On entering Jamie’s Pizzeria by Jamie Oliver, I was bowled over by the homely atmosphere—wooden interiors, leather sofas, bookshelves (stocked with the Jamie Oliver’s popular cookbooks) strewn around and a big open kitchen. There were faux vegetable décor. One of the walls sported a free-hand crayon art—the Delhi Metro line, Jantar Mantar, Qutub Minar and of course the traffic on the road (read cows!)—by a local artist.
The table mats doubled up as menu cards. Good! If you are in a hurry, it will save a few precious minutes. This was our first visit to this newly opened pizzeria and so we took their help while ordering. 
From the appetizer section, we chose hand-stretched garlic bread with rosemary and an olive tapenade (sans the anchovies and capers as this was a vegetarian option); the bread was crisp with tiny crunchy pieces of fried garlic all over it. Next to arrive was the polpette crostini—slices of bread topped with mutton meatballs, rocket and tomato sauce; but the dish was a tad soggy by the time it reached our table. I would also recommend the fritto misto —prawns, squid and fish fried in crispy batter and served with tartare sauce. Vegetarians can also try okra, chilli and lotus root fritti with a green dipping sauce. After sipping freshly blended homemade ice tea as a palate cleanser, we ordered the main course.
For the main course, we decided to start with a vegetarian pizza— Funghi Woodman—roasted wild mushrooms, smoked mozzarella, Parmesan, red onion, mint and parsley. Thanks to the open kitchen, it was fun to watch the chef tossing the pizza into the oven. If you are fond of spicy meat, I recommend the Chicken Alla Diavola—roast chicken, tomatoes, secret chilli sauce, jalapenos, parmesan, chilli and mint. Pizzas here have a thin and dark crust and seasonal toppings. Let me warn you, this is not a place for those who want their pizzas to be full of cheese!
At Jamie’s Pizzeria, the dough is made fresh every morning; they also use fresh vegetables. A strong reminder of what Jamie Oliver is famous for—championing for healthy food and cutting down on junk food. Jasper Reid, the spokesperson for Jamie Oliver’s restaurants in India, said, “For this Pizzeria, we have introduced Jamie’s Delhi Hot [a pizza], where we use our secret chilli freak sauce mixed with passata [a thick paste made from sieved tomatoes]. And top it with crushed tomatoes, mutton meatballs, mozzarella and chilli.” If you have a kid in tow, go for the special kid’s menu, which includes a small pizza, salad and a fruit juice.
Desserts—simple but packed with flavours—consisted of raspberry sorbet and Jamie’s Epic chocolate brownie served with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup. The brownie takes the brownie points!
The 60-seater Jamie’s Pizzeria is spacious enough. You can either opt to sit by the open kitchen or move to the far end where you can catch an excellent view of the busy National Highway 8. And do not forget to browse through the products on sale—cookbooks written by Jamie Oliver, porcelain oven-proof dishes, and Jamie Oliver monogrammeed napkins .
Being a Delhi-ite and used to the idea of eating pizzas loaded with cheese, Jamie’s Pizzeria came as a surprise; the pizzeria banks on fresh ingredients, a variety of vegatables and their secret sauces, and keeps the recipe simple and minimal.