Pappagone or Porchetta
  • David

    Harry

  • David

    Pah. I was gonna add the ultimate Pizza Poll Face-off here but our vote/Polling extension is buggered. I'll go off and fix it...

  • dion
    hurry up.

    am dying to vote
  • andy

    Poll thing still not working.

    To the question "Porchetta or Pappagone?" I appear to have voted "yes"

    Which I know is of a higher standard than most of my arguments, but I think I could do better.

  • matt

    I clicked a "vote" button, but there weren't any options for me to select and now it says that I have voted. Hmpf.

  • David

    I've fixed it and kicked started the voting...

  • tosscat

    I can't believe la Porc is winning.

    Kill the pig..cut his throat...bash him in.

    (To paraphrase William Golding.)

  • Liz

    Not any more!

  • David

    hmmm. cheap chedder and undercooked eggs seem to be loved by you guys. To be honest I've gone off both, I think they've both dropped the ball somewhat.

  • magicP
    Pappagone is splendid. We celebrated there after I moved in to Stroud Green and have enjoyed some lovely nattery meals there since.
  • SimonB
    Popped into Porchetta on Friday night to grab a take-away ... the manager was in a tie gleefully greeting customers with a new-found gusto ... he charged me £1 less than the listed price and gave me a free drink of coke while I waited.

    Is this the rebirth of Porchetta ... ? Now it just needs a lick of paint and some ambience ...
  • katiejane
    Ooh - I hope so. Fed up of the lukewarm reception from Pizza P.
  • matt

    Luke warm reception? You have to be kidding me.

    If not, come with us next time and I'll show you how to do it

  • katiejane
    I used to get a kiss on both cheeks from both Marcos.

    I put it down to trying to reason with them about their noise levels when we moved here. Two years on, they're still smarting.
  • David

    Sorry. still don't rate Papagone. Porchetta or better still slightly further a field who deliver...

  • tosscat

    Mmmm, for delivery there's only two players surely.

    Firezza or Lupa?

  • petra

    Firezza.

    Never tried Lupa, are they good?

  • David

    It's wierd. Must be something to do with the churn of staff in pizza places, but right now Firezza is serving up some bloody great pizza's. About two months ago they'd become quite shoddy. Peaks and troughs.

  • katiejane
    Lupa's nice but expensive - unless you order before 6pm for pick up only - then their pizzas are a fiver.
  • David

    There's quite a nice looking, Papaggone sized pizza place down Blackstock Road, what's that called, anyone been?

  • katiejane
    Il Bacio?
  • David

    Sounds familiar, any good? I keep meaning to go out for dinner down there, looks like there could be a couple of little family run gems but never get round to it.

  • groli
    There is another Il Bacio in Stoke Newington, think that was the first one and its really good, very happy staff! havent been to the one on Blackstock though
  • Colette
    Il Bacio is ok, roughly the same standard as Porchetta and Pappgone for pizza, not worth going out of your way for I'd say. Their non-pizza dishes may be slightly better, but there's not much in it.
  • David

    I vaguely remember cycling past a few other cuisine's along that stretch, Vietnamese comes to mind, anyone been to anything down there that's worth checking out, just for changes sake?

  • Colette
    The Vietnamese, Au Lac, is pretty good. It's up the hill on the way to Highbury Barn. The Turkish place at the Barn, Iznik, is excellent. MUCH better than Petek. The Italian on the way to the Barn, San Daniele del Friuli, is also good. The Arsenal team can sometimes be found eating there after a mid-week match, if they've won. True fact.
  • Ali
    Van Luc is pretty good also apparently Melvyn Bragg and Nick Hornby eat at the San Danielle Del Fruli at the top of Highbury Hill before every home match day. Also thought Pagapone is not particullary noisey since thye had a council serve a noise abatemnet on them a few years ago as people across the road were getting disturbed. This is why the front opening doors are never open in the summer which is shame
  • jandb
    San Daniele del Friuli is generally worth a visit on non-match days.
  • andy

    San Daniele has been vaguely on my radar for ages, but I've never quite got round to trekking over.

  • dominic
    Au Lac is great. They deliver to SG but the pancakes are never as good as when you're in there.
  • Ed B
    La Porchetta everytime for me!
  • SimonB
    Wednesday night Porchetta:

    We had to wait ages (45 mins) for our take away pizzas because they were understaffed and the restaurant was full.

    However, the manager was very apologetic and gave us free beers while we were waiting.

    Still, I'd rather wait 45 mins for a good pizza at Porchetta than go to Pappagone for a cheap cheese and bread approximation.
  • tosscat

    I may have to retry La porc - it was always minging when I went before.

  • dion

    I went to Pappagone yesterday and it was great.

    I can't understand the appeal of the other place.

  • katiejane
    Blimey - we really are polarised aren't we?
  • tosscat

    or are we reactolite?

  • magicP
    We were in Pappagone on Saturday and it was splendid. They were very busy though and needed the table back by a certain time.
  • Spaniel
    Porchetta, definately, without doubt. I will lean in the window of Pappagone to pick up some ice-cream, but that's as far as I'll go, and even then I feel guilty.
  • rainbow_carnage
    So we had our first Pappagone pizza last night. After 6 years of mostly very decent take-away pizzas from La Porchetta, we never felt the need to change. But last night at 11:45, I was hungry, La Porchetta was closed, so I took a leap.

    Big mistake. The pizza was terrible. The base was much too thin. Everything soaked through. We wound up having to eat the toppings with a spoon. The peppers were completely raw. The cheese tasted very Tesco Value.

    How anyone could possibly prefer this place is beyond me. Is it any better when you eat in? I've only eaten at La Porchetta once. I don't like the atmosphere, and there are way too many kids there. Pappagone looks about the same from the outside, though.

    I'll stick with La Porchetta take-away for all of my pizza-eating needs.
  • matt

    I can't remember ever seeing many kids at Pappagone.

    Do you have agoraphobia? Just asking.

  • katiejane
    Yeugh. Kids.

    I must admit I'm swaying, and thinking of making the switch. I'm encouraged by the fact that I saw the lovely lady who served us in La P on Rosebery Avenue - I think she owns it with her husband - through the window there last week.

    Has anyone tried La Venezia near Petek yet?
  • rainbow_carnage
    @ Matt - You may be right about the kids at Pappagone. I've never actually gone inside - just looked in from the street - and it seemed like there were many kids.

    And no, I'm not agoraphobic. I just don't like it when other people feel the need to inflict their precious angels on me. It's not cute when your child comes over and insists on touching things on my table. I don't go over and touch your child.

    And the squealing... oy!
  • Liz

    Went to Porchetta for the first time in ages on Saturday night (becauase Pappagone was full). Haven't had a pizza at either for ages, but the melanzane parmigiana at Pappagone is much better than Porchetta. I had rung to book, which they had completely forgotten about when we got there and stuck us in a rubbish table at the back. Decor looking really quite tatty now, and we were served by a guy who took great trouble to tell us that he was only helping his friend out and wasn't a waiter really, then kept coming over to ask if we liked him or not. Bizarre.

    It is true that there are often kids in both, early evening - don't think there's much to choose between them on that front.

  • Colette

    @ Liz - really? having tried both lots of melanzane parmigiana, I really can't tell the difference between either. I assume they get a job lot frozen from the same distributors. I tend to have the Porchetta one take away, and no matter how often I tell them on the phone when I order to make sure that they cook it all the way through, it is always slightly cold in the middle. Still, it's a pretty good parmigiana, so I keep coming back for more... I've just learnt to pre-heat the oven at home before ordering.

  • Liz

    Well, maybe I was slightly biased in that it came some time after everyone else got their pizzas, and we were at a crappy table. But that aside, I'd definitely say that the Pappagone version is better.

  • Alchemist Jack
    Can't I vote neither? Both far too loud, the service rushed, the pizza mediocre.
  • Colette
    Actually had a really good pizza from pappagone on saturday night. I was almost impressed. Their melanzane parmigiana (main course size specially requested) was a joke though - tiny portion for the price, and it had obviously been microwaved - absolute rubbish compared with Porchetta's (sorry Liz).
  • T.J.
    Was discouraged by a very salty base on a pizza in Porchetta shortly after moving into area and haven't been back. Must try again. Enjoy going to Pappagone if only for the big handshakes. Il Bacio was tasty enough but the atmosphere fell somwhere in between Pappagones and a sterile Pizza Express which I found a bit odd.

    I think Lupa are the tastiest by far for delivery (Calabrese - savage!) but I've gotten into habit of pre-heating the oven when I order as it's always bloody cold. Crouch End to Carlisle Rd, it's not miles away! This happen others or do they just not like me?
  • matt

    Always cold from Lupa and Firezza (St Paul's Road, near Highbury & Islington roundabout)

  • JoeV
    Late to this discussion but whenever I'm feeling homesick Pappagone never fails to cheer me up. I feel instantly transported back home to an outer nyc borough (and the pizzas are just about the best I've had in London).
  • katiejane
    An outer NYC borough. Hmm. Not Italy then?
Add a Comment

Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Sign In Apply for Membership

Categories

In this Discussion