One of the many things we love about Brighton is the *chef’s kiss* selection of pizza restaurants available. This begs the question: can a city ever offer too much good pizza? Well, obviously not (are you mad?!).
The latest edition to Brighton’s pizza empire is Pizza Pilgrims, located on Ship Street opposite The Ivy. Decked out in green, white and red with a happily chaotic tumble of colourful fairy lights and LGTBQ flags inside, the restaurant resembles a sort of queer Italian Santa’s grotto, in the best way possible.
While Pizza Pilgrims are purists about their quality Italian ingredients and fresh dough made daily, what really sets the restaurant apart is their sense of fun and creativity, in both their interiors and menu items. From neon signs emblazoned with ‘A Negroni is a Perfect Drink…’ (hard agree) to their downstairs indoor football pitch, the brand goes the extra mile to create memorable experiences for their customers.
Cheese dreams are made of this
One thing we definitely won’t be forgetting in a hurry, is the EIGHT-cheese pizza we sampled. We know what you’re thinking – eight is a lot. And you’d be right, but somehow it’s not overpowering, especially when paired with its sweet chilli jam topping that perfectly contrasts with the creamy, tangy, saltiness of the cheeses. The pizza is topped with (deep breath) ricotta, fior di latte mozzarella, grana padano, gorgonzola, provola, parmesan, buffalo mozzarella, and burrata. We can confirm cheese dreams are a real thing.
On a side note, whoever created the menu at Pizza Pilgrims clearly thinks that everything tastes better with a burrata chucked on it, and we couldn’t agree more. The delightful ball of creamy goodness pops up many times throughout the menu, making picking a pizza slightly easier.
We also tried the meat special: roasted Italian ham, pepperoni, nduja, salsiccia, sweet red onions, mozzarella and (you guessed it) a creamy torn burrata. Puddles of the creamy soft cheese contrasted deliciously with a tangy balsamic glaze and the salty hits of meat, making every bite different to the last. Sometimes a whole pizza can get a bit ‘samey’, but not with the generous toppings and flavours used here.
Contrasting, punchy flavours is something Pizza Pilgrims does really well – we also sampled their double pepperoni and spicy honey which hits that sweet yet spicy place of confusing deliciousness perfectly.
Feeling saucy
We like to judge a pizza restaurant on the quality of its dipping sauces, and Pizza Pilgrims did not disappoint. You can get all three for a fiver and we highly recommend doing just that – pesto aioli, white truffle and a fiery nduja are the perfect little flavour bombs to douse your chewy sourdough crusts in. We also ordered a side dish of artichoke fritti and they were savoury, salty and crisp on the outside and wonderfully tender on the inside. A must-order, especially paired with the indulgent white truffle dip.
For dessert, we shared the nutellamisu, playfully served in a Nutella jar to prompt fond, naughty memories of digging straight into gooey deliciousness with a spoon (who hasn’t shared an intimate moment with a Nutella jar). The pudding was surprisingly light and airy, which is exactly what you need after an eight-cheese pizza. Die-hard tiramisu-lovers might say it could do with a bit more of a coffee and booze kick, but it was delicious and chocolatey nonetheless.
We were having a booze-free evening when we visited, but even the soft drinks menu offered something different and delicious – we loved the Italian cherry soda.
Before leaving, we had to have a quick peek at the indoor mini football pitch in the basement, which comes complete with a PS5 console and foosball table. The basement space is available for private bookings and parties and has six large screens.
And, especially for the World Cup, the space has been transformed into a seated area where fans can book a table with their mates and families, and settle in with top-notch Neapolitan pizza to cheer on their team during the games (there’s a minimum spend of £25 per person for adults).
While walk-ins are welcome for all the first-round games (there are ticketed packages with unlimited pizza and three drinks after that), they highly recommend booking to make sure you get a spot – book here! Makes a change from the pub/home AND you get great pizza!
They’ll also be serving up some pretty special festive pizza from Monday 28th November – mortadella, pistachio and buffalo mozzarella pizza, a veggie cauliflower and cheese with crispy onions pizza (oh hello) – and will be donating 50p from every Christmas pizza sold to their Brighton charity partner Clock Tower Sanctuary who run a day centre for young people experiencing homelessness. Eat pizza and do good, it’s a win-win.
35 Ship Street, Brighton BN1 1AB
pizzapilgrims.co.uk
By Lucy Sambrook
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