Just outside London (or maybe right inside it)

We definitely belong to the second category. And that’s exactly why we set off for London. Or rather… for Bushey, just outside London. Or maybe inside London? On Reddit there’s a real debate between those who consider Bushey part of the capital and those who officially place it “outside.” Experts, what do you think?

Back to us: this is exactly where you’ll find Vincenzo’s Pizza: a tiny pizzeria with just two tables, which in a very short time has become incredibly famous and is now recognised by many as the London pizza.

A small place for great pizza

Behind Vincenzo’s Pizza is Tom Vincent, the founder.
Tom was a woodworking teacher with a huge passion for pizza.
During a trip to New York, he completely fell in love with the story, the culture, and what New York-style pizza represents.

Using his practical skills, he built his own oven in his backyard and started baking pizza after pizza, constantly experimenting and refining his technique.

Along the way, he joined several Facebook groups dedicated to dough fermentation and pizza lovers, constantly exchanging tips with the community, especially during COVID when everyone was talking about dough.

Then, in November 2022, he opened Vincenzo’s-a small, original pizzeria, warm and welcoming, with Tom’s artwork covering the walls and an order printer that, hours before opening, had already churned out dozens of tickets. He chose the name ‘Vincenzo’s’ after a nickname one of his students had affectionately given him.

Pizza that wins hearts and good news

When we tasted his pizza (truly delicious), we were amazed to discover that he had never worked in a pizzeria before. He learned everything on his own- by travelling, tasting, studying, and with the help of a community of pizza maker lovers just like him.

If you ever pass through Bushey, we strongly recommend stopping by Vincenzo’s. There, you can choose between two pizzas: a classic 18-inch round pie or a Grandma-style pizza. Honestly, they were both amazing. The inspiration is American, the ingredients are Italian, and the dough is the result of Tom’s studies, a mix between American and Italian styles.

But there’s also good news for you: when we visited, Tom was already planning the opening of a new pizzeria in London, in Shoreditch, and now it has officially opened. So you can go there too!

A Neapolitan accent in New York

But what is the story behind New York-style pizza that fascinated Tom so deeply, and what does it represent?

It’s 1905, when Lombardi’s Pizza opens its doors, later celebrated as New York’s first pizzeria. It brings Neapolitan pizza to the city, but adapts it to a new world: coal-fired ovens instead of wood, local ingredients, and new needs. While Lombardi’s has a legendary status, some sources say similar pizzerias were already around in America. Yet Lombardi’s was likely the first to do so with an official license, cementing its legendary status.

The pizza becomes larger, more affordable, and is sold by the slice, designed for working people. At first, it is street food; then it moves into grocery stores, and eventually into dedicated venues and restaurants.

From there, American pizza begins to drift further and further away from Neapolitan tradition: the rolled pizza of Philadelphia is born, the deep-dish pizza of Chicago, and many other variations.

From home to the world

Food, and the way it changes over time and across places, is a true map of cultural movements and flows.
Recipes travel, blend, and are constantly reinterpreted. The most iconic ones become part of a global heritage, and each culture makes them its own, using local ingredients and following local tastes.

Pizza is the perfect example.

It was born in Naples, but today versions of it exist all over the world: the dough changes, the shape changes, and even the way it’s eaten changes.

Even in Italy there isn’t just one kind of pizza.
There’s Neapolitan pizza, thin and light, with a high, soft crust.
There’s Roman pizza, crispier, round or tray-baked, thin yet structured.
And then there’s pizza al padellino, typical of Northern Italy-less well known, but incredibly good.

What we add says who we are

When people move, they carry a piece of home with them, often through food. It’s an incredibly powerful way to feel closer to your roots. At the same time, when we taste something new, we naturally tend to personalise it, adding familiar ingredients.

And while it’s important to know the history and preserve the value of the original, in our opinion all the other versions are just as legitimate, because each of them tells a story. (And this doesn’t apply only to pizza.)

And that’s exactly the point.
Pizza, and food in general, is history, culture, and travel. It’s the result of encounters, migrations, and constant adaptation.

Tom’s pizza at Vincenzo’s tells all of this. It’s a bridge between Naples, New York, and London. A pizza that respects tradition while evolving it and making it its own.

So maybe the real question isn’t whether there is only one true pizza,
but whether we’re willing to listen to the stories each variation has to tell.