Pizza Metro Pizza

Pizza Metro Pizza is a long way from the clinically clean, over-designed chains that we have become used to over the years.  This is a chaotic little place in Battersea, with tables crammed in, loose wires hanging from the ceiling and Italian waiters running around and shouting as only Italians can. The tables are basic and small, and the pizzas themselves arrive on battered plastic trays rather than plates. It is a long time since I have seen a wine list that just said “champagne” – that was it, no brand name.

To start with there are many antipasti dishes for which you choose by looking at the food on a series of trays. To get to these you have to walk around, squeeze past a few tables. The display changes regularly but was on this occasion was a mix of salads and dishes that are heated. I tried some warm vine leaves with red chillies, which a dish that was adequate but no more (10/20). The pasta was rather better e.g. spaghetti that was clearly home made and has good consistency, with a simple tomato sauce containing plenty of real tomatoes (11/20). However the reason people come here is for the pizzas, cooked in a wood-burning oven and of the classic style: thin crusts and traditional toppings.  

It is popular to order pizzas for the whole table, and judging by the other tables “a metre of mushroom pizza” would be an entirely appropriate order. The pizzas were indeed way better than the norm, the base thin and light, and the ingredients fresh. Service was frantic but charming, and when the bill was delivered there was an original gimmick: you choose a number from 1-90 and draw from a container – if you guess right, the bill is on the house. On my last visit my knife was not exactly glistening, and our pizza tray had part of its surface missing, exposing the bare wood underneath, which is not ideal. Still, not many bacteria survive a pizza oven. This had a fun atmosphere and was good value.