Opening its doors for the first time just over a month ago, Zia Lucia Chelsea is the eighth London restaurant for the Zia Lucia group who now have eleven restaurants here in England having opened their first one only eight years ago in 2016.
In that time, Zia Lucia has become renowned for bringing authenticity and innovation to London’s pizza scene, giving diners a taste of Italian heritage accompanied with a touch of contemporary flair.
This new 46 cover Chelsea restaurant, conveniently located on the Fulham Road, will no doubt prove popular with locals, bringing Zia’s neighbourhood feel to the area with its sun-drenched alfresco seating on those few sunny days we have, where you can enjoy a refreshing Aperol Spritz, cocktail or beer with friends.
Unfortunately, on our recent visit we missed out on trying the limited edition launch Aperol-infused pizza dough, however it didn’t really matter, as they offer a unique wide variety of Italian 48-hour slow fermented doughs that have been inspired by ancient traditions brought over from Italy to London.
The pizza recipes include a traditional flour dough, a rather unusual vegetable charcoal black base, which we tried, as well as a healthy wholemeal base, our other choice, and special dough made without gluten, which is good to know, as I regularly eat out with a friend who is gluten intolerant.
Pizza toppings include three Margherita versions (we went for the classic one) as well as a delicious combination of Burrata and Parma Ham as our second choice. Alternatively, there’s a Prosciutto and Funghi, Centurione with parma ham and rocket, Parmigiana with roasted aubergines, Salsiccia and Friarielli with fresh sausage, a spicy Paperon de Pepperoni, a fiery Nduja, a Spicy Burrata with spicy salami and a couple of vegetarian options. And I am told that the menu at Zia Lucia Chelsea will continuously evolve as with the other restaurants, to include new experimental doughs, following the creativity of Zia Lucia’s formidable pizzaioli, as the team is continuously researching into the art of dough making along with its taste and digestibility.
Zia Lucia offer a tempting selection of appetizers and shared plates such as some delicious burrata from Puglia, freshly baked Focaccia, Bruschetta Rossa or Verde, a selection of Italian cured meats and cheese or a healthy Rocket and Parmigiano Salad.
The drinks menu has something for everyone including Zia Lucia’s very own beer brand Birra Cabriolè, which is brewed with Laine Brewery in Brighton, or you could choose an Italian style cocktail such as the Negroni Sbagliato Maxi and wine and prosecco sourced from a small Italian producer.
They also have some reasonably priced good wines to choose from, including a superb Tenimenti Civa Seriade Merlot for £28 which we chose to go with our pizzas, and is a dry red Italian wine crafted from 100% Merlot grapes in Veneto, Italy’s renowned wine region. It has intense aromas of black cherries, blackberries and plums but is a fresh and delicate wine with a delightful taste of red fruit.
And should you have any room left at the end of your meal, then you might like to try one of the naughty but nice homemade desserts, such as their well-known Zia Lucia tiramisu or perhaps some gelato which is what we had accompanied with an excellent double espresso to round off what was a delightful lunch in a bright and friendly restaurant.
I will leave the final words to founders Gianluca D’Angelo and Claudio Vescovo, the former saying:
“It is just one of those dreams coming true. Opening in Chelsea, next door to the football stadium is something we have been planning since the very beginning. We found an amazing spot and can’t wait to spice up the pizza game in the neighbourhood.”
With Claudio adding:
“The design of the restaurant will be very different from what we have done so far; we wanted to elevate the customer experience to an even higher level, and we are so excited to introduce the Aperolbase dough to all Londoners.”
The Details
Zia Lucia Chelsea, 49 Fulham Broadway, London, SW6 1AE, England.
Tel: +44 (0)20 3822 0229
Website: www.zialucia.com
Email: chelsea@zialucia.com
Located less than a minute’s walk from Fulham Broadway Tube Station on the District Line – turn right as you exit the station/shopping mall – and it’s just a short distance on the right hand side. The restaurant is open Monday to Sunday from 11:30am to 10:30pm (last orders).
Type of Restaurant: Pizza Restaurant
Price Band: Medium
Insider Tip: If there two or more people I would recommend ordering different toppings and sharing them as the pizzas are large!
Reviewer’s rating: 9/10
Simon Burrell is Editor of Our Man On The Ground, a former member of The British Guild of Travel Writers and professional photographer.
Photographs courtesy of Zia Lucia
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