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Pizza Express - where Calamari and Tiramisu save the day

Writer's picture: Sharon WilsonSharon Wilson

La Reine

Edinburgh is a city that can boast excellent pizzerias. So when an invite from Pizza Express hits my inbox my interest is piqued. What place does Pizza Express have in the market these days?


The invite is for the team to sample the new summer menu but we are a large team (circa 15 ), so I called on Lea, Kirsty, and Diana to come with me to the Queensferry Street branch of this Neapolitan-inspired pizza palace.


The place is buzzing and the restaurant is spacious with a sheltered, pretty courtyard. We opt for a booth inside and order wines from a standard list. Gavi, Pinot Grigio and Provençal Rose fulfil a function without generating any particular excitement. 


We share starters of mushroom arancini, bruschetta, and calamari. The bruschetta lacks tomatoes and the arancini lacks fungi. However, the calamari is surprisingly good. The batter is light and crispy and the generous portion of squid is thick and chunky without being rubbery.

Chuncky tasty calamari

From the new summer menu, whereby lighter dishes have been added to the regular menu, Kirsty orders a beetroot and goat's cheese buddha bowl which she says is very good. I have prawn peperonata and Lea and Diana go for Funghi di Bosco and La Reine pizzas respectively.


I am not expecting much of the prawns in my dish but penne and tomato sauce are difficult to get wrong. Unfortunately, the pasta texture is off - it has been put in the oven ‘al forno’ which has had the twin result of burning some of the pasta and making the sauce dry and flavourless. While crunchy bits can be delicious in lasagne this does not work with penne. 


Kirsty likes her Buddha bowl, and we agree that having a fresh, light option on the menu is a positive addition to the summer menu. Lea says of her mushroom pizza:

“ This is unlike any pizza I have eaten in Rome which have had a pillowy yet crispy base., voluptuous, oozy cheese on a rich tomato sauce. This is a supermodel - thin, brittle with very little on top. The dough is too thin to hold a decent topping leading to what is essentially an overbaked crispbread.”

Diana opts for a safe bet and says “ the classic Italian trio of ham, mushrooms and olives that is La Reine, a Pizza Express staple since its launch. While the flavours never fail to please, the pizza has spent too long in the oven.” 


Moving onto desserts Diana continues: “The Tiramisu is the saving grace, creamy and indulgent, with just enough oomph to provide a satisfying conclusion to the meal.”


I choose dolcetti - a mini dessert served with tea or coffee. For me, stem ginger cake with generous frosting. Kirsty’s Limoncello should be served from the freezer in a shot glass but comes in a dishwasher-scarred tumbler with ice. Presentation is everything. 


A post-Pizza Express Whats App convo has Bite contributor Rachel comment on a dessert that had caught my attention. She said of the Caffè Reale, sweet figs in a cinnamon and white wine spiced syrup with mascarpone: “It tastes like Christmas and is one of the nicest things I have ever eaten.” 


Beet and goat's cheese buddha bowl

I may go back to taste this pud. 


The Pizza Express chain was started by Peter B in 1965 in Wardour Street, Soho to bring Neapolitan pizza to boho London. In 2020 PE was sold to Hony Capital in a debt-for-equity deal. I can’t help but conjure a visual trajectory from colourful mini-skirted girls eating slices and necking Bierras to corporate psycho killers scanning balance sheets. 


Pizza Express offers a neutral safe place for parties to visit but the dishes can lack flavour, presentation can be poor and cooking lacks tlc. It’s hit and miss but there is a nugget of heritage that could be revived. 


Meantime, I will look elsewhere for tasty authentic exciting pizzas and I don’t need to look far. Hello Pizza Geeks, East Pizzas, Origano, Mazzo et al. 




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