On 13 January Pizza Pilgrims is to launch an immersive pizza pilgrimage restaurant in Victoria. The pizzeria will be an homage to the Italian trip that inspired brothers Thom and James Elliot to create the restaurant back in 2013, starting in Soho and now with 12 sites.
Thom and James Elliot knew little about pizza or Italian culture before starting Pizza Pilgrims. But during a six-week trip through Italy, they were inspired by the idea of bringing the traditional Neapolitan product to London. The brothers visited the best pizzerias throughout Italy, as well as various producers to learn the secrets of great Italian slices. Pizza Pilgrims continues to source many of their ingredients from suppliers they met during this trip.
The opening will be on Victoria’s Buckingham Palace Road, close to Victoria station. Split into four areas, each of which will represent different regions of Italy, the pizzeria will take diners on a journey through the brothers’ four favourite regions: Amalfi, Bologna, Tuscany and Naples.
Their travels through Amalfi, the region famed for growing the world’s finest lemons, was the inspiration behind the creation of Pococello, the brother’s independently owned Limoncello brand. The Amalfi Room at Pizza Pilgrims Victoria will be inspired by the Amalfi coastline, offering guests a space to enjoy Limocello cocktails. Alternative cocktails will also be served, such as the Pepergroni, a take on the Negroni with bourbon instead of gin, topped with caramelised pepperoni.
The main restaurant will transport guests to Naples, the home of pizza and the inspiration behind the food Thom and James fell in love with. Naples will be represented by a traditional cobbled piazza, as well as an outside dining area.
Downstairs will pay homage to Bologna, featuring a corridor of parmigiano cheese (we assume that’s a display of wheels rather than walls made of the stuff). Finally, there will be a traditional Tuscan wine cellar, complete with a wall of bottles, which will serve as a private dining room.
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