If you're looking for a pizza restaurant that serves proper pizza and not the mass-produced stodgy stuff that Pizza Hut has to offer, then Pizza Express is probably the place for you.
The fact that there are three branches of this chain restaurant in Cambridge shows how popular a choice Pizza Express is: not only is the pizza delicious, but it's reasonably priced too.
Walking into the restaurant, it doesn't seem like a "fast-food" place: with large mirrors on the walls, flowers on the tables, and gentle music playing, it's got a touch more class than your stereotypical fast-food joint. Add to this the fact that the kitchen is open-plan, meaning that you can see your food being prepared, and you've got a wonderful place to eat.
The branch that I visit most frequently also features a roof garden which is open to eat in over the summer - I keep meaning to eat up there, as it has views over my college!
If you enjoy a little light entertainment during your meal, then you'll be happy to know that once a week (usually Thursdays in Cambridge) a jazz band or musician will play while you eat. Bear this in mind when you're deciding what day you want to eat out, as it will depend on whether the music will increase or decrease your enjoyment!
Service is quick and friendly here, drinks orders are taken almost straight away, and the staff are always on hand to check that things are ok. This is probably partially to do with the size of the restaurant (it's quite small) but it's still nice to have waiters and waitresses that are friendly and helpful, but not so helpful that they're interrupting your meal every five minutes.
Credit can also be given to the staff for the cleanliness of the place: it's by no means spotless, but the tables, cutlery, plates and glasses are nice and clean - something which, understandably, I always appreciate in a restaurant. Tables are cleaned before you sit down as well, which is unusual for a "fast-food" place!
The starter menu is very typically Italian, featuring the likes of dough balls, bruschetta, and a mozzarella and tomato salad. Personally, if I'm having a starter, I go for the dough balls: they're soft and easy to eat with lots of flavour, and the garlic butter served with them is just garlicky enough. The Caesar Salad is also good here, with crunchy lettuce and croutons, and a dressing so good that Pizza Express have now started selling it in Sainsbury's!
Onto the pizza, and you'll find that there's a wide range of pizzas to cater for all tastes. Along with the more traditional Margherita and Four Cheese pizzas are a range of more exciting options, such as the Fiorentina, with spinach, free range egg, parmesan, garlic, olives, mozzarella and tomato, and the Veneziana, with onions, capers, olives, pine kernels, sultanas, mozzarella and tomato. Some of the combinations of food on the pizzas sound quite odd (see above: sultanas and capers???), but they really are tasty. When I visit, I usually go for the capricciosa, with ham, red peppers, anchovy, egg, capers, olives, mozzarella and tomato. It's a brilliant combination of flavours, and really Mediterranean. Not only that, but you get a decent amount of all of the toppings too!
Vegetarians are fairly well catered for with the pizza menu, four of the twenty pizzas having a green V next to them on the menu, If none of these pizzas appeal, then you can, if you want, choose the margherita and add your own choice of toppings for a little bit extra.
The pizzas themselves are of a decent size and incredibly tasty: the base is thin and tastes homemade, unlike other mass-produced equivalents. The toppings, I'm always happy to see, are plentiful, and neither burned nor undercooked - problems which seem to occur quite a lot with pizzas.
If you don't fancy a pizza, there is a slightly smaller range of other dishes on offer, from salads to pasta. Lasagne and cannelloni are, unsurprisingly, on the menu, along with "ham and eggs" - I guess they have to prove in some way that it IS a fast food restaurant!
Surprisingly, in this section of the menu vegetarians are less well catered for: none of the items state that they are suitable for vegetarians. If you're vegetarian, I guess you'll have to stick to pizza, or go elsewhere.
The dessert menu looks delicious, but portions are disappointingly small. The only dessert that I have ever tried in here is the duomo di bosco: an Italian summer pudding that is incredibly tasty, but only about three mouthfuls of food.
Nut allergy sufferers should be fine when eating here: anything containing nuts is marked on the menu, meaning that you can eat free of worry. If you're on a diet of any description then I'd recommend checking out the website (www.pizzaexpress.co.uk) before you go - it features a whole host of nutritional information for each item on the menu!
At around £8-£10 per pizza, it's pretty reasonable value for money. A little more expensive than Pizza Hut, maybe, but you're paying for pizzas that are far better quality here. Drinks prices are also reasonable: wine is around £8 a bottle, and soft drinks are under £2. With these prices, a meal or two only costs around £20-25, and it's a good quality meal at that. I'll be coming back to this one in the future.
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Cleanliness
Good
Family Friendly
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