Franco Manca Pizzeria in Broadgate Circle

Since the first branch opened in Brixton in 2008, Franco Manca – now a chain with over 30 stores – has impressed both critics and regular customers alike with its simple menu of sourdough pizzas. Since then, the chain has first taken on investment from and later been purchased by Fulham Shore PLC, though I believe founder by founder Giuseppe Mascoli is still very nuch involved.

The question in my mind when I visited the recently opened Broadgate Circle branch (about half way between Moorgate and Liverpool Street stations) was whether they’d retained the style and quality of their pizzas given the fast pace of expansion not to mention the new ownership.

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The Broadgate Circle branch opened last year and is clearly popular – we visited early on a Wednesday evening and within an hour, almost every table inside and out was taken.

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The Franco Manca menu has 6 semi-permanent pizzas (updated on a seasonal basis), a couple of salads and a straightforward drinks list. On the reverse you’ll find a little more information on their ingredients. A specials board lists two daily pizzas – one meat based and one vegetarian and a couple of bites, that make good options for a starter.

There is a dessert menu too if you have space, though we did have to ask for it so perhaps not many diners do!

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We asked if the starters (Burrata Pugliese and Buffalo mozzarella with wild pig fennel salami) were sufficiently different to each other to be worth ordering both and, from the answer, we thought that the mozzarella came wrapped up in the salami and cooked but we must have misunderstood as both were served fresh and whole with an identical salad of cherry tomatoes and rocket. The burrata came on a chargrilled toast and the mozzarella with a few slices of salami. That said, both dishes were very good, and the two cheeses certainly had a different flavour profile as well as the expected difference in texture. In retrospect, one of these between two people would be plenty.

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The main menu lists 6 pizzas: a simple tomato, garlic and oregano (£4.95); a classic margherita of tomato, mozzarella and basil (£6.40); a no-tomato courgettes, basil, buffalo ricotta and grana cheese (£7.35); a Gloucester Old Spot ham, mozzarella, ricotta and wild mushrooms (£7.35); a capers, olives, anchovies and mozzarella (£7.25) and a mozzarella and chorizo (£7.55).

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The specials board gave us two more choices: the no-tomato meat special with mozzarella, mixed peppers, garlic, capers, Gloucester Old Spot  sausage, wild rocket and grana cheese (£8.25) and the veg special with tomato, mozzarella, dried San Marzano tomatoes, goat’s curd and watercress pesto (£8.15).

We chose the two specials, intrigued by the unusual combination of ingredients on each.

Franco Manca bases are sourdough in the pillowy-soft Naples style;  cooked hot and fast in wood-fired pizza ovens. They’re fabulously delicious and I love the texture.

The meat one seemed a little sloppily thrown together when it came to the toppings; because they were not very evenly spread, one side of the pizza had an enormous swathe of crust – I do like crust, especially when it’s this good, but don’t really need any more than the usual ratio! The very delicious Italian-style sausage was cut into a few enormous pieces whereas I’d have preferred it chopped a little smaller so it would scatter better across the pizza. That said, flavours and ingredients were really rather tasty.

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The toppings on the veggie one were more evenly spread and the pizza was really rather beautiful – bright white goat’s curd, vivid red fresh tomato base, dark red dried tomatoes and the vibrant green of the watercress pesto. And it tasted just as good as it looked!

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When it comes to desserts, I really like that all ice creams and sorbets are available in a single scoop small portion (£2.65) – perfect for satisfying a sweet craving after a filling pizza. The raspberry sorbet we chose was perfect – intensely fresh ripe raspberries and a pleasant smooth texture.

The tiramisu (£3.95) was served in a generous portion but because Franco Manca favour a no-mascarpone recipe, it avoided the usual pitfall of being too heavy and rich. It was wonderfully light and very tasty. To our surprise, we finished the lot!

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The pricing at Franco Manca continues to impress, with our three course meal, one beer, one soft drink and a cafe latte coming to just £43, and easy to drop that below £20 a head if you share a starter (or skip them entirely), which is probably the more sensible option unless you’re as hungry as a horse! This kind of pricing for good quality food in the centre of London is always very welcome.

Kavey Eats dined as guests of Franco Manca.

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42 Comments to "Franco Manca Pizzeria in Broadgate Circle"

  1. Megan Jerrard

    The food here looks incredible, both pizzas and desserts, Franco Manca is not a brand I am familiar with, however it sounds as though they’re taking the UK by storm, with 30 stores! Glad to see that the food quality has not been compromised with the expansion – will definitely have to stop by when in central London next 🙂

    Reply
  2. Rob

    Sounds delicious, the one thing we found hard to find in certain areas of the world is good pizza. Franco Manca sound absolutely wonderful. We visited London several times in the last couple of years but we never tried this place. Next time we are there we will definitely seek them out. The specials do have unusual toppings and reading them made my mouth water!

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Hi Rob, they have several branches all around town so hopefully you’ll find one next time!

    Reply
  3. kaveyeats

    Definitely a good chain for when you want good pizza. There are 30 branches now so hopefully will be one near where you live or work!

    Reply
  4. Chrysoula

    I visit London quite often but I haven’t heard of this chain of Italian restaurant before. I am a big fan of Italian pizza especially from Napoli and I would love a good tiramisu. The prices are very good as well. Looking forward to visiting next time I am in London.

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    The tiramisu is not the classic one with mascarpone, but I admit I am in agreement with the restaurant that it can be very heavy, and too much after a big pizza. This light and fresh one is just perfect. Hope you visit and enjoy!

    Reply
  5. Veronika Tomanova

    This post makes me hungry! I really love Italian kitchen, even just simple margherita is amazing. Also the one with mozzarella looks great. And tiramisu, that is my absolute favorite!

    Reply
  6. kaveyeats

    Yeah, we always had a few indies that were good but the chains were so so, not bad exactly but not “mmmm wow this is goood”! So it’s great that they’re expanding.

    Reply
  7. Dannii

    That’s good that all ge ice cream is available in a single scoop. It’s good for when you want just a little bit of dessert.

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Today I am mostly missing being in Stockholm, feeling annoyed at my ankle hurting so damn much and having a VERY lazy day indeed.

    Reply
  8. kaveyeats

    It may be that I’m the only one that doesn’t like that swathe of extra crust!

    Reply
  9. kaveyeats

    Yeah, it’s one of the aspects that impresses me – keeping the prices down but still offering good quality food. Not as easy as it used to be to find somewhere in central London where you can have a sit down meal with multiple courses for £15-20 a head.

    Reply
  10. Lisa | Garlic & Zest

    This place looks like a treasure! I’ve never visited the UK, but all of your posts highlighting these restaurants and markets makes me want to book a trip NOW!

    Reply
  11. Wanderlust Wayfarer

    I love pizza, and this place sounds delicious. I love that they have a selection of semi-permanent pizzas that they change seasonally. I’ll definitely be adding this place to my list!

    Reply
  12. Fede Pastabites

    I had lunch here a few months ago with colleagues as I work right above it. I really didnt like my pizza, it was so so heavy, and was the same for all of us. We hated our afternoon! The only thing I liked was the price, which, given the location, is very fair.

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Mine wasn’t heavy, I would describe as pillowy. Sure, it’s not like a thin crust style though. What a shame none of you enjoyed it.

    Reply
  13. Trisha Velarmino

    30stores since 2008 is not bad at all especially if you don’t compromise the quality. I don’t know, but I like it when the pizza crust is uneven – just tells how freshly made it is. Hahahaha,

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    No, it’s pretty impressive isn’t it? Fair enough on the crust, I don’t mind it being a bit uneven but don’t like a great thick area where it’s extra crust and less topped pizza base!!!

    Reply
  14. kellie@foodtoglow

    They have just the kind of pizzas I like – pillowy with charred bubbles of air and sourdough deliciousness.The toppings sound really lovely, too. You always do such wonderful restaurant reviews. So thorough and well-written. It sounds like it was a winner for both of you, despite the uneven distribution. 🙂

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    So kind of you to say so, I love sharing great food experiences! Definitely a winner!

    Reply

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