VIP Pizza Brighton — Restaurant in Great Britain

Date: 16th February 2025 Cost: £85 for two

After a weather-enforced cancellation of our New Year’s Day detox at Beach Box Spa, we re-booked for later in January and immediately afterwards resolved to go more regularly. The ‘Express 45’ had left us rejuvenated and tingling but we wanted more, so opted for the next available longer ‘Silent Sunday Reflection’. After two hours of cleansing ourselves of the impurities of the week in the wood-fired saunas and then the sea, undergoing gonging rituals of brushing birchwood swirling any psychological troubles in miniature aromatic tsunamis away and out through the chimney, we were a million miles from the stressful, noxious reality of our lives. What better way then to bring us back to normality than a pint with the metalheads killing time waiting to see Phil Campbell at the Concorde by getting into fights with each other and then going for a humongous pizza?

Incredibly though, VIPizza didn’t leave us with any heavy-bellied feelings of regret, that we’d essentially (and expensively) detoxified for nothing. In fact, I’m tempted to claim that my hopes and dreams for our hotly-anticipated visit that Mich was asking about as we walked past on our way to the beach were met: to find a new go-to pizza place. Lofty ambitions.

I liked it immediately. Every inch of space on the shelves that lined an entire wall-length of the domino-shaped ground floor was filled with huge wheels of cheese, bags of flour and pasta and Italian biscuits, oils and jars of artichokes and olives; Napoli football shirts and scarves jostled for space with blackboards, pithy signage and mini wooden wine holders on the opposite wall; strings of garlic and onions, lemons and dried sprigs of herbs were hanging from the ceiling; and over the happy chatter of the cosily squeezed-in punters - that lovely sound of people having a jolly nice time - were the barks instruction to each other - in Italian - from the staff.

One of the wall signs proudly espoused the benefits of sourdough on one’s digestion and general constitution. Even so, I had my doubts as to whether that extended to eating a metric ton of the stuff - the pizzas really were enormous, the size of TVs from when I was growing up. I went for a diavola from the specials board, which was heavenly. The menu had been keen to point out the thought and pride that goes into each of the meals, with most of VIP’s products sourced directly from their own farms back in Naples, and it showed. Instead of buffalo mozzarella was fior de latte, topped with ’nduja, two types of sliced meat from their deli, fresh basil and my own slatherings of their delicious homemade chilli oil. The sourdough crust, so often left over when you’ve got so much else to eat, really was as light as they’d promised, and so fragrant as to be a highlight rather than a handle. I do have to say that Mich’s quattro stagioni wasn’t quite as delicious for whatever reason, despite having an identical base. Cowed by its size she ate the inside first and was proudly left - as if she’d just peeled an orange in one go - with a two foot long string of crust, which I gamely helped with.

Like I say though: no regrets. There was even room for a tiramisu and we rounded off the authentic Italian experience with espresso and limoncello. Experience is probably the word: yes, incredibly good pizza (notwithstanding the entire non-pizza section on the menu that we dismissed), but VIP is so much more. As their website says, “remember, a pizza delivered will never be the same as one coming straight from our oven to your restaurant table”. Noted, VIP. In that case, we’ll have...

VIP Pizza Brighton We planned an overnight stay in Brighton and were looking at the different places to eat, and VIP was one of them. We decided to explore Brighton, and we managed to find them not too far from the sea front. We poked our head in and read the menu and decided to book with them for the evening as they were welcoming and helpful. We weren't disappointed at all. I would go far as saying that it was probably the best pizza I have had outside of Italy. The taste and smell of the food were amazing and fresh, and you could see that straight away as soon as you walked in and experienced it from the other diners. The restaurant isn't the biggest, but it's nothing to put you off if they can produce food of decent quality. But it was packed, and that's a good sign. They sat us downstairs, where it was nice and cosy with traditional Italian decor etc. Oh, and a word of warning if you are seated downstairs, the stairs are steep, and the ceiling is low, especially for a 6ft 4in tall person like me. But trust me, it's worth it!! We had the Affettati to start, and the meats and cheeses were so fresh, and the smell just brought me back to Campania. For mains, we had various pizzas, which, as you can see from the pictures, were a fair size, and after indulging in the starters, it was hard to finish, but taste was fantastic. Loved it. And we ended up taking away the Scialatielli's away with us as my daughters love these back home and had these at the hotel. I can safely recommend this establishment as a place to visit for anyone coming to Brighton and wanting top quality italian food. There is nothing negative to say about VIP apart from I wish to pick it up and bring it closer to home as I wish I had somewhere like this on my doorstep. Well done to the owners and staff. I will return again...

Pizzas To (Almost) Die For!

It's hard not to praise this exciting, genuinely Italian pizza-art workshop too much. I've been to many pizza restaurants but when you notice that at least half the patrons are Italian, it's a giveaway. Every pizza is a Museo Madre masterpiece. Authentic Italian atmosphere, all the serving staff appear to be Italian. The pizzas are delicious, flavourful, have superb sourdough, and are VERY filling.

Nota bene: I was almost killed, off a cruise ship berthed in Naples for the day, searching for a pizza (Pizza— Napoli—Napoli—pizza) in a chilly February 2011. While watching traffic approaching from 3 lanes, when looking the wrong way I stepped out into what I thought was an empty lane in a one way street, 1 second in front of a Fiat Multipla in Strada Garibaldi, and BANG! I was knocked unconscious, received 6 broken ribs, a torn knee and a bump on my head. Five hours in the local hospital which I limped to, and no pizza, before I hobbled back, hungry, to the cruise liner, a mile north. While I was in Reception, two Neapolitanis were brought in on stretchers: one knocked over on a zebra crossing, the other knocked off his scooter. Scooterati drove on the pavement around traffic jams, 'to keep death off the roads'. Cars just drove round me on the zebra crossing sounding their horns, as I crossed the road back to the ship. Everybody drives on their horn. Next time I visit Naples it will be in my Volvo.

In a case of 'the mountain coming to Muhammad', Naples has come to me, and brought a faultless example of its legendary signature dish. And the traffic in and around St James's Street and the Old Steine is a lot safer than the traffic in Naples..!

My happy food and genuine Italian atmosphere place in Kemp...