From Tynemouth to the Bigg Market to Gosforth, our reporters have picked out their favourite places to grab a slice of pizza across the region.
Despite a difficult hospitality climate, restaurants, cafés and bars continue to be places where people enjoy quality time with friends, family and colleagues. This is the first in a series of articles where editors and reporters pick out their favourite places to eat and drink in the region.
Twenty Twenty - Bigg Market
Twenty Twenty is one of the highest-rated restaurants in Newcastle for a reason. The local spot specialises in pizzas, and reporter Olivia Sheed says they've perfected the art.
There are two categories of pizzas: Artisan or New York. Both are incredible, but the Artisan collection takes it a step further with a deliciously thick crust (with an added topping) and thin base. She recommends the Delle Dolomiti, but also says Twenty Twenty has the best pepperoni she's ever tasted for those who prefer a classic.
Crust Social - Tynemouth
Crust Social is a pizzeria that moved from the Land of Green Ginger to Percy Park Road. Reporter Emily Gray says nothing can beat a classic Neapolitan pizza with its thin, soft centre and puffy, airy crust. Having tasted the 'real thing' in Italy, she says this comes as close as can get to the authentic dish in the North East.
There's a great range of flavours that are all fresh and tasty, and not every base is tomato, with favourites including the pesto base Verdura. It's the perfect place to takeaway and eat whilst looking out to the coast.
Di Meo's
Di Meo's, known for its ice cream, also serves pizza worth shouting about, according to health reporter Sam Volpe. It's proper sourdough pizza that is always the right texture and always delicious.
A significant proportion of his household would argue that the Napoli pizza - tomato, anchovies, olives - is the best pizza this side of Naples. On the other hand, he'd bite your hand off for a slice of the Pizza Ndjuja. The garlic and hot honey dips are both great, and he recommends getting the Di Meo fries and eating them hot.
Koru - Gosforth
For reporter Georgia Cuthbertson, a good pizza is stone baked, thin crust and with lots of cheese. She lives walking distance from Koru in Gosforth, where the atmosphere is calm and relaxing even when busy.
Choices are varied from Pizza Carbonara, Anatra, a sweet Chinese duck pancake inspired pizza, Greek, filled with classic Greek ingredients like olives and feta, or their special The Koru, which is perfect for vegans and vegetarians. Koru also can make most of their pizzas gluten free, which is an instant plus for her so she can share the meals with those with celiac in her family.
Slice - Grainger Market
Slice has become something of an institution in the Grainger Market, trading from Alley 4 for more than a decade. You'll usually find a good queue of patrons waiting for their daily fix, but the fast service means its popularity doesn't translate into long waits.
They serve handmade Neapolitan-style pizza that is somehow both the correct level of crispy while also being pillowly soft. A slice costs between £3 and £4 depending on how adventurous your chosen topping is, which isn't as cheap as it used to be but is still pretty good value - especially given the mammoth portion sizes.
