At the end of October in 2015, an enterprising pair of Canadians opened a restaurant in Clerkenwell that focused mainly on pizza and craft beer. 6 months later we were starting to hear all sorts of good things about it, so we dropped in to see for ourselves. Verdict? Worth the trip!
Rating
In A Word
Unpretentious
Appeals to
The budget conscious and cash strapped in search of beer, pizza and things similar to beer and pizza (can you guess what those are?). Anyone who’s yet to try (but wants to try) mead or a pizza made with chocolate spread (!!!). Foodies in the Clerkenwell area with an interest in pizza and/or beer (I hope that you are noticing a pattern here…)
Cuisine
Pizzeria (Neapolitan…ish)
What’s A ‘Wedge Issue’ And Can I Eat It?
Essentially, a wedge issue is that one annoying thing you tend to argue about a lot – that point of contention that drives a metaphorical wedge between a group of people (thanks, Wikipedia!). But can you eat a wedge issue? In Clerkenwell you can, and maybe you should.
Under the auspices of Darren Atwater and Martha Gall, a (pretty chill) expat Canadian couple who have decided to come to London and sell pizza for a living, Wedge Issue opened in October 15th 2015 on busy Clerkenwell Road (kinda halfway between Clerkenwell and Bloomsbury).
Since then, things appear to have been going splendidly – with rave reviews and plenty of talk about good value for money in this crushingly competitive world of London pizza restaurants. Even before I come to see Wedge Issue Pizza, they’ve already started to win me over with what I’ve heard about their approach and how people describe the dining experience there.
So it seems like time for Tasting Britain to weigh in…
The Ambiance
Think three floors (including a basement cellar bar with frequent live music), mostly sparse wooden decor and an open kitchen where you can observe the creation of your pizza. The place is bigger than you might expect, and something of a community hub too, as we eat dinner there are French language exchange lessons going on downstairs, plus a busy social schedule that includes comedy nights and a bunch of other stuff I have conveniently forgotten (thanks, brain!).
Being next to Clerkenwell Road lends the restaurant a certain energy, as drunk American people asking me about how to take a good photo on an iPhone. It’s neither too busy nor too quiet at 7pm on a Tuesday.
You’re likely to be served by both Darren and Martha – yes, these are some hands on owners right here. Darren is a man possessed of a STRONG curly beard and lots of curly hair. Turns out he’s something of a serial entrepreneur, so I am allowed to describe him as a younger, hipper and more Canadian Steve Wozniak.
As for Martha? She’s a straightforward no nonsense kind of woman who barely seems to stop moving in the time I am here (though they do stop for a drink at some point, which allows me to corner the two of them for some backstory). As you would expect, both are suitably passionate and clued up on pizza in general and their pizza in particular. Ask them, see what happens :3
The Food And Drink
What’s the deal with Wedge Issue’s food then? Well, the tagline (and premise) is simple; ‘Pizza + Beer.’ So, seems like we should explore those two things then. OK.
All of the pizzas are named after all the London places you know and love (think ‘The Billingsgate’ and ‘The Fitzrovia’). These pizzas are wood fired and somewhat Neapolitan with a few more modern New York touches.
As for beers – they’ve gone and made some serious effort in sourcing the lesser known stuff here: craft breweries such as Pressure Drop, Weird Beard and Oregon based Rogue are well represented. Hell, they even do a mead (see below…). Also worth bearing in mind is Wedge Issue’s 3 hour(!!!) happy hour (‘happy hours?’) – with drinks and starters at half price.
And not to worry; if you’re not keen on either pizza or beer, you’re not entirely stuck. There’s a reasonable selection of pasta, and a small selection of wine (organised into ‘house’, ‘decent’ and ‘pretty good’ – they don’t say what these wines are exactly).
Another good thing is that any of your pizzas can be ordered as calzone for no extra charge. Gluten free options are also available for an extra £2, as is a sauce substitution for their ‘Diabola sauce’ (which they claim to be ‘the hottest pizza sauce in the UK’, which will cost you an extra £1).
The Starters
Homemade Meatballs £5
They are pretty hot, but asides from that there’s nothing particularly memorable about them…
Garlic + Rosemary Strips £4
This is kinda like a proto pizza that you break off into ‘quadrants’. Its minimal toppings and preparation allow the quality of the olive oil they use to really shine.
The Mains
The Stoke Newington (V) £8
‘Jack’s Aggressive Custom Pizza’ £8
What’s worth noting with custom pizzas that, you can order *as many toppings as you like* for no extra charge and the chefs won’t overdo it. This turns out to be quite a variety of toppings but they make it work for me :3
The Desserts
Chocolate Pizza £4.95
The best dessert pizza I have yet to have (as a concept to fail, you wouldn’t expect ‘dessert pizza’ to fail, but it often does). My tasting notes read “flattbread chocolate spread JOY”.
The Drinks
Wedge Issue’s drinks menu is like an adventure of brewed things just waiting to happen…
Gosnells London Mead
I reckon these guys are doing for mead what Sipsmith are doing for craft gin. In conclusion, it tastes like some kind of super mild cider apple juice and I can’t see why anyone wouldn’t enjoy it.
Wild Card Brewery – ‘Ace of Spades’ Porter
It’s a porter – so you get some coffee and chocolate flavours (more coffee than chocolate). And you also get a great label! (…but don’t judge a drink by its label :3 )
The Verdict
Highly recommended. And that’s not a ‘wedge issue’! ;D
(sorry, I had to say it…)
Wedge Issue are an independent pizza purveyor that is worthy of the name. All in all: extremely well priced, completely unpretentious (attitude, decor, menu) with a great selection of beer. And the pizza ain’t so bad at all. One of the best bits may be the chance to build your own pizza for a single (low) price, and the simplicity of the menu.
If you’re one of those people in search of the perfect pizza (and you’re not specifically looking for something Chicago Style…) get on down and give these guys a go before they get too popular for their/our own good and hike up their prices.
The Details
http://www.wedgeissuepizza.com/
91-95 Clerkenwell Rd, London EC1R 5BX