From a gazebo to the best pizza lists: what the critics say about Gracey's
Gracey's started in lockdown with a gazebo, a pizza oven and a lot of word of mouth. Five years on, the food press has started paying attention. Here's a round-up of what people have written about us, and where they said it.
The Times: one of the UK's 50 best pizza restaurants
In July 2024, The Times published its list of the UK's 50 best pizza restaurants, and Gracey's in St Albans made the South East section. For a small neighbourhood pizzeria on Watford Road, it was a big moment, and it's when a lot of people outside St Albans first heard of us.
The Infatuation: 8.9 out of 10
The Infatuation gave our St Albans pizzeria 8.9 out of 10 and said it was worth the trip out of central London. They singled out the New Haven pie: an ultra-thin, crispy base with a big, garlicky tomato sauce. They also spotted the stacks of empty San Marzano tins outside and the New York and New Jersey memorabilia on the walls.
St Albans Times: a slice of history in Chiswell Green
Our local paper told the story of how Grace and James turned a disused shop next to the Post Office at 339 Watford Road into a pizzeria, opening in August 2021. It also covered our high-hydration dough and the 4 to 6 minute bake that gives New Haven pizza its crunch.
On TV and YouTube
Gracey's has appeared on Channel 4's Sunday Brunch, and in pizza oven maker Gozney's How to Pizza series alongside pizzerias from Los Angeles, Brooklyn and Denver.
Time Out: from cult favourite to the West End
Time Out has followed us from a one-day pop-up at Terry's Cafe in Bermondsey in June 2024 to our first permanent London restaurant. That opened in November 2025 at Arcade Tottenham Court Road, under Centre Point, after a residency at Arcade Battersea Power Station.
Is it the best pizza in London?
We'll let you decide. Reviewers of our Arcade kitchens describe the same thing St Albans regulars love: a low and slow bake, a thin base with leopard-spot charring and a crust that doesn't flop under its toppings.
Come and try it for yourself at Gracey's St Albans, or find your nearest Gracey's.
