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

[SonnyHoney]

I cashed in my Tesco Clubcard points for a nice meal out this evening.
We had:

• shit pizzas
• shit chicken wings
• a crappy Caesar salad

I used to love PizzaExpress. It was family-friendly dining with nice lighting, Fun kids colouring that didn’t feel really cheap.

Is it just me, or has it really gone downhill over the last few years? I was genuinely disappointed, as it was always a reliable treat.

There are obviously fantastic little local pizzerias we frequent, but PizzaExpress was always that easy option.

We popped into franco manca new years eve with the kids and that was much better and cheaper.

Pizza express has never been a treat or a, "nice meal".
It's fine, but just a sit down pizza McDonald's really.

I think the problem these days is that when Pizza Express is mentioned, people automatically think of Randy Andy, the dirty get.

Pizza express had charm? News to me

I mean, it was good 25-30 years ago…

I’ve always known it to be shit tbh

Wouldn't occur to me to eat there now but yes I have very fond memories of it 30 years ago

It is rubbish. All pizzas are tasteless

I go quite often, it's reliable and with the app you get loads off.

Never had the chicken wings, I'm not a fan of them generally but the pizzas are good. Much less greasy and heavy than a fast food place. I could the eat doughballs and garlic butter to dangerous levels.

It’s same old, same old in Pizza Express. Nothing new on the menu, not sure how you can drag out a bit of dough with tomato sauce and cheese.

I still enjoy it, but I worked there in the late 90s. Service has gone down hill. Much prefer a sourdough pizza these days.

My granddaughter is coeliac and we feel very safe there.She feels happy and normal there and the staff are brilliant.Cannot fault Pizza Express.

I find the service is always really bad. Whenever we go in one we order as they seat us or we're never served again. Absolute nightmare with hungry young kids.

Although the last one in went to was a lunchtime on Wimbledon high st and that was "normal" service!

They introduced one with a hole in a few years ago and they put rocket in the middle.. "The leggera" 😁

It was just an easy option for us when DD was younger - wouldn’t say it was particularly amazing back then either, just reliable and family friendly. Who doesn’t love a dough ball and a bit of colouring in? The same child is now 21 and would be horrified if we went to a chain Italian..😆

Well it was good enough for Andrew . No sweat!

I love it- I can eat there safely and not worry about being glutened.

Went there this week for the first time in ages. It was decent, for casual dining.

My experience has always been quite good but I always use the same chain. Good service, good food and good discount with certain apps.

Laughing at the predictable MN comments about it being budget and shit though. Some people love to be superior over anything, even pizzas.

It was good in the 1990s and early 2000s. No charm for a long time. Over priced with a chaotic atmosphere. Pizza Depressed.

I’m still upset they got rid of the blue cheese and walnut pizza in 2003!

It was a treat when I was a poor student in the 1990s, but not that special now. Franco Manca is definitely better, and probably cheaper. Non-chain pizzerias probably better yet (our local one definitely is).

It has gone off, but I’d still take it over Franco Manca, which seems to be getting everywhere and is pretentious shite.

I’m sorry to break it to you op but leggera was added 16 years ago 😅

That was my favourite too! Absolutely gutted when they stopped making it.

Oh no, I remember when it was the fancy date night option, back in the 90s. Pizza Hut was the bog standard, Pizza Express was for anniversaries, birthdays, proposals etc. But I was a teenager and I also remember thinking Zizzi was the very height of sophistication when it first arrived!

We live near the original one (since closed/moved), and it was very good (and very very cheap indeed, there were only three pizza choices and no tables so costs presumably pretty low). The franchises are less good.

DM lives near the original Bill’s, and that one was also much much better than the franchises are!