PI Pizza Review – Offering huge pizzas and potential

We were invited to review Pi, an artisan pizzeria in Battersea Rise opposite Brewdog. It might be new to London, but Pi Pizza started in 2014 in Winchester. Promising us the lightest, crispiest pizzas in town with toppings such as Lebanese spiced lamb with Turkish yoghurt; and wild boar salami with piquillo peppers and red chilli.

They also seem to have bold ambitions of being more than just your average pizza restaurant. It turns out that the interiors are also made for your Instagram feed with a floral ceilinged bar, glitter ball-esque glass mosaic pizza oven and indoor courtyard complete with a living tree, making PI a potential destination, though it would have been better if the lighting was a bit brighter.

Born from a simple idea and a big dream – Pi was founded by first-time restaurateur, Rosie Whaley took inspiration from the humble Italian pizzeria, but there’s little that’s really humble apart from perhaps their staff who were passionate and very knowledgable, and not just to us, we didn’t feel like we received any special treatment.

Their dough is made with a much longer 72-hour fermentation process to create a light, lean base with a crispy crust. We were impressed not only with the base but also with the selection of toppings that could be placed on their giant 20-inch pizzas. An added bonus was being able to divide them into two or three different sections and that’s what we went for.

Perhaps like any other restaurant, they say that their ingredients carefully sourced from only the best artisan producers; and from our experience, we have no reason to doubt them. With a lot of produce coming from relatively local sources like Hampshire farms, Winchester cheesemakers and Isle of Wight tomato growers. Though perhaps unsurprisingly their charcuterie is from Italy and Spain.

We really liked their butternut squash with sage and Hampshire sausage and in hindsight, we wish we had added the Pugliese burrata to our pizza for an extra £5.

PI also has a list of rotating specials, and Pi is also vegan and vegetarian-friendly, with three vegan options on the menu and a vegan dessert.

We shouldn’t forget the delicious starters with the scamorza arancini going down particularly well.

Finally, there were the deserts and sticky toffee pudding won out for me. Not really very Italian, but I didn’t care because it was straight up #YUM

Pi Pizza Drinks

We stuck with their craft beer, in particular, Curious IPA, but their drinks list was extensive and very tempting. Perhaps if it wasn’t a ‘school’ night we would have been a bit more inclined to try them out.  Their signature cocktails include: Expressione Bianca with vanilla vodka, ginger and cacao blanc liqueurs with gingerbread and double cream, or Amethyst with Absolut vodka, violet liqueur, elderflower and prosecco.

Rosie and her team have also curated an organic wine list featuring robust reds and crisp whites. If that’s more your thing then consider the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon de Gras from Chile or the 2013 Riesling from Sutherland, South Africa.

PI Pizza is open Tuesday – Sunday. Starting with Humble Pi Tuesdays where from 5pm, guests can tuck into a large pizza and two salads to share for just £20 all in. From 16th March, Saturday nights will see the start of DJ Organic Beat Market’s residency and like everywhere else they also offer takeaway and delivery options available across the menu. However, I’m not 100% sure if they can or do deliver the 20inch pizzas, so you’ll have to check.