Review: Pizza Union, King’s Cross

Until recently, creaking Italian café The Other Side had held out in this Pentonville Road location, serving unremarkable staples that were scran for acting students from The Poor School next door, but not much of a draw for others – bar the most ravenous of passers-by.

Now this large site bang opposite the Big Chill House has been transformed into a buzzing all-day pizza bar that should continue to chime with the area’s bargain-seeking student population, while also offering the kind of quality that this long-forgotten thoroughfare now demands.

I swept into the place on a humid Saturday night with two boisterous kids in tow, still regaining their composure after an early-evening romp through the new fountains in Lewis Cubitt Square. It was surprisingly low-lit for such a fast-paced cantina, the atmosphere hovering somewhere between a Manhattan backstreet dive and a busy airport terminal.

As we perched upon high sharing tables with mosaic tile tops, supping on peach juice (them) and bottled Moretti (me), the youngsters were captivated by the introduction of a dongle-thingy, that buzzes and lights up wildly when your order is ready.

And the promise of ‘superfast’ pizza here is not an idle one. The crowd-pleasing vibrating light-show of the gadget signalled that ours were ready for collection from the counter in minutes. In fact, we’d hardly had a chance to make headway through our glass of firm, juicy assorted olives. First World problems, eh?

Menu prices are unbelievably keen. A Margherita clocked in at £3.95, meaning you could, in theory, sink a couple of glasses of house wine (£3!) with it and still have change from a tenner. The pizza itself was a decent take on the classic; crisp crust, oozing middle and a good hit of fresh basil too.

The Fiorentina, (at £5.95), didn’t seem to scrimp on any of the constituent toppings, while a Calabria (also £5.95), featured chunks of N’duja spicy sausage as the star of the show. It was quite oily, but in a decadent kinda way. And while we’re on that topic, the chilli oil on our table – so often disappointing un-fiery – packed a fair bit of heat too.

As we three demolished our 12” platters, a blond rasta-raver behind us was busy comparing the food with that of Pizza East. And while the toppings here are more traditional, the Roman-style dough less pillowy, without the charred depth that a wood-fired oven delivers, the speed and value factor make Pizza Union an attractive alternative. A better comparison still is equally bargainous chain Franco Manca, clearly an inspiration here.

At its best, pizza is essentially a hot made-to-order sandwich, so with prices cheaper than many of the fridge-cold soggy sarnies out there, this new joint offers a fantastic lunchtime grab-and-go alternative. That’s not to mention how it shames the stuffed crust delivery horrors too.

To finish, out came dolce, a sweet dough ring stuffed with unspeakable delights such as Nutella, mascarpone or salted caramel which went down a treat with the family, despite essentially being a sugary version of our mains.

Even with the affordable booze, not many diners chose to linger longer, the whole operation encouraging superfast turnaround. Some crossed the road, ready to dance at the Big Chill House, or, in our party’s case, the bus journey home to an excitingly late bedtime.