Franco Manca

Franco Manca

Franco Manca - Sourdough Pizza. The pizza is made from slow-rising sourdough (minimum 20 hours) and is baked in a wood burning 'tufae' brick oven made on site by specialised artisans from Naples.

Welcome to Franco Manca !

http://www.francomanca.co.uk

Reviews and related sites

Franco Manca | London | Restaurant Review | The Arbuturian

Review analysis
value   food   ambience   location   menu  

Despite being named as one of London’s best Cheap Eats by Time Out back in 2008, Franco Manca (meaning “Frank’s not here” in Italian, in reference to the pizzeria, Frankie’s, which previously occupied the Brixton site) has retained an underground edge.

I opt for a pizza with courgettes, basil, buffalo ricotta and Frano Lloyd organic pecorino while my friend has Gloucester old spot ham, mozzarella, buffalo ricotta and wild mushrooms on hers (priced at £6.50 and £6.85 respectively).

The approach at Franco Manca is to do a handful of things – typically just half a dozen pizzas plus a couple of options for antipasti and dessert on each day’s menu – but do them really well.

It may have sounded foolish to risk the riots and venture to the end of the District Line for what’s essentially a disc of dough covered in tomato and cheese; however, Franco Manca has elevated straightforward, rustic cuisine into something for which I was prepared to battle past a few plasma TV wielding hoodies.

Franco Manca is a no-frills, wine in tumblers, paper menu sort of venue, but it’s all about those two huge ovens and the delicious, feel good ingredients flipped into them.

New Restaurant Review: Franco Manca in Chiswick | Londonist

Review analysis
food  

No longer simply a South London institution, Brixton's foodie favoured pizzeria - Franco Manca - has opened a second branch in villagey Chiswick.

And if our experience at last night's launch party (the restaurant's actually been open for about a month) is at all representative of what diners can expect, W4 residents and those inclined to travel a bit for quality nosh should rejoice!

We sampled so many gorgeous pizze last night, quaffed some quality organic red wine and had more than a few sips of some particularly tart and tasty home made lemonade.

Service is (or at least was at last night's do) especially friendly, exuding with southern Italian charm.

Franco Manca (number two) is located at 144 Chiswick High Road, W4 IPU.

Franco Manca restaurant review 2009 May London | Pizza Cuisine ...

Review analysis
food  

The wood-fired pizza oven was built by a specialist supplier in Naples and shipped over (apparently the only one in England); it reaches 500C, meaning that the pizza is cooked in under two minutes.

Toppings are also well-sourced e.g. the chorizo is from Brindisa, organic tomatoes from Liguria in Italy, and the menu proudly lists the other suppliers.

The base was light and the edges are just slightly charred by the hot even, giving an agreeable hint of charcoal, while the ingredients are unusually good for a pizza joint, as noted.

We tried a variety of pizzas, and found some variation – one had the base cooked not quite as much as the others, and suffered by comparison.

I most enjoyed the tomato, chorizo and mozzarella pizza most, but such things are mostly a matter of personal preference of toppings.

Franco Manca W4 restaurant review 2013 June London | Pizza ...

Review analysis
food  

Franco Manca in Brixton Market is something of a legend amongst foodies; open only for lunch, people queue around the block to eat its pizzas.

The lovely tiled floor uses tiles (some dating back to the 16th century) from a villa in Naples that was damaged in the earthquake in 1980; piece of damaged tiles are used to decorate the pizza oven.

The pizza oven is a wood-burning “Tufae” oven constructed on the site by builders from Naples, and weighs eight tons, getting to 550C.

Sad foodie that I am, I was there early to ensure that I ate the very first pizza produced from the oven on the restaurant’s first service when it opened.

However, no one wants to eat elaborate food every day, and it is a delight to see someone with such passion trying to produce the very finest pizza that can be made.

William Skidelsky discovers Franco Manca, an exceptional pizzeria ...

Review analysis
food   value   staff  

I'd always assumed that the best pizzas have super-thin crusts, but this one was surprisingly thick, especially round the edge, where the heat of the oven had caused it to flare up in angry blisters.

Both good and bad pizzas deploy the same building blocks - bread, tomato and cheese - and are made following the same basic steps (make the dough, let it rise, flatten it, add topping, bake in oven).

I visited Franco Manca on a recent weekday lunchtime, and spent a few hours chatting to Mascoli and observing how the pizzas are made (Hugo was on holiday).

Franco Manca's pizzas have a sourdough crust, which means that the dough is made using a starter culture, not yeast.

The pizzas stay in the oven for exactly 40 seconds; only this short cooking time, Mascoli says, guarantees a crust with the right combination of crispness and chewiness.

Franco Manca - Market Row - Italian Restaurant - visitlondon.com

Review analysis
food  

This review isn't for the food - because for me, Franco Manca is one of the best priced & tastiest pizza places in London.

However the 2* for this place was the service and the place itself.

It was grotty, the service was rude and we were sat outside on a bench when it was BLOODY FREEZING!

For food - we shared a burrata (their burrata is amazing - you gotta try!)

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