Otto

We were really hoping this place would curb our homesickness. Seeing the American flags in the window, we were excited about the potential of good American craft ales paired with pizza. The cornmeal crust was pretty good, but like everything else in London, a bit overpriced for what you get. We decided to try the sweet potato bites. I was hoping they were in tater-​tot form, however they were overcooked super crispy chips. So misleading.
Our draft beers were amongst the worst pours I’ve ever seen, which dwindled down to a mere half pint. Not worth the price. We will continue our search for the American style hotspot.
Having said that, the service was decent and the place was cozy. We arrived later in the night an hour before the kitchen closed so maybe this had something to do with our mediocre experience?

I went here a couple of years ago after discovering these guys at a Unilocal event, now I’m living around the corner — there’s an excuse to revisit.
I was skeptical of the ‘gluten free’ thing at first, but really, I’m not sure why.
They use cornmeal to make sure thick, crusty bases, which they sell in slices rather than whole pizzas. For those who like to try a little bit of everything, like me, this is essentially the best concept ever. They say 2 – 3 slices is enough per person, and I agree as they’re quite filling.
They do seasonal specials (at the moment there’s an amazing cranberry & brie variant, and one with roasted brussel sprouts) — but the best option IMO is to get the ‘Taster’. You get six of the best pizzas available, chosen by the chef, for £22.95. Bargain!

Spectacular pizza
Special pizza breads that I haven’t found anywhere else
Amazing pizza among their special offerings
I once went there with a friend to celebrate her new job but since then I have talen friends and families there whom all enjoyed and loved every bite of it
Good for both vegetarian and non vegetarian people

American-​style pizza, but not really.
Otto pizzas are basically savory «American» toppings served on a cornmeal crust. The crust is crunchy and thicker than a lot of European pizzas. It’s gritty and slightly sweet. A nice contrast to the savory toppings. Very different from any kind of pizza crust I’ve tried in the States, but I think it works nicely. The cornmeal crust is something I plan on attempting to replicate at Chez Amara. Their signature cornmeal crust is not for everyone, though. My travel buddy felt the crust was too hard and had an odd texture for pizza. Guess you’ll have to pop in and see for yourself!
Approximately £5−6 ($ 10) per slice which was very, very pricey given the portion size. To give you some perspective: Otto recommends ordering 3 slices per person for a full meal. For pizza? Ouch!
The restaurant is decorated with a little American flag, various bottles of American beers (Anchor Steam, Blue Moon, etc.), and a hand drawn map of the States. A little kitschy, but cute.
If you’re in the area and looking for a pizza fix, stop by Otto. Their ingredients are very tasty and fresh and their crust is something you ought to try!

I was skeptical, but I was proven wrong. The pizzas here are REALLY good! They’re all cornmeal crust pizzas so they’re gluten-​free. It makes me wish I had found out about this before all my coeliac friends left the country because I think they would have really loved Otto.
Two to three slices is definitely enough, so it does come out to be pretty average in price to most pizzerias around. There’s as good choice of toppings for a large range of tastes, and they have daily specials on as well. Like I said, I was skeptical about cornmeal crust, but the crust was crunchy and delicious and held up nicely to the pizzas. I had the BBQ Pork and the Caramelised Onion and Goats Cheese. I preferred the pork slice, and I think it worked well with the cornmeal crust. The onions on the other one were not caramelised, just sautéed, which was really disappointing and why they lost a star. Otto — don’t promise me heaven and deliver purgatory!
Also we had their ice cream sandwich for dessert, which had a scoop of ice cream between two freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. It was pretty good, but according to Anna M. they used to be bigger and better. The cookie itself definitely had too much sugar in it so although it was tasty, because I mean how could you f*** up an ice cream cookie sandwich, it could have been miles better. It was pretty preposterous though at £5.65 despite it being pretty damn small and only a meagre scoop of ice cream in the middle.
Still, the BBQ pork made up for it and the service was really good and friendly which is why I’m still giving them 4 stars. Also they have a license to serve alcohol on Sundays after 6 so they let you BYOB after that, which is awesome. Though they do have Blue Moon and Brooklyn on tap so I was pretty sad that it was too late on a Sunday to have any.
tl;dr — Nice crunchy cornmeal crust, great BBQ Pork slice, non-​caramelised onions, super-​inflated price for small, okay ice cream sandwich. I would go again to try more.

Gotta keep it real.
We were so happy and excited to have found a cornmeal pizza spot here in London.
Expectations were high. I hoped the crust would be similar to that of my beloved Little Star Pizza’s thick, salty, slightly sweet, wheat flour and cornmeal masterpiece.
We arrived to find a variety of fresh toppings, all creative and tasty offerings andddddd vino.
The crust disappointed.
It was dry, compact, all cornmeal, and not even a hint of sweetness to the whole thang. The toppings were great. The sauce was underwhelming and plain.
I wanted to give this place props, but walked out of there regretting our restaurant choice, and fantasizing about Little Star.

Delicious, fresh pizza, served by the slice.
I was expecting a bit more of a restaurant vibe so was surprised to find more of a very casual café. But, the interior was clean and funky. We settled into a table by the window and received very friendly and fast service by the lovely Otto team.
The waitress who served us explained that Otto’s pizza was «American Style» pizza, by the slice. I actually think they did themselves a discredit by using this as an intro, because the pizza, while very delicious, is a distant relative to the $ 1 – 2 slice, greasy, large, NYC equivalent. As someone who sincerely misses East Coast pizza, it gave a certain expectation. Otto pizza is not «American style», but that’s okay!
I had a absolutely delicious roasted garlic and a slice of pepperoni (which was also stuffed with mushrooms and jalapenos, mmmm). Then, I had another slice of pepperoni because one just wasn’t enough: D.
It’s a little bit of a trek from me so I’m not sure I’ll frequent the place, but I would definitely drop in if I found myself in the neighborhood.
Thanks for the pizza!

Really different and fresh way to eat pizza. The base is unusual but a really enjoyable compliment that allows you to really make the most of the fresh flavours in the toppings.
Great atmosphere, staff and beers as well! Will be returning soon!

This gets five stars for so many reasons!
1. Delicious pizza! You really shouldn’t expect to get the classic pizza taste and texture, but you need to give credit where it’s due: Otto makes delicious cornmeal base pizza.
2. Great menu. I love it when restaurants get the right mix of keeping delicious classics on the menu while also changing things up every once in a while. Otto not only does daily specials, it also changes its menu from season to season.
3. Amazing staff. The staff are friendly, laidback and very helpful in explaining how to think about your order.
4. The toppings are extremely generous. When you order artichokes, it’s not just a sprinkling of them or just 1 artichoke heart per slice. They really lump those things on to complement the thickness of the cornmeal base.
NOTE TO VEGETARIANS: They will cook your pizzas with others’ in the same party. Do make sure that you ask for the slices to be cooked separately, or to be separated by your friends’ veg option so you don’t get stray pepperoni slices on your order.

Oh so yummy!
I normally do not care to be gluten free, but Otto’s gluten free cornmeal crust was delicious– perfect amount of crunch and thickness. It really held up with all of the pepperonis, jalapeños, and mushrooms piled on top.
What I liked about it is you order by the slice, and probably 2 – 3 slices will fill you up. You can pick and choose between buffalo, cheese, pesto, and even a vegan selection. They also have a few salads on the menu.
My friend and I split a carafe of decently priced wine, but there were also choices of craft beer.
Otto’s claims to be an American style restaurant, and I have to agree that they did a good job of this. Usually American style restaurants in London seem a bit off, but this one was compelling.
I would absolutely go back. In fact, I think I could go for a round two of pizza right now!

Otto serves a different type of pizza and they make sure you’re aware of it before ordering. Fortunately, I thought the crust was a nice change from the ordinary. They also offer vegan options which was the main draw for us. They don’t actually use Daiya or other standard vegan cheese, but have their own cashew ricotta. Also, a nice change.
As far as toppings, we had the red lentil, the eggplant special and one other. Interesting and diverse choices. As a personal preference, i’m not a huge fan of big piece toppings that just fall off when I try to take a bite, which seem to happen.
It was nice that they did offer a few craft beer choices, however, I thought the Brooklyn draft tasted off.
I wouldn’t be opposed to eating here again especially if it’s the only vegan option nearby, but it’s not on the top of my list of places to return.

Pizza and Beer? No, we’re in Notting Hill. Let’s get ‘Hugh Grant’ Poncy. (but let’s not chuck baked beans, yeah?)
A bunch of CORNMEAL crust pizza slices and a carafe of Rioja, Thanks, and it was AMAZING, firstly, I like how they sell it per slice because it means I can try a number of different toppings and you know how girls can be magpies with sparkly jewellery (Guilty!), I also get like that with food, SO MUCH CHOICE *big sparkly cartoon eyes.*
Eventually we settled for a original margherita, because you should ALWAYS try the benchmark, no.114, which has chilli, and a buffalo chicken, because it came with a blue cheese sauce. Like some posh hybrid of fast food, do I want buffalo wings or pizza, I know smush them together to make one beautiful beautiful slice of heaven. God, I’m salivating thinking about all the slices. but mainly the blue cheese one with wings, no, wait the no.114. I don’t even know, it was all so yummy. It’s like asking me to choose what shoes I like best, I can’t do that to my babies…
I also love the fact they do Carafe’s, why? I love the word carafe. Shoot me. The rioja was pretty damn good too, combine that with Pizza, a quiet weekday night– Perfect catch up times!

I seem to be in a minority of a few here, but still, Otto was a surprising disappointment for me, despite doing so much right.
The pluses? Friendly, laid-​back staff. An embrace of craft beer. Novel, ever-​changing pizza toppings. A cosy, candle-​lit interior. A funky, indie soundtrack.
The pizza however was real let-​down for me. I went for three slices as I was hungry: Cheese & Tomato; BBQ Pulled Pork; Potato & Pancetta (one of the specials on). A cornmeal base sounds intriguing in theory, but in practice my slices had a rather biscuity base to them. Maybe they’re supposed to be like that, but heck, I prefer the stretchier consistency of the standard wheat flour base. Worse, the toppings, though inspired in idea, were disappointing in execution: so-​so quality and smothered in cheese. Again, if that’s your thing, you’ll likely love the pizzas here. Me, I prefer my pizzas with a light sprinkling of cheese — ideally torn pieces of top-​quality mozzarella — and a few other toppings. All that cheese made for a really salty aftertaste too, which I didn’t enjoy.
Soldiering through my pizza, I thought a 3 star review was in order. Then I got the bill: £17 for my three slices plus a mixed salad. What the. The three slices of pizza — the recommended portion for a single, hungry person — cost around £13.50. This is noticeably higher than the £10 typical price for a complete, comparably topped (i.e. not a margherita) pizza from your average pizzeria. And the £10 typical pizza will likely fill you up more and (I think) have better quality toppings. Think Homeslice, Santa Maria or Franco Manca, the last of which is usually less than £10. Compared to these pizzerias thus Otto seems bad value.
Despite now living 8 minutes cycle from Otto I doubt I’ll be back anytime soon, particularly not when there’s a Pizza Metro Pizza so close to Notting Hill station.

Very tasty and unusual pizza indeed. I came here for an early lunch and enjoyed some quiet and peace, before the weekend-​lunch crowd arrives.
The waiter explained that their pizza is more American style, but with a corn-​crust as a base (gluten free). As the slices are quite heavily loaded, he recommends 2 – 3 slices per person. I ordered the following:
— small side salad
— 2 slices of pizza (red lentil kofte and roasted garlic)
Everything was very tasty and I left the restaurant feeling satiated and happy.
This is also a place where they have a great selection of craft beers. Definitely a good place to meet up with friends for a fun evening. And here you can bring all your friends: the vegetarians, the vegans, the meat-​lovers (the BBQ pork has been highly recommended by a fellow Unilocaler)…and obviously the friend that’s gluten intolerant. Finally a place that will satsfy them all!

STOP.
Do you know how good cornmeal crust pizza is?
I’m lactose intolerant, so pizza might seem out of the question. But it turns out I still love pizza, without the cheese! This place earned a star before I even walked in the door by promptly and politely replying in the affirmative when I emailed to ask if their crust is lactose-​free and if they have lactose-​free topping combination options. So all was set for a delicious visit!
When myself and two friends arrived, we were greeted politely and seated immediately. My friends shared a whole pizza with two topping combinations and cheese, while I tried three slices (pizza here is served by the slice because there are so many topping combinations to try so it’s best to mix and match.) I had:
–artichoke and spinach
–pepperoni, mushroom, and jalapeño
–pulled pork and slaw
All were awesome without the cheese. We also ordered a salad to share as a table. All the salads on offer had cheese in them, so the kitchen created a salad for us that wasn’t on the menu:
–mixed greens salad with roasted apple, pear, and onion
It was delicious, and a perfect accompaniment to the pizza. Otto’s willingness to create this salad for us really showed me they’re able to go the extra mile in terms of service and accommodation of food allergies. They also have gluten free pizza crust, and a vegan cheese made from cashews (though I’m allergic to those too, so I didn’t try it!)
To top it all off, I had a fantastic floral IPA, which paired perfectly with the meal. There’s a small but good beer selection here, which rotates regularly.
For the three of us, dinner came to just over £45.
Altogether, a delicious dinner, and very friendly service too!

Cool concept for London, they mix their dough with cornmeal (not new to me, i love lous!)
But their pizzas are non traditional and the combinations are pretty good! I didnt think i didnt think i would like kale on my pizza but it was good!
We took our 6 slice variety back to the hotel, once the pizza started cooling off it got harder to eat all the crust, it would probably be better if it was all hot and fresh out of the oven
Try this place and dont be afraid to try different things!

So, what do the words «taxi» and «pizza» have in common? They’re both internationally-​known words. Pizza, it would seem, is typically left for drunken nights when you absolutely need something in your stomach. That is until, the revolution of the gourmet pizza arrived. The phenomenon has hit San Francisco, and has even come up with gourmet, gluten-​free, organic, locally-​sourced options. In fact, places like Otto have taken the sloppiness out of fast food types of pizza, such that you’re meant to enjoy your pizza and savour each bite while pairing it with a craft beer.
You’ve already heard about the cornmeal crust here, but what I think is even COOLER than that is the fact that Otto encourages you to try different slices! Back home, you typically have to commit to an entire pizza and share. How is this possible? Otto makes each slice, and cooks them in the same pan. Genius!
We both ordered two slices with the presumption that we wouldn’t share. Greg selected the BBQ Pork and Pepperoni slices, and I had the day’s special — Roasted Garlic, and Balsamic Red Onion & Sweetcorn. It was definitely the first time I had ever had corn on my pizza, but it was absolutely delish! The pan comes to you piping hot, and you end up having to toe the line between burning your tongue off from overexcitement and enjoying your hot slice.
Otto definitely would fit in at home, they serve up San Francisco and other American brews (hello Anchor Steam!) and has a great laid-​back vibe. Both of our slices of pizza were amazing, and definitely exceeded our expectations. Pizza isn’t for one occasion anymore; at least at Otto, it’s an elevated experience. As someone who would request pizza as one of their last meals on earth, Otto is definitely worth checking out!

This was a two-​fer: I wanted to get out and explore Notting Hill. I also wanted beer. Otto fit the bill — in both respects — quite nicely. You’ll be happy you stopped in.
First off, when coming to London, I knew that I wanted to explore the houses and streets of Notting Hill. I am drawn to nice, fancy, shiny things and I was vetting the various neighborhoods to which I will alight myself once I am very wealthy. As I wandered the streets, window shopped and took pictures, it dawned on me that I fancied a pint (see what I did there?). Because I’d done my research beforehand, I knew that Otto was the way to go. Somehow, even with my terrible sense of direction, I made it to the pizzeria and was ready to chow down.
Upon first glance, it reminded me of an American establishment. I could easily see Otto acquitting itself quite well in Wicker/​Lincoln Park. The second thing I picked up on is that the fellows who work here are nice. Like, really nice. Sometimes the cool kid resto has a tendency to be snobbish and rude. Not here. Come here and ask questions about pizza and beer. Ask for the wifi pword. Stay a while. It’s all good.
I wanted a stout but they didn’t have any on draft, so I ‘settled’ for a lager. It had surprising body and depth for a lighter beer, so I appreciated the suggestion. Cornmeal crust is the name of the game so… yeah. That. As for the type of pizza, that was harder. Everything looked good but in the end, the daily special drew me in. So, one buffalo chicken slice and one goat cheese & peppers slice. If you have a decent appetite, two slices and a beer should do you well. The buffalo chicken was a taste of home but, for my money, the winner was the goat cheese and pepper. The slice was nicely balanced in flavor, creamy & crunchy in texture. Park yourself at a window seat and watch the fashionable world go by you. If you like cool neighborhoods, good beer and/​or inventive pizza, get yourself over to Otto whilst in London. You’ll enjoy yourself.

I really liked Otto but surprised to see it rising to the «best of London» list. I like cornmeal pizza – a nice change, but holy denseness. These pizzas were über-​filling and we were stuffed to the max, especially with the rich toppings. We had a fig special that was quite tasty and one that I can’t remember the details of but cream cheese figured heavily. My recommendation – under-​order from what the waitress recommends.
It is a cute place and a nice place to have a meal – I thought we’d need to wait online given the hype on Unilocal!,but we rocked up to our table.
A good place to go for a meal, but certainly not a destination…

Ausgezeichnete Pizza, Super freundliche Bedienung! Absolut empfehlenswert, wenn man mal eine spezielle Pizza will, welche eben nicht die normale Pizza ist.

Cornmeal crust pizza. This is the first time I have tried pizza with this type of crust. It looks almost like a pie crust at first sight but has a bit more chew to it with a nice flakey-​ness to it. I like that you can order by the slice if you are in a mood and can’t decide what you want.
We tried the pepperoni, courgette, fennel sausage, and bbq chicken pizzas. They recommend you only to get 2 – 3 slices. After two slices we were more than full but we pushed through to finish the last slice. The slices are a bursting with toppings and cheese so it is very filling. The fennel sausage one almost tasted like you took a heavy pasta meat sauce and lathered it on top.