A couple of weeks ago when we were in London to watch WWE RAW we were asked if we would like to go for lunch at Franco Manca, a small authentic sour dough pizzeria in various locations across the city. Obviously being pizza lovers the answer wasn’t a hard one and we took them up on the offer! Not knowing which one we were going to choose made it a bit of a mystery review style lunch which I’ve never done before and I loved.
We went in at about 1.30pm and the place was crammed! We literally got the last two seats inside, which usually makes me think that a place MUST be good if it’s this busy right? I wasn’t too sure about the table arrangements, where we sat it was a table for two pushed together with another table for two – picture Wagamamas style eating where you are essentially sharing a table with strangers, which I don’t really like in a restaurant. Adam wasn’t bothered though, he was of the opinion that it was all “very continental”! Ha!
As soon as we were seated someone came over to take our orders – even though we hadn’t looked at the menus and I couldn’t see the special board because I’m as blind as a bat. It did feel very rushed, which was a bit of a dampener, so when Adam answered “I’ll take a number 4 please” I had to say I needed extra time. The waiter said he wouldn’t come back and take our drinks order and see if we wanted anything else and the next thing we know…. a number 4 pizza was placed on the table!
Obviously, we were a bit surprised and thankful that there is complimentary bottled water on the table because, well, the waiter forgot to come back for our drinks and clearly didn’t listen at all when we said we needed more time! That being said, one bite of the pizza and all was forgiven. It was heavenly. The dough was thin and soft, with just the right amount of crisp. The toppings were really high quality produce and delicious.
I guess because it was so busy it meant that the staff were rushed themselves, but having been in the hospitality industry for years Adam was really surprised by how overwhelmed they seemed to be and how they hadn’t listened. We could have sent the pizza back and said actually, we asked for more time as you are rushing us, but it was so delicious that there was no point. Not only that, because they whole thing was so quick, had we still been hungry we could easily have ordered another pizza and had it faster than a McDonalds meal.
So… Pros:
- Really nice decor, very authentic feeling
- Free bottled water, which adds a nice touch and I always have water with a meal so I was happy!
- Delcious pizza, well worthy of recommendation.
- The fastest pizza I’ve ever had – so good if you are looking for a speedy lunch date.
- Seeing the chefs making the pizzas is always a plus for me!
- Price. One pizza was really quite large and cost… £6.75. Which meant our whole meal (because they forgot us) cost £6.75.
Cons:
- Rushed. I hate being rushed and this waiter was really rushing us.
- Waiter didn’t listen, which annoys me A LOT!
- Felt a bit cramped. I’m not keen on sitting at tables with other people I don’t know, especially not when I want a romantic lunch!
- Staff didn’t seem observant at all, we tried to catch their eyes a few times and got zilch.
All in all, I would definitely recommend going to Franco Manca, it was super tasty and well worth the very reasonable price BUT I wouldn’t recommend going during super busy times, or maybe just be a bit firmer with requesting more time!
****** London tip******
If you’re visiting London at all, I’ve come across this fab magazine called CitizenMag which has a load of really awesome reviews of places (including Franco Manca) to visit – what I really love is that if you are planning on going but don’t really want to usual touristy stuff you can check this out and it will bring up some lovely spots for you to stay, eat and drink to your hearts content!
H x
This looks so Yummy!! I love pizza but I can’t eat it as often as I would like I am trying to loose some weight. I do eat it once in a while 🙂
This place looks like a really nice place to visit, thanks for sharing!
Leslie xoxo
MMmm me too! H x
I’ve heard great things about Franco Manca & the quality of their pizza but I haven’t eaten there yet. I do have their cookbook & have tried a couple of recipes which turned out really well.
Oh my gosh this pizza looks SO good! Love the sourdough base idea!
Isn’t it delicious looking? It was great!
We are pizza lovers in our house and this looks yummy. Such a shame the waiter didn’t listen to you, that’s annoying. I too don’t like the concept of everyone sitting together, I never feel like I can relax the same. X
I’m not too keen on the bench seating idea i’d rather have a meal with just those I came with.
Yeah, it just wasn’t my *thing* x
I’d definitely want to check this place out. Maybe on a slow night. The food does look really good!
Yes go – it was delightful food, just too busy! H x
I’m a huge fan of pizza so this is somewhere I would have tou check out when I go to London. Makes a change from the usual pizza express!
Yes give it a go Leanne! H x
Looks like the food was very tasty! I’ll bear in mind busy times though x
It was fab! H x
The food looks AMAZING! I love an open kitchen and watching my food being prepared and made! It’s a shame about the service and being rushed. I don’t like being rushed either.
I wouldn’t have liked the seating arrangements either – but oh that pizza looks heavenly, so I think I would go with it! Great review. Kaz x
See it’s not just me! Adam thought I was being grumpy haha! H x
I really like bench seating/being close to strangers in a informal restaurant – think it adds to the ambience but of course would hate it in a formal setting. Pizza looks scrummy though
Adam quite enjoyed it too, I just wasn’t a fan! x
Oh my goodness this looks so good, I do love a really good pizza.
It was deeeeelish!
Oh yum! The pizza looks AMAZING! I love watching my food being prepared and made in an open kitchen! It’s a shame the service let you down, the food looks amazing! xx
It’s a shame that you weren’t given more time to order and the waitor didn’t listen to you. I bet you were so glad that the food was nice though x
I know! The food totally made up for it though!
A lot of London restaurants are packed at peak times do I am not surprised the service was not great. Shame as the food sounded great.
The food looks gorgeous and I really enjoy being able to see my food being made in an open kitchen like that. Such a shame you felt rushed and cramped, but I’d definitely go for a visit at a quieter time to see if it is any better. x
I am the biggest pizza fan and this looks amazing!! I will have to try and visit soon!