Santa Maria Pizzeria Islington in Islington

Best pizza in London I’ve ever had so far.

We've been several times here, pizzas were always super tasty. Quick service too. The young man server Antonio was super friendly :-)

On the way home looking for a quick bite to eat and passed by this place so figured we would grab a pizza to take away. Let me tell you that pizza did not make it home! We ended up parked outside (we should have just eaten in) and devouring the whole pizza and tiramisu in 10mins. We got the pizza with caramelised onions and goats cheese and OMG it was divine! How can a pizza be juicy and perfectly crunch crust at the same time. SO SO GOOOD!

Ottimo!! Having walked past and seen the excellent looking pizza's it was time to try one last night. Despite having many reserved atables already at 6:30, they fitted me in when i told them i wasn't planning on being long, as I had a Georgia Crandon gig to attend at the Hope and Anchor. I asked for a 50/50 Aperol Campari, spritz, my favourite since being recommended on it Italy. My San Gennaro (Napolitiana) pizza turned up very quickly, piping hot, and well cooked - no soggy bottom! It had quality ingredients, flavoursome tomato, olives, and fresh anchovies - a far cry from the normal ones in tins. I read one review saying that the topping was lacking accompanied by a photo of a pizza that looked very similar to mine. The toppings are certainly not lacking and are just as they should be - they may not be as plentiful and piled on like the high street chains, but then again the high street chains are not selling real pizza. I can highly recommend Santa Maria for great pizzas and friendly efficient service, and if you can eat in as I'm sure you will get a better experience. Being of Italian origin I can honestly say that I would have been very satisfied if I found a pizza like this in Italy, let alone london.

Pizza was great, but took ages to arrive…

A lovely place for a family lunch. Great food, great wine and great prices! Very friendly staff. 😊

Absolutely delicious pizza, will be back. My friend said the gluten free pizza was also very good

Had been on my bucket list for a while and we decided to go on my partner's birthday for dinner after a show nearby. It was still open and pizza is always a good choice. We tried the parmigiana as a starter and it was really good. The pizzas were sooo good, this place goes to my top favorite pizza places in London. We were too full to try the desert, maybe next time. Service was attentive and friendly.

The most authentic pizza in Islington shame that they don’t serve beer on tap here. But you can get a proper San Gennaro. And they serve Chinotto! What more to ask for?

Really great pizza, shame we were right next to the door which kept opening and closing throughout the evening which did mean it was rather chilly

Great pizza, really authentic Neapolitan style. Thumbs up also for the ‘nduja dipping cream, which was pure and not mixed with mayo or other weird stuff like many other pizzerias.

The pizza was great, the place was nice,

Great pizza, great wine, great service. Will definitely return

Their quality is always reliable.

Really great pizza and friendly service, was super busy for a Tuesday

All the toppings had fallen off on one side, making the base and crust soggy. The box wasn't sealed meaning contamination risk (how can you guarantee the box wasn't opened on the way)! Raised a complaint with Deliveroo and as usual it was pathetic response from customer service.

Excellent place for a quick bite. Came by for a quick lunch on a quiet Saturday. We were in a bit of a hurry, and the staff was kindly very understanding and accommodating. We managed to get our food quite quickly, and what we feared would be a stressful meal, ended up being a relaxed and comfortable thanks to the great service! We went for the Santa Caterina, Garlic Focaccia, and Meatballs. All very tasty and great value. Overall all, a fantastic place for a delicious lunch or dinner. Would certainly want to come back again.

maybe my favourite pizza place in london! been there many times and i always had a pleasant experience. highly recommend!

Really, really great pizza, food but most of all - absolutely incredible service from Francesca who was an absolute delight. Thanks so much ❤️❤️❤️

Great pizza. As good a base/crust as you can get.👌 Efficient, nice staff. No nonsense setting. Will go back.

Consistently good pizza and warm service. If you're doing Dry January or simply don't drink, they have lovely soft drink options as well.

Excellent pizza like that of Naples, exceptional product quality, friendly and courteous staff recommended

There isn't much to a good pizza: good dough, and a tomato good sauce. There are fancy trimmings here if one prefers, but Santa Maria in the basics of a good pizza - the base is well fermented and chewy, yet stern. The tomato sauce is flavorful with perfect consistency. Bravo!

As our local pizzeria, we have tried most of the menu and it never disappoints. Always lovely service, fresh ingredients and great flavour. The decor inside is fun too!

We went for lunch. Service was excellent, friendly and efficient. The pizza was delicious but unfortunately very little topping.

Absolutely delicious. Pizza tastes just like it does in Italy. I’ve by no means tried every pizza place in London, but I think this spot deserves to be up near the top - if not #1. Many vegan and gluten-free options available. Highly recommend!!

One of the best pizzas in london . Do not miss out if you are In Islington

These guys are a nightmare to order delivery from. Tonight they sent the wrong order twice in a row. Will be avoiding in the future. It's a shame as the food is good

Excellent traditional pizza. Warm atmosphere, friendly staff and tasty food!

Superb neapolitan pizza, the crust is incredible! Best I've had anywhere in the UK my some distance. It really is worth a visit. The house wine was very good and paired perfectly. The staff and manager were delightful. It's a new favourite of mine.

Very nice place, pizza is really good and the personnel very nice

We ate the last pizza of 2024 at Santa Maria (lunch time on December 31st). The pizza is of high quality. The very welcoming environment. The manager (Orazio) makes the stay at the restaurant particularly pleasant. Don't miss the sweet "Pandistelle" a real delicacy (and the chinotto which comes from the legendary Sicily). Absolutely reasonable prices. Espresso coffee that can beat an espresso distilled in Italy. We will be back!

The pizzas are possibly the best I've had in London.

We went here for dinner after a long day out in London. The pizza was excellent! Highly recommended!

I went to this place recently because it was recommended to me by other Italians, and I must say that I found everything very good. From the pizza to the appetizers, such as parmigiana and burrata. Cozy place with Italian music in the background and the staff knowledgeable and kind. For Once in London I felt at home. Highly recommended.

If you're craving authentic Neapolitan pizza in London, this spot is a must-visit. The dough is perfectly soft and airy, the toppings are fresh and flavorful, and the wood-fired oven adds that signature char. The cozy atmosphere and friendly service make it a great choice for a casual meal. Thanks guys!

Delicious pizza and really kind professional staff. Good prices too. Highly recommend.

Delicious pizza, friendly staff and just a stone’s throw from Union Chapel

I discovered this Italian pizzeria during my stay in London. I tried the gluten-free pizza and found it delicious with excellent quality ingredients!!! As an appetizer we tried the parmigiana and it was truly exceptional as was the buffalo mozzarella. Also the top cocktail. I recommend tasting the sweet pan di stelle...infinite goodness!!! Friendly polite staff. I will definitely be back before I leave!

Cozy environment, playlist of Italian songs in the background and super friendly staff. Delicious pizza, with high quality ingredients. A fixed stop for anyone coming to London (especially if Italian).

Very welcoming restaurant, polite and helpful staff Super good pizza, it feels like home, I recommend

Lyla what a absolute star maybe if this restaurant really gives her the gratuity that she needs she is beyond perfect when it comes to a hostess

Santa Maria do fantastic pizzas. The cheesy focaccia to start was also nice. Salads are huge. Good tiamisu. Only complaint was the waitress we had was too pushy with up-selling. It was just a bit too much and left us feeling a bit cheated, which is not ideal. Didn't make me want to go again. Get takeaway next time?

Great environment fantastic food and absolutely normal prSpecial mention to Horace who served us at the table! ices for high quality! special mention to Orazio who served us and well recommended 😃

Amazing place in Islington! Excellent food and warm welcome from Tony, our server. Chefs Ricci and Domenico come to the table to check if our food was ok, we felt like home! Defo coming back!

Had a great time food and staff all great

Good food and the staff is very friendly. Didn’t try much of the starters but the pizzas are def amazing.

Great pizza. Good vegan options. Quick service. Nice atmosphere

A little bit of real Italy in London. You guys rocks as usual, your pizza smells like Naples and experience, passion and joy. The restaurant is clean and with the right music, service is accurate and all the guys can recommend you some special food to try if you are curious to know Italian cucine. So, pizza is amazing, dessert too. In love with you. Hope to come back early

Love this place but please please please fix that horrid speaker that crackles every time a singer sings a note!!! It's soooo poor and cheap and spoils the ambulance Best pizza spot along Islington. Genuinely nice staff however a woman a table over was chatting about her bizarre pregnancy which sounded grim. So I know not the pizza places fault but MAYBE a little more space between tables

Lovely cozy restaurant with a great atmosphere. The chef, Domenico, and the owner, Orazio, are both from Southern Italy, and their passion for outstanding food and hospitality truly shines through. Having grown up in Naples, I have high expectations when it comes to pizza and espresso, and I’m happy to say that my Margherita was just perfect! The espresso (Kimbo Caffé) was also spot on – exactly what you’d expect from the best of Naples.

I’m thrilled to leave a 5-star review for this amazing pizzeria! Every bite was fantastic, from the perfectly crust to the super tasty toppings. The menu has a great variety, and each pizza is made with such care and attention. A big shoutout to the awesome team. Great job!

Went here on a whim before a concert at Union Chapel. We didn’t have a reservation but they found us a table. Service was so quick - we’d barely ordered when the pizzas appeared. Delicious sourdough base and a good mix of toppings. We were in and out in maybe 45 mins and the staff were super friendly. I’d come back again for sure!

Santa Maria is the best PIZZERIA in Upper Street. The vibe is warm and welcoming, and the staff are super friendly – you feel right at home the second you walk in. The Pizza is AMAZING and toppings are fresh and full of flavor. Their Santa Filomena Pizza is a must-try if you are a truffle lover. Tomatoes sauce was delicious and drinks were spot on. If you’re a pizza lover, this place will absolutely hit the spot. Definitely the best pizza around, and you’ll keep wanting to come back!

Amazing pizza by the chefs Domenico and Antonio and amazing, kind and welcoming service from Toni and all the staff!❤️

Very cool and friendly service team. The Pizza we ate was amazing! (Neapolitan style)

Great pizza, the base & crust is exactly the kind of Neapolitan pizza I like. Also recommend the Pan di Stelle, it's great. Lovely staff too.

Excellent pizza which is not that easy to find any more. The service made it even better: kind, attentive and quick. It feel homey but still sophisticated. Good offering of beer and wine. I went for the Santanna but they classic Margarita won't disappoint.

The manager went out of his way to try and accommodate us in a very busy restaurant which he did and the pizza was great as usual ! Thanks guys

Food and service both perfect, the manager is been outstanding! Can’t wait to come back!

Location - Santa Maria Pizzeria, Upper St. Islington. We only popped in for a quick bite after work, however we had a brilliant meal and a cheeky cocktail. We had the most upbeat and amazing service from a waitress named Maddie. She was very attentive and really kind. 5/5 for her. Would definitely come again just for the banter. Thank you again and will see you again soon.

Took my mum to Islington to explore and she wanted pizza as a treat, about to go to our usual Pizza Express and saw this gem and thought why not try something new. Really glad we did. Super fresh ingredients and authentic Napoli style pizza in a modern design and friendly staff. Mum is very picky with she food and she was really happy here. Was around 25 for two pizzas and soft drinks which is far better quality than at any other “high street” pizza joint. Would recommend.

Squisito! Santa Maria Is definitely one the best pizzas spots in London Everything about the pizza encapsulates what a true Neapolitan Pizza is about. Perfectly cooked with a nice char on the crust. An amazing balance of fresh creamy buffala mozzarella.Sweet, rich and full bodied San Marzano tomatoes. With most places you are offered chilli oil, at Santa Maria you get both chilli and garlic oil. That garlic oil is Devine. The chilli oil could do with a bit more of a kick. Maybe it hasn’t infused long enough. The cocktails were superb (Says my mother) and the blood orange IPA was nice too. The tiramisu was pretty good. Not the best Iv had but pretty good. Overall 5* all round. I apologise for my mother, she’s very picky, nothing is ever good enough for her! I hope she wasn’t insulting… Telling an Italian how Neapolitan pizza should be 😅😅 Hope to come back soon!

Delicious pizza. Fast service, very pleasant and accommodating. Had to be in and out quickly and they did it perfectly!!

Very nice evening! Pizza is tasty and very good quality. Dessert Pan di stelle to die for with very rich flavours! Top service from Orazio, will definitely be back

Best pizza I've eaten in a long while in London! The ingredients used were super fresh. Would highly recommend it.

Unable to have a conversation as the music was too loud. The waiter said it wasn't necessary for him to write down the order for a table of four, stating that he would remember everything. Well, he didn't remember everything. He missed off one pizza from the order (not a topping, a whole pizza. Someone's meal). He said he got distracted!! So, I got my pizza late and was expected to eat alone as the others had almost finished. My pizza was rushed and still doughy in the middle, the cheese had barely melted. I could not eat it and had to send it back. My husband's birthday dinner was ruined, not that anyone cared. The place is being run by a bunch of kids who couldn't care less. Since the owner/management has responded to my previous review, I am adding to it for any future unhappy reviewers. The response I got back is a stock reply asking me to send an email with more info so they can discuss the reason I left a poor review. They don't really care. My husband, whose birthday dinner they ruined, DID send an email, and they ignored it.

Delicious pizza with such great toppings. Had the burrata prosciutto and rocket one and was incredible. Also great drinks prices! Aperol spritz was very big and perfectly done at a cheaper price than you could generally find in London.

Another immensely brilliant meal at Santa Maria. This place is a beacon of light on the high street - guiding me towards a beautiful dinner. I always feel welcome (I only really go to restaurants alone - time to focus on my food haha) and the service is exceptional. Maddie today provided me with a great guide to the menu and my drinks were topped up at all times - delicious dessert too. Santa Maria is an icon both literally, and in pizza restaurant form. Thanks guys 💕

A tale of 4 people, 3 pizzas, 2 servers and 1 birthday. It was my birthday and we decided to go for pizza here after reading the reviews. We are seated and drinks are brought over by a young lady serving us. A second server then comes to take our food order. The order is complicated by the fact that the menu has a large amount of pizzas to choose from and all of them are customisable, so one person wants extra this and another more of that, you get the idea. But the waiter is not writing anything down, he's just nodding sagely, a perfect set of teeth flashing confidently with every pizza and topping order. "Aren't you going to write this down?" "No need, I remember everything." Indeed. You know what happens next, three pizzas arrive while my partner is sitting there waiting for the pizza that never came. And why did it never come? Because it turns out that if you had perfect recall, you'd be an analyst for MI5 or working for a hedge fund instead of flouncing around Islington in socks and Crocs.

The vegan pizza was incredible! The truffle cream base is to die for, one of the best vegan pizza I’ve had in a long time.

I used to love this place. But none of their cheese is vegetarian So none of the pizzas (apart from vegan ones) are veggie. I find it crazy they can’t find a vegetarian mozzarella

Fantastic pizza, definitely high up my list in London!

100% the best pizza in London! I come here all the time with my girlfriends. Staff are so friendly, had a lovely conversation with tamity the waitress. Amazing service. Well done Santa Maria

Best pizzas I've had in the UK, please come to Bristol!

Absolutely incredible. Every bite a work of art. Service was unfathomably brilliant. Five stars.

The friendly staff and the lovely atmosphere will make you feel at home. The best pizza I've had in a long time.

I think that the most important thing in a good piece of pizza 🍕 is her flavour, in the point that you can to feel a great taste just with her flavour, this local to get maintain a big standard in this sense , but other thing is that they have a special waitress, her name is Matty, this girl enforced by give you a good service and is very nice and very kindly, really is a good motive for to go this place because in a lot of sites the food is good but the service is inneficient ! Good pizza good service =hapiness ☺️

Just awful. Ran out of wine glasses, service slow, calzone raw in the middle, cold toppings on other pizzas Top tip- cook the pizza before serving.

The pizzas were Delicious well worth the money. definitely going back

Update: SORRY you can’t rectify wasted time. Also replies with attitude only works with places that serve ACTUAL good food, not yours xx Messed up our order and we waited over 30 minutes for our pizzas. Table arrived after us all got food. Very disappointed at the service and speed of serving. Won’t come back.

First time coming in here, had a great experience x Was served by Maddie, her enthusiasm and friendliness set the tone for a brilliant evening, pizza was definitely amongst the best I’ve had in London as well. Will definitely be coming again!

Had mixed experiences here. The first was on a quiet Sunday evening. Service was quick, and pizzas decent (not excellent, but way above average for UK standards). But on a busy Friday night... oh boy. The pizzas were not even average, the service was horribly slow, and the first waiter got our order wrong. Luckily enough, after around 45 minutes, another member of staff came to double check before sending the pizzas in.

Fab experience, food and service were top notch! Shout out to Maddie for being an amazing waitress ❤️

The food and atmosphere here is amazing, the staff are so welcoming especially Maddie, she is always smiling and always happy to help, will definitely be coming back 😋

The restaurant is very dull The staff are very attractive and the food is fabulous. I definitely recommend the pizza

Great pizza. Friendly staff. Beautiful location.

The food was absolutely delicious. The prices were great for the area. We had some less than great moments for service, but it was a busy evening and we were a big group. There is a full vegan menu, with tasty and inventive options. The wine was delicious and well priced. Olives and salads were great. The mushroom and truffle dip was sensational. Garlic and chilli oils were offered, which were great. Overall I'd really recommend the restaurant.

What an amazing experience! Beside the amazing pizza, the best customer service ever! Thank you Maddie! Well done! 💯

Great experience, great food and service! The staff were quick, attentive and calm especially because we had our kids with us. Will definitely be coming back!

Fantastic work from Maddie ! She made the experience wonderful for me! amazing work! Thank you.

Absolutely delicious pizza! The atmosphere was lovely, the food was great - especially the San Rocco pizza and the original drinks. The service was also amazing. Thank you to our wonderful waitress Maddie for the fantastic service and recommendations!

I've come before and eaten in and it was very good. However in last few weeks have ordered take out and both times all the Pizzas were burnt. Not a little charcol but a lot. Something must have changed recently for this to be the case.

Brilliant Food. A real true authentic italian pizza and great service. Maddy our waiter was excellent. Definitely coming back again

Amazing place with even better pizzas! The manager and his staff are really friendly, we felt welcomed and they catered for all our needs. Great experience eating out, we are definitely returning to try out the rest of the menu :). Most definitely recommend the pizzas to all our friends and relatives!

The best Italian Pizza in London. Absolutely amazing. Original Italian Pizza. There are also options to add or switch to burrata cheese which I love. Really nice atmosphere and people working there. We will definitely come back.

Great food, maddy was a great waitress very friendly and accommodating of our family in a busy time.

Food and service was awesome! Thanks to the team for looking after us with such short notice. They really took care of us and even noticed that it was my dad's birthday and managed to organise a cake and candle whilst it was soo busy! Definitely advise to book if you will be visiting on a weekend though :)

Was sitting waiting for my boyfriend to come and no one asked if I wanted some water or a drink while waiting. Waited for our order for 45 minutes. Pizza was nothing special and also burnt. The staff were nice but clearly overwhelmed. Management should do something.

The pizza is great. The meatballs starters tasted like a heated up ball up wound up chewing gum. The atmosphere non existent and the staff almost drove me to question my own purpose In life, the most miserable bunch of beings I’ve encountered for a long time. If you don’t like service, don’t work in the service industry