It first started in the heart of Holloway Road, now Italian pizzeria Zia Lucia brings a slice of its best pizzas and burrata to Wembley’s Boxpark. Melan Magazine went to check it out and it’s definitely in our top 10 for pizza spots in London.
Zia Lucia is an independently-owned neighbourhood pizzeria founded by Claudio and Gianluca. The pair were inspired by Gianluca’s Zia [Zia means aunty in certain parts of Italy], to start their own restaurant using her traditional recipes. One of the impressive things about Zia Lucia is that it uses authentic Italian ingredients, whilst offering customers the chance to adapt their dishes which is great for those who are vegan or need gluten-free/healthier options.
APPETIZER
For the appetizer we selected the all-time classic, Buffalo Mozzarella with fresh tomatoes (£4). Overall this was a light and refreshing dish which can be shared with two people. To add additional flavour, just add a splash of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and black pepper – this is all offered to you at the restaurant.
MAINS
A unique offering at Zia Lucia is that it has a range of interesting pizza bases, so you can select the wholemeal, vegetable charcoal or traditional base. If you’re feeling adventurous, but don’t want to stray too far away from the traditional base, the wholemeal base, which is made from a mix of wholemeal and white flour; or the vegetable charcoal base are great options. Both bases have a lovely crunchy finish and are also soft and doughy in texture. The charcoal base may sound odd, but it actually tastes like a traditional base, so it doesn’t have an unusual flavour, just a distinctive darker colour. The portion sizes are incredibly generous so you’re getting value for your money. One pizza can definitely be shared between two people, costing you only £5.50 each on average. It’s also worth noting that due to the cuisine, the only meat options are selections of pork such as salami, pepperoni and Nduja. For those who do not eat pork for religious, health or lifestyle options, there are vegetarian and vegan options.
From salami, to Nduja you can expect an array of classic Italian flavours and ingredients. We ordered the Spicy Burrata (£11.90) which comes with fresh burrata and spianata spicy salami, and we opted for the wholemeal base. Overall, this dish was delicious! The pizza base was crispy and thin, accompanied with a thick, crunchy and soft crust. The salami helped bring a salty and smoky flavour to the dish and complemented the tomato sauce well. Additionally, the tomato sauce was cooked well, and didn’t have the acidic taste which occurs when the sauce hasn’t been cooked for long enough. The dish was served with a generous amount of burrata which was placed in the middle of the pizza, the burrata was very creamy and light in texture. In case you haven’t tried it, burrata is a fresh Italian cow milk cheese made from mozzarella and cream, so it doesn’t have a strong flavour.
We then ordered the Napoli (£8.90) pizza with the vegetable charcoal base. The ingredients included, tomato, mozzarella, anchovies and capers. Once again, the base had a great texture that was similar to the wholemeal base, the crust was crispy and thick. Additionally, the capers and anchovies gave the dish a salty and tangy flavour which was balanced out well by the basil and mozzarella.
DESSERT
If you are a lover of Nutella, then the Pizza Dessert (£5.50) is for you. The dish comes with two slices, so it can be shared between two people. A chocolate overload, the Nutella is served on the base and crust of the pizza, with fresh fruit and honey. We enjoyed the creativity of this dish, and the tartness of the raspberries and strawberries helped balance the sweetness of the chocolate. It would be great to have other dessert options as a pizza dessert may be a dough-overload for customers. It’s worth noting that their restaurant located in Holloway Road offer a Homemade tiramisú (£5) and Homemade ricotta cheesecake (£5) – hopefully they can bring this to this new location!
Zia Lucia was simply excellent. The ingredients were of high quality and the range of options available give people the chance to explore new flavours. Good value for money and high-quality ingredients…. Melan Magazine will definitely be back to visit.
Visit: Zia Lucia restaurant
Unit 11 BoxPark Wembley
London
HA9 0NP
Image credits: Esther Oluga (@essieeats) / Melan Magazine
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