If you have ever been to Naples in southern Italy, you will understand that the Neapolitans do things a little differently. Of course there is the crazy style of driving. I once encountered a car driving towards me going in the wrong direction on roundabout! But what also changes is the cooking.
In particular, this applies to the style of pizza they cook, which tends to be rather doughy on the sides. You can get a taste of this in Pizza Pilgrims. One of Naples’ most famous sons is Pasquale De Stefano, best known as ‘The Number Man’ and known for hand painting bold signs across the city’s many market stalls. Pizza Pilgrims spent time with the great man and designed the menu at their restaurants together.
Flour power
Waking into the restaurant, you could be forgiven for thinking that you were suddenly strolling down a neighbourhood street in Naples. A washing line stretches across to a cosy corner with Napoli football shirts draped on it. In a local twist, a Leeds United football scarf proudly hangs there too.
Roads signs, along with mock shutter window blinds, give the pastel-coloured walls an authentic feel as if you were in Amalfi, not Leeds. Add to that the colourful plastic tablecloths that are ubiquitous in pizzerias in southern Italy, and the ambiance is complete.
On our visit, early on a Thursday, the restaurant was almost full. The aroma of fresh pizza being baked in the open kitchen was enticing. The bustle of waiters dashing around created an exciting atmosphere as they weaved between tables like Vespa motorcycle riders traversing a busy backstreet in the centre of Naples.
One night in Naples
The menu at Pizza Pilgrims is a simple one – they only serve pizza! With 14 offered as standard and a guest pizza too, there is plenty of choice, including the Americana which comes topped with hot dog sausages and french fries. The last time I saw this unusual type of pizza was in a pizzeria at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, though there it had been given a more English name – the Pub pizza!
In a novel approach, the cutlery is kept on the table in an holder based on an Ape truck. f you have been to southern Italy you will know these slow vehicles are ubiquitous on the roads, causing drivers who get stuck behind one to take their lives into their hands and prey that no mad Italian driver is coming in the opposite direction as they try to overtake the chugging truck.
A four-cheese pizza can be found at any good pizzeria in Italy, an eight-cheese one maybe not. As I’m a cheese lover the eight-cheese pizza caught my attention – but would it be twice as good?
Perhaps sometimes less can be more. The flavours of the eight cheeses seemed to melt into one, with only the Gorgonzola standing out and the smoked chilli jam vying for my taste buds’ attention. My partner went with the Americana without the chips, which looked and tasted as good as the Vesuvius pizza, so the experience was complete.
A smooth and elegant glass of Tavo Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie from the extensive wine menu added to the authenticity of the meal.
Ricotta get through this
The dessert menu at this restaurant is literally short and sweet! Italians love chocolate. If you think chocolate tart for breakfast sounds odd, on Italian breakfast tables the delicacy is a firm favourite. Naturally Pizza Pilgrims has a Nutella ring pizza – a dough stuffed full of Nutella and ricotta, baked in the oven and then served with vanilla ice cream and even more Nutella. I hate to think how many calories my very sweet, gooey and chocolatey dessert contained. Was it worth the indulgence? Definitely.
The dog-friendly restaurant has tables that are very close to each other, which might seemed rather crammed, and like pizzerias in Italy it was very noisy. Service was quick and friendly but watch out for the 12.5% service charge automatically added to your bill.
All that was left was to fathom out the maze of road regulations and one-way streets that now make driving in Leeds city centre a challenge. Maybe being stuck behind that slow Ape truck as the sun shines from an azure blue Italian sky wasn’t as bad as I remembered!
8 Cheeses pizza £13.25; Americana pizza £13.50; Nutella pizza ring £6.95.
Pizza Pilgrims, 16 Boar Lane, Leeds LS1 6EN.
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