To think pizza express has officially lost its charm and is not the same place it once was.

Haha I was thinking this - I had it when dd1 was a toddler. She’s nearly 18 now 😆

we took our 14yos swimming (flume place) with friends for their birthdays and went to pizza express - affordable and decent. Would dh and I go there for a date night? No, but it has its place. I’m guessing they’re franchises and vary.

i dont think its crap
only issue was timing,
suggest going after the kids have left

much prefer this to a pub meal

It was always quite basic but its been private equity owned for 20 years. Private equity is all about leveraging up a business, extracting as much profit & interest income as possible, then moving on. It doesn't tend to make for the customer having a great deal or a high quality offering.

Costs have rocketed - rents & business rates on premises, energy, staff wages, ingredients. A lot of businesses are still trying to repay debt taken on to survive covid.

If you are trying to have a meal out on a small budget sadly you will get something crap.

we also used to go to Prezzo, but all our local ones have closed sadly

We went yesterday. I’ve never loved it there, but I don’t like pizza, so there you go.

The kids enjoyed their meals and their pastas were tasty (£8.50 for 3 quite hearty courses), so was happy with that.

I had a tuna Niçoise salad, which at nearly £18 was exceptionally lacklustre. Mostly leaves, maybe half can of tuna, one egg and three new potatoes. Did come with 3 big dough sticks which was good. But £18 for a very basic salad? No, thank you.

The service was bad – very nice waiter but slow. They forgot the kids starters and only served them partway through their mains. Then when the bill came they tried to charge me £13.50 for one of the kids meals, insisting I had ordered the large version – I definitely hadn’t. Didn’t even know they did a large version. I didn’t appreciate them arguing with me as much as they did about it, but they did take it off in the end.

For £70, not worth it.

I really like pizza express and our local one has great service.

I also find the service in my local one is really slow and inattentive. Not expecting anything fancy but shouldn’t need to go find a staff member to order more drinks etc. Doesn’t help that it’s in an old building and the tables are spread across various rooms. I now ask to sit right by the kitchen as it’s the only way to guarantee you won’t be completely ignored. I only go because the kids like it and if you use the app it can be slightly cheaper than the competition. Wouldn’t go there for a fancy meal.

Think it depends on kids too. My kids never liked France manca because it was sourdough and had herbs on things! Also didn’t have standard garlic bread. Might have changed now.

So pizza express was always just easier as I knew they’d eat a decent meal and food wouldn’t be wasted.

go later in the evening, when the feral kids are in bed, or at least elsewhere

Pizza express is fine for a quick dinner with the kids after school, the food is quite good and reliable, and obviously it’s family friendly.

It’s expensive now though, for a little bit more, you can go to much nicer restaurants. The wine is overpriced and rubbish

Pizza for unsophisticated palates.

i went recently,
the previous time we had organised a birthday party there for ds, 20 years prior
there is no much else available in my area so it was fine, nice pizza - although expensive, but i guess everywhere is expensive

Totally agree. As a child it was a fancy step up from Pizza Hut. Some friends did have their teen parties there. It was a nice treat as a student. And then it was reliable for a family friendly lunch if out with the children. It's the price now. That is not an £18 lasagne and if I’m spending that I’ll go somewhere else.

When places like Tapped, independent Italians, Rudy's, Franco Manco etc etc exist, all of which sell better pizza for less money then what exactly is the point of Pizza Express?

Why laughing?

A fantastic pizza from a family restaurant, as simple as can be, made with skill from scratch with basic but good quality ingredients, can taste like heaven!

It’s nothing to do with superiority for the sake of it. A pizza made in a chain restaurant isn’t remotely the same thing.

It does what it needs to well. It’s consistent, kids like it and you know what you’re getting. It’s always a very safe and easy meal out and good with allergens. Not everywhere needs to be experimental haute cuisine. It’s ideal for kids and also quite good for larger groups.

30+ years ago it was the only chain offering something approximating Italian pizza and pizza was still a little bit exotic. Compared with Pizza Hut it was a pleasant experience. These days it’s simply a standard affordable pizza chain with a menu that has grown too large. I wouldn’t describe is as ‘shit’ but it’s not haute cuisine and doesn’t claim to be. My kids went there recently on a buy a second pizza for £1 deal, so it cost them about £8 a head.

Late 90’s one opened in Durham. It was lovely. All the other pizza places were late night greasy take aways. Since then the chain has become shit.

Pizza Hut is McDonald’s for pizza… ok if that is what you’re looking for

Making dough etc defeats the object of eating out though doesn’t it.

Also, the hot honey dough balls are lovely.

Yes great 20 years or so ago, now I avoid it, my local one is full of parents not parenting, whilst feral kids run round screaming, pizzas in hand, food all over the floor and it’s not an enjoyable experience.

I like PE and have been going for years, (tho' still mourning the loss of the original Giardiniera pizza, which was my fave pizza ever, plus the summer pudding - boo hoo). I think the quality depends on which branch you go to. Our local one (Ilkley) is great; the pizzas are consistently good, service is great and it has a nice ambience. We've never had a bad meal there. Others can be hit and miss. And yes you can save loads by using the app or going when there is a special offer.

But the point of eating out is not just the taste of the food, it's the not shopping, cooking and cleaning.
Pizza Express is fine for what it is. Would I go on a date with my husband there, probably not. But it works for large groups or kids and those with dietary requirements (echo what others say, my coeliac sister says it is one of the few places she can trust so we often use it for takeaway).

twenty years ago it was fab for a casual lunch or early dinner. Staff were amazing, always accommodating of young kids , decent food.

now is all sticky tables, grubby floors that you don’t want to put your shopping bags on, freezing cold and harsh lighting.

It's so expensive now! We went before Christmas and I was shocked at the prices. Much rather go to Franco Manca or Rudy's.