Thank you very much for the gift card. DH, DS (8), DD (6) and I visited the Guildford branch on Friday night, without booking, and were seated immediately. We ordered two children's menus (great value for three courses at £7 per head), and for the adults dough balls to share as a starter, two Romana pizzas, a chocolate brownie, and a Chocolate Glory. I tried the special watermelon, strawberry and mint drink (quite nice, but tasted more syrupy than fresh), the children had apple juice, and we also had a jug of water for the table. We whole experience took two hours, and we went a few pounds over the £60 on our gift card.
1.What was the best thing about your visit to PizzaExpress?
The dough balls! These were included in the children's menu and absolutely amazing - freshly-baked, hot, and altogether delicious. The garlic butter that accompanied them was perfect too, and the vegetables included in the children's portions were fresh and tasty. The dough balls disappeared without a trace, and the kids immediately proceeded to beg for more. They even tried to persuade us to take extra portions away at the end of the meal!
2.What improvements, if any, would you make from your family experience at PizzaExpress?
Less noise would be great. The music and other background noise was so loud that we sometimes struggled to hear the waiter!
I would love to be able to order pizza in a choice of sizes. I prefer the thin and crispy Romana crust, but the pizza was enormous, so I ended up taking half away. The plates were not big enough to accommodate the pizzas, which were overhanging the sides and made the pizza cutters provided difficult to use on the edges. I would also appreciate a greater choice of pasta dishes. Additionally, I am fussy about tap water and would prefer filtered water as default table water option.
The children complained that their main course portions (Pizza Margherita and Spaghetti Bolognese) were too small (and they are not huge eaters), however they were both full by the end of the meal. DS suggested having a kids' menu compiled entirely of dough balls as a potential improvement, but I am not sure this would pass as a balanced diet! Both children would have loved more choice of juices though (e.g. mango or peach), and freshly-pressed juices (as opposed to juices out of a carton) would have earned more bonus points from me.
DH's rather radical suggestion for improvement is to rebrand under a different name - he is still under a sway of bad childhood memories of tasteless PizzaExpress pizza from the 1980s, and says he would be much more enthusiastic about going back if the restaurant were called something else!
3.What did your DCs think of the Ice Age: Collision Course activity pack?
The children were given Your Piccolo Activity Packs rather than Ice Age ones, but these were brilliant - possibly the best activity packs we have come across anywhere. The packs contained a great range of activities and levels of challenge, and kept the children occupied throughout the gaps in the meal - they even took the packs home and finished them off the next day.
4.Would you recommend PizzaExpress to a friend or family member and why?
Yes, it's worth visiting just for the dough balls! The pizzas are surprisingly good by UK standards, and the puddings are delicious. The service is reasonably quick and the food is good value for money. There is a good range of non-meat options. Gluten-free menu choices are clearly marked, and pizzas can be made using gluten-free dough.
5.Would you consider PizzaExpress to be a family friendly restaurant?
Yes, the presence of activity packs is normally a good indication that kids are welcome, as are kids' menus. The activity packs were great as noted above, and the kids' menus were great value for money. I would just turn the music down a bit.
Overall, our combined family rating of the experience is 8 out of 10 - well done, PizzaExpress!