Clash of the Slices: Time Out’s great pizza showdown has arrived

Pizza: so simple, yet so bloody tasty. Crispy crusts, moreish tomato sauce, juicy mozzarella stretching into elegant strands of joy. My mouth has started salivating and we’ve not even mentioned toppings yet.  

Deep-pan, cheese-stuffed, or stripped back and stone baked – however you like yours, pizza is so important. That’s why, as part of Time Out London’s Takeaways Week, we’ve launched Clash of the Slices: a crucial mission to curate THE definitive London pizza ranking and crown the best pizza in the capital. Yes, we know it’s a touchy subject.

Starting today over on the Time Out Instagram account, we'll be putting two iconic London pizza brands head-to-head for you to vote for your absolute fave. As the knockout tournament continues over the week, the final will take place on Friday and then we’ll reveal the worthy winner of this highly coveted and brag-worthy title. 

Here’s the draw:

Frano Manca vs Pizza Union

Mike’s vs Firezza

Voodoo Ray’s vs Santa Maria 

Pizza Pilgrims vs Theo’s 

Yard Sale vs Zia Lucia

Gordo’s vs Rudy’s 

Four Hundred Rabbits vs ICCO

L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele vs Homeslice 

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Time Out’s official pizza correspondent, Angela Hui, has provided some exclusive commentary on the nail-biting first game.

‘Right off the bat, the starting match between Franco Manca and Pizza Union is going to be a real nail biter,’ Hui said. ‘Two excellent-value pizzeria chains that have taken the capital by storm. One light, fluffy Neapolitan sourdough and the other Roman-style thin and crispy. Who will come out on top? Only time will tell. It’s going to be a proper game of two halves, this.

‘All eyes will be on the outcome of the battle of the hipster newbies: the Gordo’s V Rudy’s match. The east London Neapolitan pie slingers are hungry to prove themselves with its key attacker the Calabrese (tomato sauce, mozzarella, spicy spianata salami, burrata cheese, nduja and ricotta cheese). However, the northern powerhouse Rudy’s that's recently opened in Soho is a hot favourite. They're a real class-act and the Porchetta white pizza (roast porchetta, sage roasted potatoes, smoked mozzarella and caramelised white onions) is something to be feared. It’s going to be the match of the century and I predict there’s going to be a lot of upset.’

If one thing’s for sure, things are about to get messy. Cast your votes now on our Instagram story.

Why we’re celebrating London’s takeaways this week.

Michelin-starred restaurants 2022: the London winners and losers.