PizzaExpress — Restaurant in Thane

Each restaurant, as we were told by our attendant, has a peculiar theme, and this one is based on the first railway line that was laid down between Thane and Mumbai (then known as Bori Bandar) in 1853. The lamps, he said, were exactly like the ones found on the train stations then. Even the seating arrangement was a replication of the seats in the first class coaches. The attendant also told us that even the music played in all the pizza express restaurants is streamed through the same source, which means the music in all restaurants is in sync - and what better music that old school soft jazz!

Pollo corriander pesto The pizza was a crossover between India and Italy - the toppings included chicken tikka, green chillies, and onion rings, with mozzarella cheese. The sauce was a mixture of their signature pizza sauce, which is probably the best pizza sauce I've tasted until now, and coriander pesto and even thr wheat base was crust baked to perfection. The chicken tikka had a soft and creamy texture and tasted exquisite and went very well with the other ingredients. The pizza was finished off with olive oil, and we added a dash to garlic oil and chilli oil - I thought it was the best pizza I had or would ever have. But boy was I wrong! The best was yet to come...

American hottest Like the pizza before, even this one was perfectly baked and the pizza sauce was delectable especially with the buffalo mozzarella. The toppings in this pizza included pepperoni, passata, N'duja sausages, jalapeños, and fresh red chillies. The pizza was finished off with torn buffalo mozzarella and chilli oil. We also added a dash of garlic oil and herbs. The end result was out-of-the-world pizza - if foodgasms really did exist, I think this pizza is would certainly be in the list of the foods causing it.

Margherita bufala Like the pizza before it and the one before it, the wheat crust base was perfectly baked in their stone oven. Even their signature sauce was out of the world and went extremely well with the mozzarella. The toppings included fresh cherry tomatoes and was finished off with Basil leaves, chilli and garlic oils, with a dash of herbs and freshly ground black pepper, along with torn fresh buffalo mozzarella. The margherita bufala was as good as the American hottest, if not better. (well, not better - I liked American hottest the best!)

Polpette bolognese The wheat Base crust, as always, was perfectly crisped and baked. The chicken bolognese sauce also went very well with the pizza sauce and mozzarella. The toppings included meatballs and jalapeño peppers. The pizza was finished off with arugula (also known as rocket salad) leaves. On a regular day, in comparison to any other pizza, I would have loved this pizza. But the previous pizzas had set such high benchmarks, that this pizza seemed extremely disappointing to me. The meatballs were a little dry, it seemed to me, and the arugula leaves did not go very well with the overall flavour of the pizza.

The service Our attendant, it seemed was quite familiar with the history and geography of the brand. The told us the brief history of Pizza Express, how it first began, where it first began, and other such details which I never expected to hear from the attendant. In addition to knowing all of these details, he knew precisely, all that was on the menu, and what all ingredients went into which dishes. This was totally surprising for me because in most other restaurants, let alone the attendants, or the servers, even the managers and the captains don't know so many details - whenever asked about any particular dish, they would always have to consult with the chef. Apart from knowing his way around the menu, our attendant was also courteous and well mannered, and was very particular was getting the pizza baked and served to us hot - such that we neither had to wait too long for the pizza nor eat a cold one! Overall, I'd say this place offers, by far the best service, although it is...

PLEASE SAVE YOURSELF FROM GETTING SCAMMED AND READ THIS REVIEW!!!

Have been a loyal customer of Pizza Express for years now...always trusted them that I never checked the bill as I always thought they were clear about the pricing but that proved out to be fatal for me....in my recent visit, I was just casually looking at the bill and was shocked to see a 10% staff contribution extra charged without no information given about it....when I called up the outlet (Viviana Mall) where I visited, a guy named DHAVAL picked up the call and very casually told me that in the menu it is written and also at the entrance so I had for pics of it....n mind you, it was written as the staff contribution is OPTIONAL...meaning I have the choice to pay it or not....so I asked him why wasn't I informed about it...he had no direct answer to it and told me in fact the staff gets paid basis this contribution...so I asked him you mean to say if every customer doesn't get charged 10% of their bill, Pizza express is not paying you anything, to which he replied. So I asked him that i wish to esclate this as according to CCPA, any outlet can't automatically add this to your bill without your knowledge just coz you have written that it is OPTIONAL! He replied he can't disturb this seniors for such a trivial matter right now as it was past 11 pm, so I asked him to do it next day but apparently I should call n check with this supervisor as it was his weekly off the next day n there was no one else to do the task. I called the next day, the receiver told me DHAVAL is in the outlet, working on something so now imagine my surprise and irritation. Then I spoke to VISHAL, who is Dhavals manager apparently, who atleast had the courtesy to say sorry in the first place but wasn't able to resolve the escalation basis that it is my mistake I didn't check the bill( I accept I missed to do it but that doesn't mean they'll charge me 10% extra of the bill amount espl with such beautiful behavior of DHAVAL who is a staff too) so I told him I want to speak to his manager too. There were network issue when we were talking on call so I told him to hold on n I'll call back right now. I called back immediately I was informed that Vishal has walked out of the outlet as it was 18:03 n his shift ends at 18:00. A very irritated n angry customer is on call n is escalating an issue and you just walk off without saying a word. The callback was picked up by DHAVAL who is telling me that VISHAL informed him the query is resolved so I told him the same that get me Vishal manager. DHAVAL very rudely responds to me saying he is not going up the hierarchy for such an issue n I can just drop whatever I wish to complaint on Google or email or zomato n swiggy. I told him, I'll be sure to mention his name as well, he again responds rudely saying I can type n inform whatever the hell I want Now post that call, I did some digging and got the Pizza Express Regional Heads number and spoke to him, He was very polite and helpful. He immediately apologised and got the outlet head PRITHVIRAJ too on the call. Both of them apologized and even offered to refund back the contribution taken by not informing and involuntarily. And assured me that the staff behaviour will be looked into n action will be taken.

Prithviraj even offered me a dessert on them on my next visit.

But my question remains, if I missed to check the bill means I pay 10% extra of the bill over and above the 18% GST and espl i am paying that so i can endure the pathetic behaviour displayed by DHAVAL N VISHAL?? If I had not reach till the Regional Head, would I have got the resolution?

The answer is CLEAR NO! ALL BECAUSE OF DHAVAL AND VISHAL AND THEIR LIES THAT PIZZA EXPRESS DOENST PAY THEM APART FROM THE STAFF CONTRIBUTION!!!

Really Pathetic!!!!!! This review rating is only for...

Pizza Express has always been one of our go-to places for dining, and we’ve enjoyed visiting various outlets in the past. However, our recent experience at Pizza Express in Viviana Mall, Thane, was far from pleasant.

We were at the mall doing some shopping and decided to have a quick dinner. To save time, we made a reservation on Zomato. Surprisingly, it was not fully occupied when we arrived at the restaurant. Despite this, we had to wait at the entrance for quite a while before anyone attended us. The lady at the entrance seemed inattentive and was not proactive in welcoming guests or assigning tables promptly.

Once we were seated, we waited for the menu to be handed over, as we noticed other guests receiving it upon being seated. Meanwhile, I spotted a QR code on the table and decided to access the online menu. Still, Mihir eventually had to request a physical menu as no one provided one.

For starters, we ordered the vegetarian platter which contains cottage cheese, hummus, and rosemary bread. It was served quickly and tasted good, which raised our expectations.

Unfortunately, things started to go downhill from there. Despite ordering a mocktail and beer along with the starters, the drinks were not served until much later.

For the main course, we decided on a pizza. Our server asked about the size but failed to inquire about the type of crust, and we forgot to specify our preference – thin crust. As we waited and noticed other tables being served, we realized the oversight and asked the staff about it. To our disappointment, the pizza was already being prepared with the regular crust. When we requested a change, the staff agreed to remake it with a thin crust. While we appreciated their willingness to accommodate our request, the waiting time stretched to 35-40 minutes.

Adding to the frustration, we had to repeatedly remind the staff to provide tissue papers.

When the pizza finally arrived, it was visually perfect, with a beautifully cooked base. However, the taste was underwhelming. We were so hungry that forgot to click the picture. The Giardiniera pizza lacked flavor and was bland, with no distinct taste of sauce, cheese, or herbs.

Hoping to end the meal on a positive note, we ordered our favorite dessert, tiramisu. Thankfully, it did not disappoint. The tiramisu had a rich, creamy texture and was perfectly balanced in sweetness, as was the mocktail. These two items were the saving grace of an otherwise disappointing dinner.

This visit was a far cry from the enjoyable experiences we’ve had at Pizza Express outlets – this one and others. While we hope for better service and food at a different location, we will certainly not consider returning...