Last Updated on December 10, 2025
Pizza for the People at Santa Maria
3.8 out of 5.0 stars
The ineffable entrepreneur Peter Boizot opened the UK’s first Pizzeria, Pizza Express, in 1965. The southern Italian staple has become as ubiquitous in the high street as the fish and chip shop, with chains opening and closing and different styles of pizza emerging. The last few years have seen a focus on authentic Neapolitan pizzas, with brands such as Pizza Pilgrims, Franco Manca, and now Santa Maria emerging to challenge the market leaders.
Two Neapolitan chaps, Angelo and Pasquale, veterans of the London pizzeria scene, opened the first Santa Maria pizzeria in Ealing on Valentine’s Day 2010 with a wood-fired oven imported from Italy. My eldest daughter was living in Ealing at the time and kept raving to me about this great local pizza restaurant that she regularly visited. Since then, the group has expanded with openings in Paddington, Islington, Fulham, Fitzrovia and Kew, where we have been invited to review.
I grew up in the mean avenues of Kew and brought my family up there, so it’s an area that I know very well. For some reason, I was surprised to see that Santa Maria is on the site that used to house The Glasshouse, a cool Michelin-starred restaurant serving precise modern European cuisine to local investment bankers and “yummy mummies.
However, the feel is now very different, with a strong and graphic design ethos. There is dark wood flooring and chairs; banquettes with red leather cushions line the walls. Hanging globe lamps and cream paintwork with blue and black tiles add accents of 1960s style, while religious artwork gives the space character.
The menu is very straightforward. There are starters and sides such as Aubergine Parmigiana, meatballs or a plate of Burrata with ‘Nduja, a smallish pizza list, a couple of salads and a sensible drinks list that encompasses beers and wines, cocktails, digestifs and soft drinks. But on a warm summer’s evening, an Aperol and a Campari Spritz were perfectly made and just the ticket; did I mention that Kew Gardens tube station is next door? A bowl of mixed marinated olives helped the drinks go down, and a bowl for the pips was a thoughtful touch.
Santa Maria is all about pizzas. The vegan Sant’Anna was topped with a rich tomato sauce, excellent vegan mozzarella and Fiordilatte cheeses, mushrooms, artichokes, black olives, and Parmesan. The blend of vegetables and cheese was well-balanced, with the base being soft and doughy and the crust having a satisfying level of char.
In an exciting collaboration with Bro Pizzeria in Naples, Santa Maria is offering specials created by ace pizzaiolo Ciro Tutino. The San Ciro (football fans will get the play on words) brings together smoked mozzarella and fiordilatte, Pepperoni, a spicy pineapple reduction, black lime dust, Parmesan crisps and chilli flakes. I had no idea if this combo would deliver, but it does. The flavours merge in the mouth, with smokiness, the sweetness of the pineapple, the zing of the lime, heat of the chilli and crunch of the Parmesan crisps blending into an unlikely but delicious mouthful.
There are chilli and garlic oils available if you feel your pizzas need a little perking up, and a tomato salad, with red onion, Kalamata olives and capers, features nicely ripe tomatoes and a simple dressing.
Dessert is a necessary evil. What did we do before Tiramisu? The Santa Maria iteration is light and fluffy with a well-judged balance between the chocolate and cream. A vegan Affogato al Caffé impressed with a creamy vegan salted caramel ice-cream and a decaff espresso.
Going for a pizza should not be a complicated proposition, and these days, there is no excuse for poor pizzas. It turns out that my daughter was right about Santa Maria; if you are in one of the neighbourhoods that the group serves, they offer the perfect pizza prandial pick-me-up.
Santa Maria
Paddington
13 Norfolk Place, Tyburnia, W2 1QJ
020 3475 7618
Kew
14 Station Parade, Richmond, London, TW9 3PZ
0203 475 7633
Islington, 189 Upper St, N1 1RQ
020 7288 7400
Fulham
94 Waterford Road, SW6 2HA
020 7384 2844
Ealing
11 Bond Street, W5 5AP
020 8840 4998
Fitzrovia
160 New Cavendish St, Fitzrovia, W1W 6YR
020 7436 9963
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