After nearly nine years of constant industry recommendations, prolonged media & influencer hype and empty promises of visiting (from me), I finally ventured to a Rudy’s pizzeria this week.
And was it worth the wait? well read on and I’ll tell you….
For those who have equally had their heads in the sand like me, let me indulge you…. Rudy’s Pizza started as a small, unassuming pizzeria in Manchester’s Ancoats district back in 2015. Brainchild of my former employers Roy & Neil (Revolution bars), The idea was simple: bring authentic Neapolitan pizza to the UK, made with the same techniques and ingredients you’d find in Naples. They follow the strict rules of Neapolitan pizza-making—using a wood-fired oven, slow-rising dough, and high-quality Italian ingredients. It didn’t take long for word to spread, and soon, Rudy’s was packed out, with queues forming outside the door. The hype was real. Off the back of that success, they started expanding, opening more locations across Manchester and beyond. Now, you’ll find Rudy’s in cities like Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds, and London. Despite the growth, they’ve kept the same laid-back, no-fuss vibe—just great pizza, simple menus, and a focus on quality.
So there I was, in London on Friday 31st January, strolling out of Goodge Street tube looking for a place to eat to kill time before a client pitch at 2pm. And then I see it on my Apple Maps…. Rudy’s. I didn’t know they had one near Oxford street so I take the small stroll to the location.
From the outside it’s quite unassuming, white rendered columns supporting floor to ceiling glass panels with Rudy’s etching on them, whilst the awnings were covering wooden bench seating and tables from the London drizzle. There’s a small menu in the window, but with eyes firmly on the prize, I stomp straight in following the glow from the Pizza oven beyond.
I’m greeted by a friendly host who asks if I’d like to sit around the middle section - a corner bench of tables overlooking the pizza kitchen where they make all the food from scratch. “It’s where al the magic happens” she tells me, how could I refuse? The area is perfect for a freelance marketer eating alone, my own space to get my laptop out, ditch my bag and enjoy a relaxed working lunch without feeling like I’m hogging a table which can be used for tables of 2 or 4 people. From my seat i can see all the ingredients stacked behind the Pizza chef - flour from Napoli, Tinned Tomatoes from another region and so on.
The menu has a surprising amount of content on it, but I decide on a triple pepperoni pizza with a Caesar salad on the side with a home-made Rudy's lemonade to wash it all down. I confess to the server, it's my first ever Rudy's experience and she hands me a tub of Garlic Aioli for FREE as a welcome gift - nice touch. The food arrives within minutes (living up to their 60 second cooking process) and the Pizza is huge.... but delicious. Soft pancake like base stacked with pepperoni and a drizzle of honey on top. The salad is fresh, crisp and just the right amount of dressing - if i had one criticism, it's the croutons are a bit tough.
Needless to say it's gone in minutes.
I enjoy my stay so much, I order a coffee and again I'm advised it's on Rudy's as a thank you and use the time to finish my SPACEMAN insight newsletter and send out to my 250 subscribers.
In summary, did it meet the hype! yes. Will i be back again? Definitely. My thoughts are Rudy's charm is its effortlessness - It’s affordable, unpretentious, and genuine at every touchpoint, with a proper neighborhood feel about it as if you've just stumbled into a pizzeria in Naples or Milan. The owners have been very clever and purposeful here with it's positioning, even as the brand grows into a bigger beast with nationwide coverage. And trust me, any marketer worth their salt will tell you, it is notoriously hard to keep something feeling so indie as you grow so big. Long may it continue.
Alan @Spaceman - Jan 2025
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