There may be queues at lunchtime, but it all moves pretty swiftly
What exactly is Breadstall?
This is actually the second Breadstall. Sebastian Vince opened the original on Battersea's Northcote Road as an actual stall (hence the name). Originally the bakery part was as big a deal as the pizzas but over the years, the pizza business has really taken off. Selling pizzas whole or by the slice, Breadstall built up a big following in Battersea and this Soho opening sees them getting a permanent pizzeria for the first time.
And it's primarily pizzas by the slice?
While you can order a whole pizza, this is really all about grabbing a huge slice (or two). Pizzas by the slice are easy to find in New York, including from some hugely influential pizzerias, but London has been pretty slow on catching up. While great pizzas are now fairly easy to find in London, slices are something of an untapped market over here. So Breadstall end up finding itself a very popular spot indeed.
Where is it?
It's opened as part of a new development on the lower end of Berwick Street, in the area where you'll find the small street food market. It's the perfect place for a snack on the go if you're in Soho, but if you're making the trip specifically, it's almost directly in the centre of town, so equidistant from Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus or Tottenham Court Road stations.
Here's where things start and you can check out today's pizzas
Everything's laid out as it comes from the oven, but also given a quick reheat before it's served.
And it's both grab-and-go as well as dine-in?
Yes, unlike Battersea the place here also has somewhere to eat that's actually inside (which is rather handy given the cold snap at the time of writing). However, everything starts at the big window out front. Here you'll see just what's on offer laid out (as the pizzas change regularly). Choose what you want (and how much), the pizza is then put back in the huge oven for a quick refresh and you can either take it inside or take it away to fuel your walk around Soho.
What's on offer?
The pizzas are all huge biga slow-fermented sourdough Neapolitan pizzas, with pretty enormous crusts. The basic marinara and margherita form the starting point for most of the pizzas but the pizzas change regularly, so you'll be rewarded with repeat visits. When we popped in on the first week of opening, the New York-style spicy vodka sauce pizza was a clear winner, but we also loved the rocket and burrata and pepperoni versions. They were also due to add another one to the mix later in the day - n'duja, gorgonzola and hot honey.
There's also the option to add hot honey to any of the pizzas (recommended), as well as a sprinkling of Parmesan and more. Plus, you'll want to get at least one "crust dipper" to make the best of those excellent, huge crusts. The options are garlic aioli and n'duja mayo (we preferred the former).
Four quarter slices reassembled as one big pizza, including pepperoni, vodka sauce, rocket and burrata, and candied jalapeno and pepperoni.
Just to give you a proper idea of the size of these things.
And now much?
It's mainly a flat pricing system, so every pizza costs the same - £7 for a quarter, £14 for half and a whole pizza for £28. Alternatively, there are the "special" pizzas which are £8/£16/£32. The crust dippers are £1.50. Now that all may seem a little pricey, but one whole pizza is more than enough for two people and, frankly the quarter is perfect for lunch.
Anything else?
If you're dining in, you'll want to make use of the self-serve soft-serve machine. Still to come when we visited, the initial flavours will be fior di latte and hot honey. We're definitely going back for that. As for drinks, the in-house lemonade is excellent while they also have Brooklyn/Lucky Saint beer, a small classic cocktail list (£8 each) and a short wine list (by the glass or from £20 a bottle). As well as the seating space downstairs, there's also a small bar area beside the massive dough machines, so you can have a slice and a cocktail and be mesmerised by the machines in action.
Overall thoughts
Central London really needed a New York-style pizza by the slice restaurant and Breadstall fills that gap perfectly. The pizzas are very good, they're easy to grab and go and it's a great space to settle down and work your way through as many slices as possible. This will be a big, and deserved, hit.
More about Breadstall
Where is it? 92-93 Berwick St, London W1F 0QB
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @breadstall.
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