Family run Lamezia Pizza & Fresh Pasta is a welcoming little eatery that serves big portioned, big flavoured Calabrian cuisine.
Too much of what I see happening across the London food and drink scene resolves around hype, gimmick, gentlemen amateurs pursuing a dream, ex-bankers discovering their true selves … stuff that, increasingly, I give less and less of a shit about. So when I come upon a restaurant like Lamezia, where owner Maria Dell’aquila recently has taken over from her parents after they opened the restaurant a decade ago, I breathe a sigh of relief. A few bites into trying Maria’s food, my next sign is one of hearty satisfaction.
If you know anything about Calabrian cooking, then you’re aware they like their food spicy in this part of southern Italy. Maria and co stay true to her family origins with a straightforward menu of classic southern Italian pizza and pasta dishes.
During my Saturday night dinner with a friend, I enjoyed immensely every slice of my Calabrese pizza (tomato sauce, mozzarella, spicy Italian sausage, fresh hot chillies and spring onions, £11.50) and was especially pleased to have agreed to try the ndjua polpette (homemade meatballs with tomato and nduja sauce topped with Parmesan and served with salad, £10.50). For those of you not hip to nduja, it’s a super spicy, spreadable pork salami. I’d go back again for those polpette. And as much as I loved the pizza, I might be inclined to try a pasta dish; Maria makes her pasta from scratch.
Dining with a friend meant the chance to share a few items. Everything was yummy. Beyond the excellent pizza and flavoursome meatballs, other memorable bites included calamari (£7.10) and bruschetta (£4.60). Homemade desserts, tiramisu (£5.95) and torta della nonna (£5.50) wowed as well.
A couple of glasses of the house red – Salvogaro Ciro – was an easygoing sidekick that paired well with all the savoury dishes. A shot of Calabrian craft digestive, Jefferson (£5.10) rounded everything out nicely.
Service was warm, helpful and efficient. The dining area was cosy and comfortable, with an atmosphere that felt a thousand miles away from Holloway Road (or however many miles Calabria is from North London).
Lamezia Pizza & Fresh Pasta is located at 165 Holloway Road, N7 8LX. Find out more at lameziaitalianrestaurant.com.
