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.

I agree.

We used to wonder if our local Pizza Express was used as a training environment because the quality of service seemed to go through a cycle. For a period of time they would be very slow and seemed all over the place, then after a while it improved and they were very on the ball. But a few weeks later it seemed to have gone back to square one again.

However, our local one does seem very well run now and has been for a while with friendly efficient staff. We go every few weeks and, yes, it is consistent quality. I mean, it's pizza, it's fine.

It's just suffered by comparing to newer and better places.

When it was Pizza Hut, Pizza land or Deep Pan Pizza Co, Pizza Express looked more chic, and was the only place to get Italian rather than Chicago style pizza.

Now the world and his dog can sell you a sourdough pizza, so PE looks a bit outdated.

OK with the many vouchers (has anyone ever paid full price? It's like double glazing pricing) and for families with young children, but past its best.

Probably a bit like most AI hotels. Only really attractive if nice food, atmosphere and service isn't your main priority so the mediocre predictability is actually a selling point.

I agree with those saying it isn't cheap. The drinks are extortionate and the food is more than independents, unless perhaps you have a voucher.

Same in Manchester, what with Rudy's and Double Zero etc. Went to PE last year with DD as it was convenient for the theatre and we had a voucher. The pizza was very poor quality, just a small step up from a frozen pizza IMO.
It's still popular with my in-laws though, now in their 70s, for them it's still a nice place to go, as they are familiar with it.

I have t been in about 4 years but it wasn’t particularly good then! We used Tesco vouchers when DC were young which worked well as it had the ‘picollo’ menu, but it def gone downhill in more recent times.

I change my Tesco vouchers up for prezzo now. Not too keen on pizza express. It was fine when the children were small as family friendly.

Pizza express is hardly cheap, so idk what you’re talking about!!

I like their pizzas. I wouldn't compare it to McDonald's but I also wouldn't say it was amazing before.

It was more about the way some people appear to look down on those who like PE.

it’s not cheap. I’ve said that.

You can get family meal out for a whole lot less than that. Pizza Express’ menus consists of really low value ingredients comparatively. Charging £20 for a pizza is criminal when you consider that from Miller and Carter you can have a Black Angus Prime Rump steak for the same price.

I don’t begrudge paying for all the things that go with eating out. Restaurants have to make money, but with Pizza Express, the imbalance for the type of food v price is very clear. As someone else said, if you are paying full price, you are actually subsidising all those discounted offers they are well known for.

Pizza express is great for small lads and coeliacs.Therefore I've used it since having my kids.Its an easy option but not somewhere I'd go for a special treat.My teens still love it though.

This depresses me I live in australia and despite amazing pizza here I still long for an American hot 🤣

IME it depends entirely on the branch and who is cooking - we have two in our city and one is so much better than the other one.

I had a Pizza Express pizza in November and it was lovely, very fast service too. DH had pasta which he enjoyed; enormous lasagne!

This is the case for any chain restaurant. Not exactly a ringing endorsement for this one in particular.

I used to date the sous chef at an upmarket hotel. Whenever we were out he chose McDonalds or Weatherspoons. With the wages he was on, he could barely afford anything else.

Dreadful. We took dh's grandkids and even they were disappointed.

@rainbowsandraspberrygin- it’s not about people being ‘snobby’ or looking down on those who eat at PE. It’s a question of quality and value for money. PE is now expensive for what it offers compared to somewhere like Pizza Union. A lot of us are lucky to live to live in places where there is a huge choice of quality pizzas so can genuinely compare the quality, taste, price. If all you have locally is Dominos, Pizza Hut and PE, then PE will come out on top.

What I find hilarious is how many folk on this thread are queuing up to say “it’s shit” when it doesn’t pretend to be or set out to be as good as your local Italian or whatever else. Denigrating restaurants like Pizza Express has become a classic identifier of “I’m in the know, me” on Mumsnet.

100% agree. Just reading the OP on this thread I just knew it was going to be full of posts saying “Pizza Express has been going downhill since 1992, the pizza is awful, I much prefer [insert name of upmarket pizza restaurant that had three branches in south west London].

It’s so predictable. Hotel Chocolat is another one. People loved it until it became popular enough to open branches in more places around the UK, and now it’s always mentioned on here as having gone downhill with rubbish chocolate.

My money is on Gail’s being the next place to be accused of this.

Personally I really like pizza express. I love the goats cheese pizza, plus the reliability of knowing what you’re going to get. There was also a really nice salad they used to do (Bosco?) that I still miss.

It was definitely good enough as a date location back in the late 90s early 2000’s. I don’t think I’ve been there in a good 10 years, we have a local pizza place that does amazing bottomless Italian style pizzas for £15 they bring them round straight out of the woodfire. The kids love Pizza Hut buffet

Yeah this was what I was trying to say.

Pandora was a recent thread of a similar vibe.

It really was. Started 1968 by Peter Boizot, who was a lovely man. I worked in the Dean St branch in the early 1990s, in the basement jazz club. Good pizza, good music & PB really looked after his waitresses (any 'handsy' customers were admonished / told to leave). It started to lose its magic with the too-fast franchise expansion, then the early 2000s takeover which turned it into US style fast food rather than it's original Italian roots.

I don't remember them ever having an all you can eat buffet. I remember Pizza Hut did (or may still do).

Yes, ours closed down recently but was on its last legs anyway! It was good for a family meal as the kids loved it but much better pizza available out there now. It’s also too expensive and menu is too complicated.

I quite like it, but I've never had any great expectations. There used to be so many of them that you'd just pop in and enjoy a pizza, dough balls, salad, etc. I used to go the ones in Chiswick and Ealing.

It's safe and reliable. Not a special meal out but a nice meal. But I couldn't believe the price last time I went. 2 starters, 2 pizzas, 1 wine, 1 soft drink and a blue light discount came to £70!!!!!