London’s pizza scene is thriving, but Bar Etna is bringing it to an all-time high.
The neighbourhood pizzeria is a collaboration between Ed McIlroy, co-founder of Four Legs (the team behind beloved Finsbury Park pub The Plimsoll and Spanish chippy Tollington’s) and lauded Philadelphia chef Joe Beddia.
If you’ve been to Pizzeria Beddia, you’ll know this is a big deal. The Philly restaurant was named best pizza in America by Bon Appetit in 2015 and awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2025. Beddia describes his pizza as “New York, New Haven, Philadelphia, well done thin-crust pizza” with top-quality ingredients as the hero. But the experience goes beyond the food.
“What I liked about Pizzeria Beddia was that it was pizza in a restaurant,” McIlroy tells Broadsheet. “Pizza in London is quite pub- or slice shop-orientated [and] that's the exciting thing about this: putting pizza and good wine together.”
Beddia and McIlroy were introduced last year by designer and Bar Etna partner Mike Stampler. “A 55 per cent match,” jokes Beddia. “Yeah, I swiped right,” adds McIlroy. “It’s been my dream of my entire life to do something internationally,” says Beddia. “If I had to create a list, London was somewhere at the top. The quality of the produce is amazing.”
There’ll be four 14-inch pizzas to start – combining Beddia’s signature style with McIlroy’s produce-led approach – plus seasonal specials. The number one is classic: tomato sauce, mozzarella, cheddar and oregano. The number two is a white pizza with a creamy sauce of calabrian chillies and garlic, and seasonal greens. There’s also the sauce-heavy marinara number four with barley slivers and oregano, and the option to add anchovies or Montgomery’s cheddar.
The Etna curry pizza was designed to celebrate London’s love for curry. “It’s sort of like a sag paneer, minus the paneer,” says Beddia. “We serve an arrabiata pizza in Philadelphia [with] an ‘angry’ sauce and this will be in the same vein: a spicy pizza with spices, cream and spinach as the base, then topped with fresh mozzarella.”
“It’s London isn’t it?” says McIlroy. “At The Plimsoll and Tollington’s, curry runs through all of our cooking, which is testament to growing up in London and eating curry as long as I’ve been eating roast dinner.”
The rest of the menu is simple: tomato pie, fluffy golden focaccia, Spanish judion butter beans, anchovies, cured meats and cheeses, plus seasonal salads. Dessert is a crowd-pleaser: soft serve in either a plain fior di latte or seasonal flavour. Ingredients are sourced through local suppliers such as Natoora, Shrub Provisions and Neil’s Yard.
On Friday and Saturday nights, Bar Etna will stay open until 1am and serve pizza by the slice. Eventually, the duo has plans for lively late-night chef pop ups – ideal for the hospitality crowd.
Drinks-wise, Negronis and an apero-inspired spritz program are poured from stainless steel taps from Milan. Wines are primarily low-intervention and sourced from producers Beddia and McIlroy know personally. There’ll also be one bottled beer – Birra Ichnusa – plus a pale ale and a lager on tap.
The space itself is inspired by mid-century Milan, featuring wood panelling, terrazzo floors and plenty of natural light. The bar is bright and colourful, with stainless steel, mirrors and bar stools fabricated in Portugal, while the dining room is cosier and dimly lit; it overlooks an open kitchen (“probably the nicest I’ve ever cooked in,” says McIlroy) with jadeite green walls. An Italo soundtrack keeps things on theme, too.
Its location in leafy Newington Green means you could spill out onto the pavement with a glass of wine in hand, settle into the dining room for hours or make a quick pit stop here – it’s part of the beauty.
“It’s about being in a community,” says McIlroy, “and people using it for whatever they want.”
Bar Etna
47 Newington Green, N16 9PX
Hours:
Mon 5pm–11pm
Wed & Thu 5pm–11pm
Fri & Sat 5pm–12.30am Sun midday–5pm
