Story Deli, Shoreditch London

I’ve had a running London bucket list for the past few months . . . places to eat, things to see, photos to snap. On the very tippidy-top of the London list was a visit to Story Deli in Shoreditch. Rumor has it, the pizzas are deliciously out of this world. So on Thursday afternoon, B and I set off for Shoreditch, ready to gorge ourselves on pizza and explore London’s hipster mecca.

We were staying with a friend in a cute residential neighbourhood in Bounds Green. To get from here to there, we took the underground in true Londoner-style. I am now the proud owner of an Oyster card!After a short ride on the tube, we emerged at our destination. Shoreditch is urban and trendy. The cobblestone streets are lined with art and murals that sing, and all of the shops have a unique, retro vibe. We strolled up and down the narrow lanes, people watching and admiring the various.

I think B most accurately described Shoreditch when he exclaimed, ‘This neighbourhood is like, sponsored by Instagram!’ Shoreditch is a living, breathing pop culture museum.

“Clear!”

Resuscitating or annihilating?

We had to do a bit of roaming before we found Story Deli. They’ve recently moved and we had the wrong address, and once we did find the right address, we could not find the store front!This little sign was the only indication that Story Deli was hiding out around the corner. When we did finally find the restaurant, we were greeted by two big locked black doors. We again doubted our location, but our hunger-lust for pizza gave us the courage to call the number listed on the the doors. A friendly voice answered the phone, and immediately the big black doors swung open, and we entered an airy, white pizza heaven! The restaurant is filled with beautiful furniture pieces, telling a wholesome, well crafted and articulate Story.
The menu only consists of pizza, all of which sound divine. As we were ordering, the owner came over and asked if we wanted a pizza on the house. They were having a little competition to design the prettiest pizza for the window, and the runner up was up for grabs!
Although it looked heavenly, we passed, as some of the other menu items looked even more tempting.
Odd aside: I highly recommend the soda at Story Deli. Maybe I’ve been living under a rock, but I’ve never seen Whole Earth cola before! It had a delicious, wholesome nutty taste, but was still reminiscent of a good ‘ole Coca-cola. I’m going to be on the hunt for this soda in Amsterdam! When the main event arrived, we couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. The pizzas were well worth the hunt, and looked absolutely exquisite. B got the Charlie Jones, which was piled high with spicy sausage, tomato passata, taleggio, parmesan, roasted red peppers, garlic, toasted spices, birds eye chillies and sweet chilli. I went for the Fico, a goat’s cheese pizza with fig, olive tapenade, fresh red onion, capers & thyme with parma ham all served on a heap of fresh salad leaves.

We dug in and absolutely demolished our pizzas! I think Ben crunched through his in less than 5 minutes flat. They were cooked to perfection – the kind of pizzas that aren’t all soggy and oily, and taste more of the delicious ingredients than soppy, oily cheese.We easily cleared our plates (OK, so maybe B helped clear some of mine), said a sad goodbye to Story Deli (but not so sad, because we WILL be back!!), and then popped back out into Shoreditch to finish our stroll. The day was frosty, so we stopped for a hipster drink at Brick Lane Coffee.  Cool-cat photo opp!After a fun afternoon of pizza and adventure, B took off to meet up with friends, and I, for the first time, ventured out on my own in London! Where did I go? B-line for Oxford street!!! Shopping, more food, friends and fun updates to come! x