Fast Food,
Party Store Pizza launches first bricks and mortar site in Bermondsey
Detroit-style pizza has landed in the UK and has quickly become one of the hottest food trends in London. After gaining a huge following across the pond where “Detroit-style is the fastest-growing trend in pizza”*, Party Store Pizza has single-handedly proved that it’s here to stay with the launch of their new restaurant. The Party Store Pizza team have been behind some of the most exciting pizza pop-ups in London and off the back of this success, Party Store Pizza is now opening its first ever bricks-and-mortar site on Maltby Street in Bermondsey. The doors officially open on Wednesday 1st September after a month long soft launch and walk-ins are now being welcomed with open arms and mouth-watering fresh pizza.
So what is Detroit-style pizza?
First, while traditional slice-joint pizza is topped with mozzarella (or burrata, if you're eating somewhere fancy with actual silverware and Haim is playing over the stereo), Detroit-style pizza is usually made with Wisconsin brick cheese. This cheese has a stronger, more cheddar-y flavor than mozzarella and a higher fat content. Since Detroit-style pies typically have cheese all the way out to their square edges, the melted fat gets infused into the dough. The result is a crust that's crunchy and tender all at once, with a lacy strip of crisp cheese around the edges.
It's also constructed in a different order from New York pizza—instead of dough as the base, then sauce, then cheese, Detroit-style pies have cheese directly on top of the dough, then sauce on the very top. Which means that depending on where you're eating them, the toppings may be underneath the sauce. I know this may be hard to wrap your head around, so please take some cleansing breaths before we keep going.
That dough-cheese-sauce order is the same way Chicago pizza is layered, but pies in the Windy City are round and baked in much deeper pans, for a result that's way heavier and denser than the stuff from Detroit. (The word "pie" is actually pretty accurate—from the side, Chicago slices have that lofty look of an old-school piece of apple pie, only with cheese and pepperoni where the apples should be.) And finally, instead of a flat, ultra-chewy crust like New York's, Detroit-style is more focaccia-esque: As light and fluffy as an episode of Bridgerton.
Source: Realsimple.com
It's also constructed in a different order from New York pizza—instead of dough as the base, then sauce, then cheese, Detroit-style pies have cheese directly on top of the dough, then sauce on the very top. Which means that depending on where you're eating them, the toppings may be underneath the sauce. I know this may be hard to wrap your head around, so please take some cleansing breaths before we keep going.
That dough-cheese-sauce order is the same way Chicago pizza is layered, but pies in the Windy City are round and baked in much deeper pans, for a result that's way heavier and denser than the stuff from Detroit. (The word "pie" is actually pretty accurate—from the side, Chicago slices have that lofty look of an old-school piece of apple pie, only with cheese and pepperoni where the apples should be.) And finally, instead of a flat, ultra-chewy crust like New York's, Detroit-style is more focaccia-esque: As light and fluffy as an episode of Bridgerton.
Source: Realsimple.com
This spontaneous success story has simple and humble roots. When the hospitality industry ground to a halt during the pandemic summer of 2020, a group of pizza heads identified a gap in the London pizza market and decided to bring Detroit-style pizza here from the U.S. The plan was to keep things simple, affordable and delicious. Initially from a pop-up pub kitchen at Market House in Brixton, the team served walk-ins and made local deliveries. Everyone started talking and the kitchen sold out most nights. A pop-up at Lit Bar in Clapham soon followed and locals from both boroughs continue to enjoy unrivalled square slice pizza for dine-in and delivery. Now the hard work pays off with the launch of Party Store Pizza’s first restaurant on Maltby Street.
Says Head Chef Sam Langford,
2020 was an immensely difficult year for small businesses, in particular for the food industry. Thousands of pubs, cafes and restaurants had to close their doors; in many cases permanently. But for us it was a chance to take stock and plan ahead. We asked ourselves what could launch and thrive during a pandemic and what was London missing. The answer was Party Store Pizza where we created what we think is the best Detroit-style pizza in London. Bring on the square slice revolution!”The new restaurant is a suitably stylish setting for this square slice revolution. Nestled in a railway arch and perched at the end of Maltby Street Market, the space boasts a chic industrial look with graffiti art on exposed brick and steel, an open kitchen and a DJ booth with full Funktion-One sound. As normality returns, Party Store Pizza - the clue is in the title - will become a fun space with carefully selected DJs programmed by co-founder and esteemed London party promoter Fred Letts (Percolate, Waterworks Festival).
The all-important menu was created by accomplished Executive Chef Richard Falk, former Head Chef at The Dairy, Clapham and YBF Chef of the Year 2016. It includes a full vegan offering and applies authentic dough and baking techniques. After going through a 24 hour fermentation process, the dough is tray-baked to create a focaccia-like light and airy base, then baked a second time for a perfect rise and irresistibly crispy cheese crust.
Toppings include the finest Mutti San Marzano tomatoes, Shipton Mill heritage flour from the UK and high-grade Italian mozzarella. Pizzas include the Top Boy with vodka sauce (tomato sauce with cream), mozzarella, ricotta, nduja, pepperoni and spicy honey, and Smacks of Mac with ground seasoned beef, pickled gherkin, white onion and burger sauce.
The fully realised ‘vegan mode’ includes the likes of the Bianca with béchamel, marinated courgettes, basil, dried chili and Max’s green sauce, and Bombay Bad Boy with curried aubergine, vegan mozzarella, green chili, pickled red onion, raita, coriander and Bombay mix.
The pizza can be washed down with a selection of natural wines, beers on tap (including a Party Store Pizza brew from their friends at Signal Brewery) and an extensive range of canned beers from Siren, Beavertown and Tiny Rebel, amongst others.
Party Store Pizza is a pizza shop for the people. It's about good food and good times, so make sure you're a part of the square slice revolution. Find out more at: partystorepizza.co.uk
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More information: The doors officially open on Wednesday 1st September after a month long soft launch and walk-ins are now being welcomed with open arms and mouth-watering fresh pizza. Party Store Pizza 35 Maltby St, London SE1 3PA partystorepizza.co.uk Party Store Pizza Pop Up at Market House, Brixton Market House, 443 Coldharbour Lane , Brixton, London, SW9 8LN market-house.co.uk Party Store Pizza Pop Up at Lit Bar, Clapham 15-16 Lendal Terrace, Clapham, London, SW4 7UX litbar.co.uk |
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