There are two pizza takeaways I frequent on the Old Kent Road. Pizza Mania is one, Super Pizza is the other. Pizza Mania is my favourite. After two years I’m still not entirely sure why, apart from the delicious taste. Mind you, cheese, dough, tomatoes … Pizza is hard to get wrong. It has improved of late, in that it now has several guys behind the counter who speak what could pass for English, and can identify several meats and vegetables from clearly spoken nouns. I still have problems conveying the concept of half the amount of cheese though, and once ended up with an artery-furring double helping. They used to have a backlit menu board above the counter with all sorts of takeaway fare on, but it was deep folly to order any of this, since it resulted in panicking from staff, and a mystery package that was sometimes fried chicken wings, sometimes coleslaw and occasionally an unholy combination of the two. Also their chips are rubbish. In short, do not go to Pizza Mania looking for anything besides pizza. But if pizza’s what you’re after, and you can navigate the ordering process, you will be impressed. They have skilled chefs, fresh and tasty ingredients, and a wood-fired pizza oven. Just take note of the following … Do not place an order over the phone. In the unlikely event you receive what you asked for, it will not cost the same as if you went in and ordered it in person, and may not even correspond to any price or description on the menu. And especially avoid large quantity deals. I’ve been told that a menu is out of date and therefore a price quoted incorrect, only to be presented with an identical menu when the order arrives. Place an order in person, have a pint nearby(invariably in The Nelson) and collect it. The menu is a red herring — ignore it. Ask for your choice of base(always thin and crispy for me — your mileage may vary), and name four additional toppings of your choice. There are very cheap options for medium, large and super sizes on the wall to your right, and this is the cheapest way to get a tasty pizza. £3.99 for a medium — you’ll be laughing.
KatBro
Place rating: 4 London, United Kingdom
This little beauty is a double-sided pizza weapon. On the one hand you’ve got Mania — that’s the cheap, greasy, topping-filled wonderpizzas with cheese of indeterminate origin that cure a hangover in two bites flat and come with an array of deals. We love those. My brother and I tend to order those on Sunday nights to watch with a movie and prepare for the forthcoming week. The other side is Classico. This confused me no end when I ordered for collection — never, ever order for collection unless you have a minion to do it for you — and walked up and down the Old Kent Road for 5 minutes trying to find it. Classico does Proper Pizza — woodfired, smoked salmon and rocket, gourmet topping pizza and not a chicken wing in sight. It’s stunning and the only wood fired oven pizza you’ll get delivered in the area. Delivery time for both is quick, around 10 – 20 minutes depending on where you live, but longer on Bank Holiday weekends. My last was over an hour, but sod it, it was delicious. Mmm…pizza for both your pizza moods.
