Last Updated on January 26, 2022
Class and drama at Crazy Pizza Marylebone
The Crazy Pizza brand is the brainchild of colourful Italian businessman Flavio Briatore (ex Formula 1 Renault team and Queens Park Rangers football club) who is also behind Sumosan Twiga, the stylish Japanese and Italian operation in Sloane St. that we reviewed and loved recently. With Crazy Pizza outposts in Marylebone, Knightsbridge, Monte Carlo and Porto Cervo, and with Doha and Riyadh coming soon it’s clearly a group that’s on the up. We were delighted to be asked to review the Marylebone branch which is just off Baker St with good parking availability as well as being close to Baker St tube.
Crazy Pizza clearly likes to keep things simple, which, in a complicated world, is no bad thing. It majors in delicious skinny pizzas cooked in traditional Morello ovens. These range from a simple Pomodoro to the excitingly extravagant truffle-laden Tartufo. There’s a salad/starter menu, a couple of Caprese salads with your choice of mozzarella and a handful of desserts.
The interior has a sexy Milanese feel in grey, white and blood-red with backlit black and white photos of pizza munching celebrities. There are comfortable leather racing green banquettes to sit on, chilled house grooves on the sound system and a young crowd out to enjoy themselves. If this wasn’t enough ‘dolce vita’ the plates are covered with fun quotes and there is a floor show with a chef who does an amazing spinning act with pizza dough as the crowd cheers and claps along.
The cocktail list is built out of mostly Crazy Pizza twists on the classics. The Tommy Sbagliato is a dry, punchy take on a Margarita blending Patron Reposado tequila, tonka Cointreau, a mild hint of chilli and vanilla agave, and lime. If you fancy something with more of a citrus note then try the Flor De Jamaica – a mix of Bombay Sapphire, Pimento Dram, hibiscus flower orange oils, ginger, honey and allspice berry for a spicy sweetness and lovely long finish. Olives and the moreish focaccia flatbread were the perfect accompaniment.
From the starters and salads menu, we chose the Burrata which came with Datterino tomatoes, basil and extra virgin olive oil. This was a straightforward dish elevated by a wonderfully rich and creamy Burrata – great ingredients need to be left to speak for themselves and this was!
Crab Salad, a lovely plate of mixed leaves, avocado, prawns, king crab meat with a salsa cocktail sauce, was refreshing and light with a seductive lemon and oil dressing on the leaves and a generous portion of shell-on prawns and crab meat. After our starters, we moved on to a disappointingly underpowered Pinot Grigio from Ai Galli to accompany the main event, the Crazy Pizza pizzas.
The Crazy Pizza bases are surprisingly light and crisp. They are yeast-free which gives them a less doughy texture and makes them very digestible. The Parmigiana was an elegant concoction of aubergine cream, mozzarella and grilled aubergines with a cow’s heart tomatoes concassée. The base wasn’t overloaded by the toppings but there was still bags of flavour and texture.
The Salmone is perfect for anyone who wants a lighter pizza option without cheese and tomato. Covered with strips of good quality smoked salmon, creme fraiche, chives and white pepper it was fresh tasting and delicious.
I love a bit of table-side theatre. Our waitress constructed a fabulous Tiramisu al minuto in front of us, pouring coffee over the sponge fingers which were then slathered with double cream and sprinkled with chocolate powder. Dessert heaven!
If you’re in the mood for posh pizza and a good time then Crazy Pizza will be your kind of place. The pizzas themselves are top-notch and the ambience and fun elements make it impossible not to have fun. Finally, on Saturday afternoons they run a special ‘Crazy Bubbles’ brunch which is now on my to-do list!
Crazy Pizza
7 Paddington Street,
Marylebone,
London, W1U 5QH
https://crazypizza.com/marylebone/
Looking for something different in Marylebone? We recommend Chameleon for a wide range of Levantine dishes with entertainment
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