Italian restaurant near Exmouth Market, Clerkenwell
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Read the storyWhat is a pizza capricciosa?Ham, mushroom, olives and artichoke at Fiena
Every Italian pizza list has its classics, and the capricciosa is one of the most loaded of them: ham, mushrooms, olives and artichokes on a tomato and mozzarella base. It's on the pizza menu at Fiena, our family-run Italian cafe, bar and restaurant at 4 Medway Court, Judd Street, London WC1H 9QX, close to King's Cross St Pancras. Here's where it comes from and what's on ours.
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A Roman invention
Pizza capricciosa was invented in 1937 at a restaurant in Rome called La Capricciosa, and the pizza took its name from the restaurant. In Italian, capricciosa means roughly "capricious" or "whimsical", which suits a pizza that looks as though a bit of everything has gone on top.
The classic version is made with tomato, mozzarella, ham, mushrooms (usually button mushrooms), green and black olives and artichokes. Some versions add anchovies. Background from Wikipedia's pizza capricciosa page.
Capricciosa or quattro stagioni?
The two get mixed up because they use very similar toppings. The difference is in the arrangement. A quattro stagioni ("four seasons") divides the pizza into four sections, with each topping kept to its own quarter. On a capricciosa, everything is mixed together across the whole pizza, so every slice gets a bit of each.
Our capricciosa
On our main menu, the Capricciosa is tomato sauce, mozzarella, ham, mushroom, olives and artichokes, true to the Roman original. It's served from midday until close every day, and a gluten-free base is available for any of our pizzas. If you'd like to add something, the extras are pepperoni, chicken or mixed peppers.
Normof and their partner both had pizza and were impressed: The dough is amazing.
(Normof, Google review) And Julia's advice is simple: You will love the pizza and everything
(Julia T., Google review).
The rest of the pizza list
- Margherita: tomato sauce, fior di latte cheese and basil. Our post on the pizza Margherita tells its story.
- Diavola pepperoni: tomato, mozzarella, pepperoni and spicy nduja. See our post on spicy Italian food.
- Buffalo: tomato sauce, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil with buffalo mozzarella.
- Vegetarian: mixed peppers, olives, onion and spinach on a tomato base with mozzarella.
- Pizza al pollo: tomato sauce, goat cheese, caramelised onion and chicken.
Need it gluten-free? Our post on gluten-free pasta and pizza explains the options.
What to drink with it
Ham, olives and artichokes are happy with a medium-bodied Italian red. From our drinks menu: the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo has plum and red berry with soft tannins, and the Cara Amica Sangiovese is ruby red with cherry and a hint of spice. Prefer a beer? There's draught Moretti by the pint, and Peroni or Peroni 0% by the bottle.
“The pizzas are absolutely outstanding”
Amir, Google review, October 2026
Visit Fiena
Book a table on Judd Street.
A little of everything, on every slice. Book a table or walk in at 4 Medway Court, Judd Street.
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