Fatto a Mano reaches five sites with second London opening
The Neapolitan pizza brand will takeover the site on St Martins Lane that previously housed Iranian restaurant Nutshell, which is understood to have closed last year.
It will mark Fatto a Mano’s first London opening under its core brand.
Last year the group laid down permanent roots in the capital with the launch of Fatto Pizza & Beer, which focused directly on pairing pizza with craft beer.
Founded by Rupert Davidson, Fatto a Mano – which means 'made by hand' – opened its first site on London Road in Brighton back in 2015. It went on to open a second site in Hove in 2016, and a third in Brighton’s North Laine in 2018.
Holding 90 covers in total, the new Covent Garden pizzeria will feature unified ground floor and mezzanine dining areas with marble flooring and counter tops, as well as an open kitchen.
As with the group’s other sites, the dough used will be made fresh every day and proved for at least 24 hours.
Pizza options to feature on the menu will include the Diavola with tomato, spicy salami, chilli, mozzarella, parmesan and basil; the Salsiccia e Friarielli with fennel sausage, Neapolitan broccoli, chilli, smoked cheese, mozzarella and parmesan; and a vegan pizza with tomato, olive and tomato ‘nduja, roasted peppers, black olives, vegan cheese and basil.
“We’re very excited to be throwing open the doors at 30 St Martins Lane, in the middle of Covent Garden’s buzzy theatre-district,” says Davidson.
“We’ll be a few doors down from the English National Opera, with a view of Trafalgar Square on our doorstep. We cannot wait to fire up the oven to feed our guests Fatto a Mano’s Neapolitan pizza.
“We’ve transformed the site, including removing a section of the first floor at the front of the building to create one space, so the vibrant, buzzy environment of our pizzerias is felt wherever you’re sitting.”
Davidson also runs Brighton café Bread & Milk and is a director at the seaside city’s Unbarred Brewery.