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About us

Small farms. Big taste.

At Franco Manca, when we say good food takes time, we don’t mean between our ovens and your plate. It’s everything before that. From our doors first opening in 2008 to fresh harvests plucked. It’s good to know where your food comes from. But we can tell you from who and why, too. Because to be the sourdough pizza pioneers you have to be traditional in practice, and radical in application. So eat your crusts and count to ten — this is pizza as it should be.

Our pizzerias are mostly walk-in only, so just turn up and our lovely teams will seat you as soon as possible.

Find Napoli in your neighbourhood

Here, flavour comes as naturally as we roll our ‘r’s.

At Franco Manca we leave cliché at the door. We’re dedicated to delivering an effortless, authentic and honest Neapolitan experience — from our close-to-the-land suppliers to the traditional methods that get their produce on your plate. It’s a radically simple ideology: that good food made with high-quality ingredients can speak for itself. So shhhh. Let the cornicione do the rest.

It started with Giuseppe

  • And the standard never dropped. The quality of our people is as important to us as the quality of our ingredients.

  • Our Franco family is filled with close-knit, passionate people who love what they do. And how it tastes. Join our team.

  • A truer value.

    There’s a reason we squeeze our own lemons, rest our sourdough for 24 hours, do long-distance with the Frasi family in Verona. It’s because we believe in the Franco way — a set of values that promotes a deep pride in not just what we do, but how we do it. It’s why we work only with suppliers that know the land like we know the taste, invite everyone to the table, invest in our people. We’re for values that deliver a better experience, for everyone involved.

    No corners cut. Just crusts.

    Every bite is made fresh in our kitchens daily, with ingredients as authentic as our Neapolitan roots. We believe in traditions (and breaking them where appropriate). Gluten free and vegan options available, naturally.

    "Whatever can be made by hand, should be made by hand — this is the leading idea."

    Giuseppe Mascoli, Founder
    dough making process

    Small farms, big taste.

    The dough

    A late-18th century sourdough starter from Naples and dough that ferments for at least 24 hours, every day. Our crusts take minutes to devour, and are hundreds of years in the making. We use flour from Wildfarmed, which is produced using regenerative farming methods that encourage biodiversity and help to restore soils and ecosystems.

    Small farms, big taste.

    The cheeses

    You know mozzarella — now it’s time to get better acquainted with our award-winning British ricotta, Sardinian hard goat’s cheese, Colston Bassett Stilton and Franco's grana. Say cheese.

    Small farms, big taste.

    Capers from Salina

    From the tiny island of Salina to your plate — our friend Antonino grows them wild and plucks them fresh.

    Small farms, big taste.

    Meats

    Market-topping toppings. Your pizzas are primed with British Bresaola from Cobble Lane, lightly spiced Ventricina salami from Veneto, and pork fennel sausage from Tuscany.

    Small farms, big taste.

    'Nduja from Spilinga

    Spicy, spreadable and entirely addictive, our ‘nduja is a rich pork salumi sourced from the toe of Italy, Calabria.

    Small farms, big taste.

    Chorizo Iberico

    This sausage sips sangria — our chorizo is made by Martinez Somalo in the La Rioja region of Spain.

    Small farms, big taste.

    Tomatoes

    Looking for explosive flavour? Our 100% Italian red piennolo and yellow tomatoes come from the area of Vesuvio, where the volcanic soil cultivates a tomato rich in nutrients and flavour. While our San Marzano variety are sourced from Dell’Argo Sarnese-Nocerino D.O.P.

    Small farms, big taste.

    Violife vegan cheese alternative

    Go plant-based. Stay cheesy. Our vegan special pizzas are topped with delicious Violife plant-based alternatives to cheese. 100% plant-based and big on taste, say goodbye to any dairy cheese FOMO. No more compromises. No more missing out. Now you can freely say YES to melty, cheesy goodness on your pizza without any regrets. Violife is free from dairy, soy, gluten, lactose, nuts, and preservatives, but full of cheesy flavour and just the right ooey-gooey texture. If you’re in search of the dairy-free cheese pull of your dreams, search no longer.

    Small farms, big taste.

    Tuna

    Operating in Cantabria for over 70 years, our 100% natural Atlantic tuna is sourced for us by Consorcio who are just as tasteful in operations as output (B Corp and MSC certified).

    Small farms, big taste.

    Cantabrian anchovies

    There’s plenty of fish in the sea, but when it comes to our anchovies there’s only one. Caught fresh between Santander and Bilbao exclusively from March to June. We’re picky. You’re welcome.

    Small farms, big taste.

    Prosciutto Parmacotto

    Created for us by chef Francesco Mazzei, our no.10 pizza uses the highest quality Italian cooked ham from Parmacotto. Made from prime cuts of pork with natural seasoning, it goes through a slow cooking process which preserves the delicate flavour of the meat as well as helping to retain its nutritional properties. The result is a soft, sweet, velvety ham which is rich in flavour.

    Small farms, big taste.

    Halloumi

    Our traditional D.O.P halloumi is handmade in Cyprus by Louis Loizou — whose family has been making the cheese for more than half a century.

    Small farms, big taste.

    The coffee

    Pure Arabica, double selection berry and beans, flame roasted in 50kg batches by the Frasi family in Verona, Italy. You’ll taste the difference.

    Small farms, big taste.

    The wines

    Always Italian. Always natural, organic and/or biodynamic. Our growers are committed to looking after the land (and your tastebuds, obviously).

    Small farms, big taste.

    Homemade lemonade

    Made by us, from organic lemons. Squeezed fresh — every time.

    food for thought. and vice versa.

    pizza with asparagus and mozarella
    • Recipes

    Asparagus and buffalo mozzarella pizza

    There is, arguably, nothing better than fresh asparagus spears bursting with moisture and earthy seasonal flavour.

    sourdough pizzettes from Franco Manca
    • Recipes

    Pizzette

    These pizzette make a fresh and colourful summer treat as the toppings are all added after the dough has been fried.

    Back to Brixton

    • It all comes back to Brixton Market, where in 2008 a guy called Franco asked his good friend Giuseppe Mascoli if he wanted to take over the pizzeria he founded in 1986.

    • Giuseppe and his friend Bridget Hugo (an artisan baker) took it over and called it Franco Manca — Italian for “Franco is missing”.

    • Giuseppe and Bridget built a specialty oven and developed their own slow-rising sourdough — created from an 18th century starter procured near Giuseppe’s hometown of Naples. They honed in on a simple menu, quality ingredients and classic Neapolitan tradition. And people noticed.

    Neapolitan-inspired cuisine remains to this day.

    Shortly after, the queue for Brixton Market’s pizzeria crossed corners all the way to Chiswick. So they opened a second right there. And then a third. And these days, lots of neighbourhoods are home to a local Franco Manca where our dedication to small supplier local ingredients, daily freshly made dough, and Neapolitan-inspired cuisine remains to this day. Franco might have been missing in 2008, but now he’s never been easier to find.

    Donations

    Share a slice

    We’re calling out to our community to help us get pizza to those who need it most. Submit your nomination, and we’ll send (a little more than) a slice of goodness their way.

    New icons and unexpected heroes

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