Review: Radio Alice, Hoxton ★★★★★

Radio Alice serves the best sourdough pizza we’ve ever tasted. Launched in London earlier this year by the founders of popular Italian pizzeria, Berbere, Radio Alice foregrounds a traditional cooking practice from Bologna, which sees the base cooked first, crispy on the outside and doughy but light, with the majority of the toppings added afterwards. Root vegetables, squash and aubergine, however, are often left to slow cook with the base.

The result is simply divine. In line with ancient baking techniques, Head Chef Daniele makes a fresh batch of dough each day, using stoneground organic flour, natural yeast and a rolling twenty-four hour fermentation process. Order a side of the homemade garlic butter, for ultimate crust-dipping indulgence.

But it's not all about the base at Radio Alice. The fresh seasonal toppings are really good too. Lemon zest, honey, fiordillate mozzarella and orange infused oil pepper the menu. Don’t be tempted to add extra toppings though, as this, we are warned multiple times by our waiter, will spoil the balance of flavours.

If you've got room for pudding, the dolci, are better than expected. The warm flourless chocolate cake hits just the right note for those with a sweet tooth, while the lemon and gin sorbet is a satisfying palette cleanser.

Organic wines from Italy are at the helm of the drinks menu, though plenty of London beers feature too. For the more adventurous amongst you, order straight from the cocktail list. Radio Alice serves a mean Negroni and the bitter spritzes are zingy and deliciously refreshing – a perfect counterbalance to the doughy nature of the main event.

Housed in a gorgeous heritage building with high ceilings, salvaged furniture and nostalgic 70s melodies playing in the background – the pizzeria is named after a 70s Italian pirate radio station which gave a voice to whoever wanted to be heard – Radio Alice is just the ticket for a first date or a long-overdue catch-up.

And now, pizza lovers, listen up!

Visit Radio Alice, Hoxton, over the coming month and you’ll find some welcome surprises on the menu. The pizzeria founders Matteo and Salvatore Aloe are teaming up with five of the UK’s most innovative chefs to create a series of unique guest pizzas, with each running on the menu for one week only. The lineup sees Meriel Armitage, founder of vegan specialists Club Mexicana, Jeremy Chan of Ikoyi, Sandia Chang of Bubbledogs, Ollie Templeton of Carousel and Douglas McMaster of Brighton’s Silo create a pizza each for the Radio Alice menu. Check the website to find out whose creation will be delighting paletes when. As a head's up, our favourite pizza is the Grilled Chicken, buffallo Worcestershire & marinara sauce with Stilton and pickled celery!