinsa Romana explainer covers the dough, the proofing time, and what to look for in a good base.
The Italo’s — Mill Hill
The Italo’s, run by Chef Patron Enzo Minopoli (a master baker with over twenty years of experience), claims to be the only restaurant in London serving the original Pinsa Romana with a custom traditional Pinsa flour blend developed in-house. They use the long fermentation, the proper oval shape, and the higher hydration the format demands. This is where to go if you have never had a real pinsa and want the baseline reference for what the format is supposed to taste like.
Osteria Romana — Knightsbridge
Wood-fired pinsa, handmade pasta, and a menu that honours the culinary heritage of Rome more carefully than most Italian rooms in central London. The setting is more upmarket than a typical pinseria, the prices reflect Knightsbridge, but the dough work is taken seriously. The Margherita is the entry-level order. The Amatriciana with guanciale and pecorino is the better one.
Love Pinsa — Clapham, Canning Town, and other branches
The closest thing London has to a chain dedicated to the format. Multiple branches across the city, including Clapham (Lavender Hill) and Canning Town. Delivery-friendly, dine-in available at most locations, and consistent enough to be worth a try in any neighbourhood where you find one. The menu rotates seasonal toppings on top of a core set of classics. The Diavola is the standard pick.
Pasta Remoli — Finsbury Park (and other branches)
A fresh-pasta-led restaurant chain that added a small but well-built Pinsa Romana section to the menu. Margherita at £8, an Amatriciana with guanciale and pecorino at £9, a Pugliese with burrata, Parma ham, rocket, and fresh chilli at £11, and a Tirolese with smoked ham, scamorza, and radicchio at £10. Reasonable prices for the format. Good if you want pinsa and the rest of the table wants fresh pasta.
Bottega Italiana — Fulham Road
Bottega Italiana at 686 Fulham Road, SW6, is an authentic Italian deli that makes homemade pinsa alongside fresh pasta and cured-meat counter offerings. The format is small, the seating is limited, the deli component is part of the experience. Order at the counter and eat in if there is a stool free, otherwise take it home and reheat on a hot stone for ninety seconds.
Walton Café
Walton Café in West London offers both Classic and Gourmet pinsa lines, which is the dividing line you tend to see on serious pinsa menus in Rome too. The Classics are the toppings you would expect (Margherita, Marinara, a basic salami). The Gourmet line is where the kitchen shows off, usually with a more interesting cheese or a cured-fish topping.
What to look for in a good London pinsa
The dough should be oval, not round. The cross-section should show large irregular alveoli, not the dense uniform crumb you get from a hurried short-ferment dough. The bottom should be crisp enough to support a topping without going soggy in the middle. The crust edge should chew, not crack. If a pinsa is round, pale, and dense, it is a pizza marketed as a pinsa, and the kitchen is hoping you do not know the difference.
The honest broader picture
London is still a long way behind Rome on this format. Rome has more than a thousand dedicated pinseria; London has under ten that we can confidently point to. The good news is that the spots above are all serving real pinsa, the bad news is that the format is still a novelty for most Londoners, which means service can be inconsistent and the topping ratios sometimes follow pizza logic instead of pinsa logic (too wet, too heavy, drowning the crust). Order accordingly, ask the staff if they make the dough in-house, and lean toward the simpler toppings on a first visit.
How to choose
If you want the most serious version: The Italo’s.
If you want a sit-down dinner with the format as part of a wider Italian menu: Osteria Romana or Pasta Remoli.
If you want delivery: Love Pinsa.
If you want a quiet counter and a deli: Bottega Italiana.
For pizza more broadly, see our guides to London’s best Italian restaurants and how pinsa, Neapolitan, and Roman al taglio actually differ.