What is a pizza Margherita?Tomato, fior di latte and basil at Fiena, King's Cross

Together with the pizza marinara, the Margherita is the typical Neapolitan pizza. It's round, with a raised edge that Neapolitans call the cornicione, and it's topped with tomato, mozzarella (either buffalo mozzarella or fior di latte, made from cow's milk), fresh basil leaves and extra virgin olive oil. The base is a simple dough of flour, water, salt and yeast, stretched by hand from the centre outwards.

The best-known story says the Margherita was created on 10 June 1889, when the Neapolitan pizza maker Raffaele Esposito was asked to make pizzas for the visiting Queen Margherita of Savoy. Of the three he made, the queen is said to have preferred the one in the colours of the Italian flag: red tomato, white mozzarella and green basil. The pizza was then named after her.

It's a lovely story, but historians have their doubts. No newspaper of the time reported the visit, and the story and the name were first promoted in the 1930s and 1940s. What is certain is that Neapolitans were already topping pizza with tomato, basil and thin slices of mozzarella decades earlier: a writer recorded those toppings in 1849. Wikipedia's pizza Margherita page has the details.

On our main menu, the Margherita (V) is tomato sauce, fior di latte cheese and basil. Pizza is served from midday every day, and a gluten-free base is available. You can add extras too: pepperoni, chicken or mixed peppers.

If you like the idea but want the richer, creamier cheese, try the Buffalo: tomato sauce, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil, served with buffalo mozzarella. It's the other way Naples makes its classic.

Julia, visiting from Germany, told everyone: You will love the pizza and everything (Julia T., Google review). Normof and their partner both ordered pizza and wrote that they are absolutely delicious (Normof, Google review). And John had just come back from Naples when he ate with us: the food wasn't far off from the real deal (John M., Google review).

• Diavola pepperoni: tomato, mozzarella, pepperoni and spicy nduja. See our post on spicy Italian food.
• Capricciosa: tomato sauce, mozzarella, ham, mushroom, olives and artichokes.
• Vegetarian pizza (V): mixed peppers, olives, onion, spinach, tomato base and mozzarella.
• Pizza al pollo: tomato sauce, goat cheese, caramelised onion and chicken.

Gluten-free? lloydyoliver's wife was glad that they served gluten free pizza bases (lloydyoliver, Google review). Our guide to gluten-free pasta and pizza has more.

Pizza and cold beer is hard to beat. From our drinks menu, there's Moretti on draught by the pint, Peroni in bottles and Peroni 0% if you're not drinking. Wine drinkers can try the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, a medium-bodied dry red, or a crisp Pinot Grigio.

“LOVED IT! Such a nice place, lovely people, great food and atmosphere”

Liv-Eva, Google review, August 2026