– An average guy’s journey to find the best pizza in Cambridge
We don’t cover enough pizza on the Cambridge Foodies, so I have started a quest to discover the best pizza in Cambridge!
This post will be updated frequently, so make sure to check back. If there is a place I have missed that you think is worth a visit then please do not hesitate to get in touch!
PS. This is only a bit of fun and opinion-based. I know nothing about pizza, so don’t take it too seriously! 😂
PPS. I have now changed it from ranked to tiered. I do not consider ones higher up in the same tier better or worse.
La Pergola – “Nduja e Peperoni”
La Pergola offers an exceptional wood-fired pizza, built on a foundation of humility and outstanding craftsmanship. Their commitment to quality sourcing is evident in every bite, from the Caputo flour base and creamy fior di latte mozzarella, to the unique touch of tomatoes cultivated in their own allotment. The pizza is invigorated with ‘nduja, delivering a fiery and distinctive kick. It’s a textbook example of how to make an Italian pizza with pure love, passion, and an unwavering dedication to authenticity, free from any gimmicks.
Full review here
Tradizioni – Mill Road – Square bas pizzas
Tradizioni are well known for their square bases, allowing the toppings to reach right to the very edges with absolutely no crust. Their dough is 72-hour fermented and made fresh on-site. This is a beautiful soft and gentle base without being doughy and the pizza was absolutely loaded from edge to edge in high quality imported Italian pepperoni. Top marks!
Full review here.
Scott’s ‘Detroit style’ pizza – Mill Road
Scott’s Detroit-style pizza offers a truly unique pizza experience, not served anywhere else in Cambridge.
Their “best pizza in Cambridge” offers high quality ingredients from the Mill Road area (including the Mill Road butcher). Their deep-pan pizza is perfectly balanced, with a light and fluffy base that doesn’t leave you feeling heavy and bloated afterwards. You can also enjoy a locally made craft beer from Calverly Brewery.
Full review here.
Giovanni’s Caffe – Burleigh Street – Capricciosa
Hand-made Neapolitan pizzas made fresh every day then cooked in their wood-fired pizza oven. These are beautifully delicate and well-balanced pizzas with a light, thin crust and a surprisingly large pizza base that had me struggling towards the end. The edges were slightly over-cooked by eye, but the texture and flavour were completely unaffected. Incredible olives that really stole the show.
Full review here.
De Luca – Regent Street – Puttanesca pizza
Mozzarella, anchovies, capers, and chillies, all on a tomato base with 72-hour fermented dough. It comes with 16 very meaty olives that haven’t been matched on any pizza in Cambridge since. There are generous toppings all over, a great size base, and surprising value for the centre of Cambridge. So simple, yet so good!
Full review here.
Gino’s Pizza – Ely Market
Neapolitan-style pizza made to order from their food van. Cooked at 450 degrees for 60-90 seconds. Simple and excellent. Good quality ingredients that you can really taste (especially the pepperoni) and fantastic value for what you get.
Full review here.
Pizza Mondo – Carne – Darwin Green
Pizza Mondo is a popular food van that makes Neapolitan-style pizzas cooked between 60–90 seconds in their 450-degree wood-fired pizza oven. Their dough has just four ingredients, including slow-rise flour to maximise flavour, which is then hand-made and stretched to order. “Fior di latte” mozzarella (made from cows rather than water buffalo) is used along with San Marzano tomatoes for their base. The pizza is a little small and the prices can mount up when you add extra toppings, but nobody will leave feeling disappointed!
Full review here.
Pizza Passione food van
This authentic Italian pizza van was found at Trumpington Meadows. Real care is taken in sourcing their ingredients, which mostly come from Italy or local suppliers. Their woodfired pizza is prepared with biga pizza dough and will serve the traditional pizza puritan perfectly. The ‘spicy calabrese’ pizza was incredibly mild, but the pizzas were a great size and a great value.
Full review here.
Al Pomodoro – Diavola
This stunning Sicilian-style pizza is called the Diavola (or “the devil’s pizza”). It is made with a thin base, mozzarella, pepperoni, ‘nduja, and chillies – combined with the purpose of giving a fiery kick. It is not only a delicious pizza but visually stunning, making it a complete work of art from start to finish, in true Italian style.
Full review here
The Dog & Castle – Woodwalton
The more I kept thinking about whether this deserved to be in the ‘excellent tier’ or ‘great tier’ the harder it got. I decided to put this stone banked pizza in the top category not only because it is a delicious and beautifully presented pizza in its own right but it is also served in a warm, picturesque pub with lots of animals.
I enjoyed this pizza while the pub cat sat next to me purring. Sometimes the experience is as important as the pizza! 🤣
Full review here
La Piazza Street Food @ The Taps, Waterbeach
In a sea of Neapolitan pizza across Cambridge, La Piazza stands proud to serve Roman sourdough pala – a popular pizza known for its rectangle shape, soft fluffy base and crispy edges. It is then doused in copious amounts of cheese with a selection of toppings and cooked in a bakery oven, adding something truly unique for local residents. Options for a “family sized pizza” are also available, giving you the chance to be a real pig and indulge without limitations.
Full review here
Franco Manca – “Franco’s Favourite”
Located on Market Square in the very heart of Cambridge, Franco’s offers 24 hour proofed sourdough pizzas from their open-plan kitchen.
All the ingredients at Franco’s are finely sourced, with capers from Salina and n’duja from Spilinga. These are are then carefully balanced to create soft, bold, and nuanced pizza which is as beautiful to eat as it is to look at.
The pizzas are generously sized and served promptly by a friendly staff team, all for a good price (especially for central Cambridge).
Full review here
Aromi Sourdough Pizza “n’duja”
Aromi is a popular Sicilian restaurant located a stones throw away from Kings College. It serves sourdough pizza that has been fermented for 48 hours which gives it a light and delicate flavour. This allowed all the carefully sourced and high quality ingredients to stand out, with the n’duja being particularly bold. There was a little too much crust for my liking but still an absolute must!
Full review here
Rudy’s – St Andrew’s Street – Triple Pepperoni
Rudy’s defies the chain stigma, landing firmly in the great tier as a serious contender for one of the best Neapolitan pizza in the city centre. Their purist technical rigour really translates to the plate, using 00 Caputo flour dough that is double-fermented over 24 hours before being blasted for just 60 seconds in a handmade brick oven. The result is a beautifully light, thin, pancake-like base with an airy, crispy crunch that holds its own against a generous layer of quality fior di latte and sweet San Marzano tomatoes. I recommend trying their award-winning Cal-Italia with its sweet fig jam for a truly unique Neapolitan style pizza. Make sure you order a side of their thick, fiery n’duja dip to dunk your leftover crusts in – it absolutely rocks your socks off.
Full review here.
Limoncello – Diavola
A thin-crust pizza made with spicy Calabrian ‘nduja, pepperoni, and spianata, all sourced from their very own on-site Italian deli. The base is made from “00” pizza dough, though it also comes with an excellent gluten-free alternative too. It can occasionally lean a little hard – perhaps slightly overcooked on my visit? – but this did result in a nice, reassuringly crispy base. The ingredients are incredibly high quality, which you can really taste, but the price is a little steeper than other pizzas in the city and it could definitely do with more topping spread around the edges.
Full review here.
The Carpenters Arms – Pesky
A good-value and balanced brick-baked pizza, cooked at 290°C. They use quality ingredients, and the pizza is well-sized with generous toppings. The crust was a little big for my liking, so make sure to order a side sauce for dipping, but otherwise it is a great pizza.
Full review here.
Scott’s sourdough pizza – Mill Road
A crispy sourdough base, with a soft fluffy centre, and a bold sour flavour. Generous toppings that cover the entire base. All with locally sourced ingredients from other small independent Mill Road businesses.
Scott’s do a punchy Sourdough that really hits hard. I am not a huge fan of sourdough so I struggled with it somewhat, but if you are a bit fan then this will firmly be in the excellent tier.
Full review here.
The Cambridge Pizza Company – Mill Road
Italian takeaway pizza in the heart of Mill Road with a wide variety of options, including massive sizes. Very generous with toppings and a speedy service. A great value to quality ratio.
Peri peri pizza – The Grill Peri Peri
A good value, soft (yet still crispy) pizza with a wide variety of colourful ingredients, stone baked, and covered in The Grill Peri Peri’s incredible sauces.
Full review here.
Fireaway Pizza – Perne Road
Good all-round pizza from the Fireaway Pizza chain. Cooked at 400c with the ability to completely customise your pizza from start to finish. Great value, fast, and generous toppings. Certainly a step up from other pizza chains.
Full review here.
Pizza Pilgrim – N’duja pizza
Pizza Pilgrim offers a Neapolitan-style pizza with some of the best pizza bases on my journey so far. This is partly credited to their 72-hour fermentation process.
The toppings pooled in the middle, making it a little watery in the centre. This made the toppings slide off the pizza base. The nduja flavour was almost absent from the tomato sauce and the toppings felt stingy. This was one of the best-presented pizzas on the list and looked fantastic.
Full review here.
The Engineers House, Riverside, Pepperoni Pizza
The Engineers House offers freshly made wood fired pizzas that you can eat while overlooking the River Cam, while sipping on a locally made craft beer from Calverley’s Brewery. Pizza is served with a thin and crispy base with a generous topping of pepperoni, making this a simple but effective pizza for any occasion.
Full review here
Joy Bistro – Pepperoni pizza
Joy Bistro offers a good all-around stone-baked pizza from Sutton (Ely). Thin crust, great value, and a surprising amount of flavour that jumps out from a deceptively ordinary presentation.
Full review here
The Haymakers – Chesterton
The Haymakers is a great pub with a lively atmosphere and a good selection of ales from Milton Brewery. Pizzas are Italian style with meat used from the local butcher.
Locally sourced ingredients, good flavour, and a non-greasy base. I am especially a fan of their gorgonzola Italian blue cheese. The pizza is a little stingy on the toppings and I was expecting better quality ingredients. The pizza base failed to excite and didn’t feel freshly made.
Full review here.
The Pharmacie – Waterbeach
Great-value pizza cooked in a deck-based pizza oven. Dough, sauces, and pesto are all made in-house. Thin crust and white dough freshly prepared to order. Not afraid to make it cheesy! A little charred in small areas but looked like something made at home.
Full review here.
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