Pizza East (Shoreditch)

Inspired by excellent pizza house Mozza in Los Angeles, this 2009 London arrival is a splashy enterprise loudly taking up the ground floor of 19th-century warehouse the Tea Building, just south of arty/trendy Shoreditch/Hoxton and north of Spitalfields and Whitechapel. The exposed brick, concrete and overall designer-rough look feels practically dated, whereas the food is decidely modern, fresh and tasty. Pizzas are abuzz with ingredients that go ping, though the home-made tomato sauce might strike some as a bit intense. Adventurous cold (eg cured meats), fried and wood-oven items round off the menu which, unusually for this ilk of place, includes a weekend brunch. Attached to London foodie entrepreneur Richard Caring, with a second branch in Notting Hill (Portobello). The Istanbul outlet has shut, as has the Kentish Town London outlet. Tube stations: Liverpool Street and Old Street.