London’s pizza scene is fiercely competitive but since launching on Clerkenwell Road last year, Wedge Issue Pizza + Beer has earned a loyal following for its authentic, thin-crust, Pacific West Coast style pizzas.
The new East End venture can seat up to 12 people but will mostly be aimed at a discerning takeaway crowd and will still keep the first’s laid-back West Coast vibe. Open throughout the week from noon until 10pm, the restaurant will be headed up by Chef Malek Safsaf, who’s worked in kitchens in the UK and Copenhagen. And in consideration of the unique Brick Lane clientele, it will be the first to offer Wedge Issue Pizza + Beer’s trademark pizzas by the slice.
Wedge Issue Pizza + Beer has become a leader in the vegan dining scene by offering a wide variety of pizzas with the melty gooeyness of vegan cheese and flavourful toppings like spicy vegan chorizo or mock meatballs. Wedge Issue also offers its chocolate pizza in vegan form. Gluten free pizzas bases are available at no extra charge.
All pizzas are made from dough that’s been proofed for a full three days and a sauce that’s uncompromisingly crafted the traditional Neapolitan way using nothing but sweet, uncooked San Marzano tomatoes.
Husband and wife duo Darren Atwater — an alternative newspaper publisher from Vancouver — and Martha Gall — a marketer who used to call Toronto her home — fell in love with the authentic Pacific West Coast pizzerias- those temples of pizza innovation and beer craft found down the coast between Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland while living in Darren’s hometown.
After leaving Canada and spending nearly a decade living in London, the duo grew tired of waiting for that pizza house that combined great pizza with a wide selection of draught beer to open and reasoned that if no one else was going to do it, they would have to. Wedge Issue Pizza + Beer originally launched in February 2016 in a former Italian restaurant in the ‘little Italy’ part of Clerkenwell.
Their second restaurant opening is set to open its doors in July and will be rubbing shoulders with Shoreditch House, Brick Lane Beigel Bake, Crosstown Doughnuts, and the Cereal Killer cafe. Londoners — particularly the Shoreditch set — may be particular about their pizza, but Wedge Issue Pizza + Beer is set to impress with its commitment to artisanal methods and authentic flavours.