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Rudy’s Pizza - get a slice of the action

Enjoy authentic Neapolitan wood-fired pizza at Rudy’s on Division Street.

Rudy's Pizza
Ros Ayres

Rudy’s on Division Street opened in July, their 11th venue in the UK since they started out in Ancoats, Manchester in 2015.

There was a party vibe in the city centre as we visited over the Tramlines weekend and lots of people were enjoying the fringe festival activities.

The streets were filled with revellers and there was live music on Devonshire Green. Consequently, there were many groups of people dropping by to enjoy pizza in Rudy’s.

Rudy's Pizza
Ros Ayres

Serving authentic Italian food is at the heart of Rudy’s ethos

As we were seated, our friendly server explained how key ingredients such as the San Marzano tomatoes are imported directly from Italy. They are considered to be the best for pizza sauce due to their sweet and rich taste.

Rudy’s makes Neapolitan pizzas, characterised by a light base, thin crust and dough that puffs up around the edges.

This is food focused on flavour and simplicity. As their menu says “We make our dough fresh on site daily with just four ingredients: flour, water, salt and yeast. We double ferment it for a minimum of 20 hours at room temperature which makes it soft, light and easy to digest.”

A lively and relaxed vibe

There was a steady flow of customers coming in for lunch and the crowd was eclectic - from families with young children and groups of friends to couples out for a bite to eat.

Rudy's Pizza
Ros Ayres

The decor is raw and minimalist with orange chairs giving a splash of colour. The open kitchen allows you to watch the cooking theatre as the chefs prepare the pizzas. Unfortunately the volume of the music meant that it dominated our conversation a bit too much, rather than providing a welcomed background ambiance.

When it comes to the food, you’ll find plenty of choices on the menu with pizza classics such as the Marinara to something different like the Porchetta white pizza.

There are decent veggie and vegan options, as well as sharing platters and starters if you are feeling very hungry. Extra inspiration can be found on the specials board, where there’s more pizzas, desserts and ales.

As it was the weekend, I decided to sample one of the cocktails and opted for an Amaretto Sour. This is made with Lazzaroni amaretto, limoncello, lemon and topped with fresh basil and a cherry. For my taste it could have been more sour, nevertheless I liked the combination of sweet almond liqueur with a touch of tart lemon juice.

Pizzas are cooked in 60 seconds

There’s a quick turnaround on the food as the wood-fire oven cooks the 14” pizzas in around one minute. I’d ordered the Cinghiale (£10.50) with San Marzano tomato, fior di latte, wild boar salami, ‘nduja, Roquito peppers, parmesan, fresh chilli and basil.

And I can confirm Rudy’s does make great pizza. The leopard-spotted base was light and chewy with a plumped-up crust. The rich tomato sauce balanced with the sweet pop of Roquito peppers and spicy ‘nduja was especially good.

The addition of robust salami, creamy flor di latte and fresh basil made for a perfectly well rounded pizza. No pun intended…

There’s always room for dessert

The pizzas are filling and I have to hold my hand to admit that I am a greedy person with a good appetite. So a dessert was on the cards.

Despite the initial attentive service it took time to get someone to take our order, even though it was quieter by this point. The homemade tiramisu sounded like the dish to try with a coffee to finish.

I’d say Rudy’s is definitely all about the pizzas but the tiramisu was disappointing. The sponge was dry and lacked the characteristic coffee and boozy flavour. Next time, I’d skip the dessert and stick to the main event, which is pizza perfection.

Learn more

Rudy's Pizza is wheelchair accessible. It can be found at 40 - 44 Division Street, S1 4GF.

Opening times: Tuesday 4pm-8pm and Wednesday-Sunday 12pm-8pm. You can order takeout via Deliveroo.

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