Me and the missus can't remeber any one know? (how brow conversation in our house on a saturday morning eh!) and yes i've already googled!

It's always been pizza express.

always Pizza Express as far as I know, and I worked there, for my sins…

Hasn't it always been called Pizza Express?

Ditto…

See I'm sure it was called something more "Italiany" at the very least it used the same logos? This is gonna bug the sh1t out of me!

That would be a long time back. It's been PE for well over 25 years by my reckoning.

Not getting it confused with Pasta Romagna are you?

It's called something different abroad. Can't remember exactly, but it begins with an M I think.

Wiki says:

By 2003 there were more than 300 restaurants in the UK, as well as outlets in Ireland, where it trades as Milano, and Spain and France where the brand name is Pizza Milano. In other countries the business is branded as Pizza Marzano.

There used to be a chain called Pizza Village (which had green branding) but I think it was a seperate company.

The one in salisbury was called Pizza Milano for a time I'm sure, maybe they'd run out of pizza express signs and had to borrow some from Ireland!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PizzaExpress

Welcome to the internets.

What's the internets? 😕

Wimpy

All right mudpup no need to get personal was only asking

You're not thinking of Bella Italia, formerly known as Bella Pasta, are you?

😆

Always been Pizza Express.

In retrospect, I probably didn't add much at this point. 😛

Whatever it's called, don't go! all the big pizza franchises are shit!

Pizzaland? Pizza Hut and Pizza Express…

I seem to recall Pizzaland as my first pizza place, then Pizza Hut and then Pizza Express…not idea if they are in any way related to any of the others…

all the big pizza franchises are shit!

I guess that's a matter of taste, but I've had better meals in Pizza Express than I've have in restaurants costing twice as much. Plus they have live music in my local one sometimes. Works for me 🙂

Probably is down to taste but there's 2 restaurants near me that cost half as much as Pizza Express, way much nicer and don't play Jazz as a bonus.

A matter of taste?

You mean lack of taste surely?

popularity of these shit restraunt (can you even call them that?) chains is down to the bland tastes of your average British punter. (that and luring their kids in with their awful kids menu's).

Pizza Express is great – if you are in a strange town and no local knowledge you can always go and get a pretty decent meal – often in nice surroundings (the one in Oxford is particularly nice)

kids like it too – and no horrible doughy nonsense like pizza hut etc

I could go for a sloppy Giuseppe right now

if you are in a strange town and no local knowledge

Google a one and see what people have to say.

What do you suggest in the Burgh GW?

I thought the original one opened up in Soho was called Kettners. Then as they expanded, they changed the name. something like that.

I went there once. It was awful, and expensive.

Slight hijack. What happened to Deep Pan Pizza Co.?
They did a pizza called "Tell 'em Phil sent ya" Fantastico!

Deep Pan Pizza Co. got shut down by its owners '99 i think.

Al – I don't live in "the Burgh".

Where do you live that has pizza express?

the Soho Jazz Club pizza express is great and has always been called that i think.

it has a better selection of wines than the normal ones but the jazz kinda makes it a no no on the conversation front. you just have to sup your wine and enjoy the vibe…..man

Nice.

Remarkable, of all the threads I've ever started this has the most replies!

is down to the bland tastes of your average British punter

No it's not. It's because most non-chain restaurants are crap, and you don't want to ruin your evening going there and waiting hours for rubbish food, so you pick something that you know – this is usually a chain. Yes, you get crap service at some of those too, but they tend to be less crap overall than a crap local.

I've often been to oh so simply lovely bloody picturesue family run traditional olde bloody italian bistro restaursnts that turn out to be less tasty than a chain and much less tasty than a jar of Lloyd Grossman.

FWIW the worst Italian food I ever had was at a restaurant in Rome. I ordered carbonara, which I know is boring but I really fancied it, and it came out scrambled egg. How they had the gall to serve it when they knew they'd cocked it up is beyond me.

And the reviews on Google are useless. If someone says it's good, you've got no idea what their standards or tastes are. Places I know for a fact are dreadful get great write-ups.