Spotlight On: Zizzona

It’s a cosy little spot on Chesterfield Road. Tastefully decorated with polished wooden panels, low hanging light bulbs and mosaic tiles, all of which complement the huge custom-built pizza oven in the open kitchen, imported directly from Italy.

The authentic, Italian imports don’t stop there. All the chefs bring a wealth of tradition and experience, and use only the finest seasonal ingredients. The additive-free flour is straight from Naples and the mozzarella is from the province of Salerno, both of which form the base of Zizzona’s incredible pizzas. A selection of beers and wines is on-hand to peruse while you wait (or for takeaway purposes), while gluten-free and vegan pizzas are also available on request.

Quality is key. Carefully selected British suppliers are used for some of the ingredients and the dough is made fresh every day before being left to rest for 72 hours, making for a pretty succulent-looking base. Head chef Carlo entertained as he tossed the dough high in the air, elaborately shaping it and adding the ingredients before sliding the pizza into the mouth of the hot oven. Indeed, our mouths were watering as we savoured the smell and the sight of our food sizzling in the heat. Our first pizza – the Fresca – was presented with a flourish along with the promise from Carlo it would be the best we ever had.

It certainly had plenty going on with San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh buffalo mozzarella, Parma ham, cherry tomatoes, shaved parmesan, wild rocket and extra virgin olive oil all creating a fabulous taste. The combination of the airy base with the rich tomato sauce and Parma ham creates a taste that we suspect the team at Zizzona are proud of. It gets better, though. The veggie offering – the Ortolana – had the classic Zizzona base topped with aubergines, courgettes, roasted peppers, red onion and fresh basil on top. An absolutely delightful taste, so much so that I had to stop myself from polishing it off after earlier promising my fiancé I’d take home a slice. Even that I struggled to part with.

The third pizza – the Diavola – and the most popular of the pizzas on the menu – had Italian fennel salami, spianata picante topped with fresh chilli and spiced Calabrian sausage. A perfect and enjoyable amount of spice left our photographer promising to return for more as soon as he could. Make no mistake, these were truly exceptional pizzas. We’ve no doubt that the other 17 pizzas on the expansive menu are just as good.

If that’s not enough, Zizzona also offer tempting cheese/cured meat boards as well as side offerings of garlic bread, lemon and herb chicken wings and patate al forno – all of which come highly recommended from the regulars at Exposed Towers.

Dessert-lovers are also well catered for and in true Italian style authentic, additive-free gelato is available in a range of flavours. If that’s not enough to tempt you, perhaps you’ll be swayed by the traditional creamy tiramisu or homemade cannoli – the perfect rich treat to top off some enjoyable self-indulgence.

​The best bit? If you’re having a night in this can all be delivered straight to your front door, simply head to zizzona.co.uk, browse their online menu and see what all the fuss is about. You won’t be disappointed.