Best Pizza, the Williamsburg cult favourite built around a century-old wood-burning oven, lands at Double Standard from 7 August to 13 September for a one-month-only takeover.
Since Frank Pinello opened Best Pizza in a former Williamsburg bakery in 2010, it has earned a New York Times Critic’s Pick, a devoted global following and a reputation as the kind of neighbourhood pizzeria that people make detours for. For one month this summer, Londoners don’t need the detour.
Best Pizza takes over Double Standard, The Standard London’s ground-floor bar on Argyle Street, from 7 August to 13 September, bringing its signature round pies, square Grandma slices and a menu created specifically for the London run.
The pizza
The menu centres on Best Pizza’s signature 14 to 16-inch round pies: Margherita, White Pie and Marinara, all cooked in a Gozney live-fire oven rather than a conventional deck oven. The heat and char that gives Best Pizza its reputation is not something you can fake with different equipment, so the decision to use a Gozney rather than ship in a different setup matters.
The London-exclusive addition is the Soppressata Coppola, developed specifically for this takeover. Square pies are also on the menu: the Grandma and Veggie options for anyone who wants the satisfying thicker-crust experience that distinguishes a New York square from everything else that claims the name.
Before the pizza arrives, there’s a Stuzzichini spread built for sharing and doubling as toppings: sautéed long hot peppers, pickled aubergine, caponata, anchovy and Calabrian chilli spread. It’s the kind of table of small things that makes you slow down before the main event arrives.
Frank Pinello
Worth knowing who you’re eating from. Pinello grew up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, trained at the Culinary Institute of America and worked at Roberta’s in Bushwick before opening Best Pizza at 26 in a former bakery that still had its century-old wood-burning oven intact. He is also the host of VICE’s The Pizza Show, which has introduced his approach to pizza to several million more people than the Williamsburg shop alone could reach. Best Pizza now has locations in Brooklyn, New Jersey, Qatar, Hong Kong, Toronto, Miami and Los Angeles. The London takeover is a one-off, not the beginning of a permanent presence.
The drinks
Independent London brewery Two Tribes, who brew on-site at Tileyard in King’s Cross, is supplying the beer. Their core range is award-winning and genuinely good rather than a functional afterthought, and the King’s Cross connection makes the pairing feel less random than most takeover drink partnerships. Cocktails include a Hugo Spritz. Tiramisu closes proceedings.
The London x London Take: Best Pizza has a real story behind it and a reputation that stands up to scrutiny. A month-long run at The Standard is the right kind of limited: long enough to actually get there, short enough to create genuine urgency. Book a table rather than walking up on a Friday night.
Need to Know
- Where: Double Standard, The Standard London, 10 Argyle Street, London WC1H 8EG
- When: 7 August to 13 September 2026
- Nearest tube: King’s Cross St Pancras (Victoria, Piccadilly, Metropolitan, Circle, Hammersmith & City and Northern lines)
