The latest addition to the Riverwalk in Durham is possibly the best yet; Pizza Punks has finally arrived in Durham and I am super excited about it!
For those not in the know, Pizza Punks is an independent company specialising in sourdough pizzas with the crazy idea that you can choose unlimited toppings for your pizza. Pizza Punks kicked things off in their unique style back in 2016 in Glasgow and everything has gone from strength to strength since then. I loved visiting the Newcastle venue which, at the time at least, served up a Mexican pizza with nachos on top.
Anyway, following the opening of Pizza Punks latest venue in Durham, I was very kindly invited down to grab a pizza, a few drinks and, of course, a few photos. Let me take you through what’s on offer.
PIZZA PUNKS IN DURHAM
The Venue
Let’s start with the venue itself. In typical Pizza Punks style, there are plenty of neon lights on nearly every wall which just call to be photographed. A nod to the punk scene with lyrics from the Buzzcocks alongside the most controversial of pizza toppings; pineapple. For the record, pineapple definitely belongs on a pizza. The rest of the venue has bright white tiles, wood flooring, a well-stocked bar as well as the open kitchen with an absolutely huge pizza oven.
The Food
As I said above, the highlight of Pizza Punks for me is the fact that, for just £12, you can add unlimited toppings to your pizza. There’s a huge range of toppings to choose from; this is anything but ordinary. The toppings are split into four sections (after you select your sauce base): Veggie, Protein, Punk & Plant Based. You can literally create something out of your wildest dreams here. With so much choice, it might be difficult to narrow it down or overload completely but this is what I went for: San Marzano tomato base, red onions, jalapenos, pepperoni, nduja, buffalo chicken and caramelised pineapple. Practically my perfect pizza.
Our other pizza consisted of a San Marzano tomato base, cherry tomatoes, red onion, goats cheese, lemon & herb chicken and garlic & rosemary potatoes.
However, if you’re struggling to come up with your own pizza, there are plenty of pizzas already designed which you can choose from and they are full of exclusive toppings. I’m talking pizzas like the Cheeseburger pizza where you’ll also get burger relish, burger sauce and pickles or the Salt & Chilli Chicken pizza. This part of the menu is definitely not to be overlooked.
In terms of the bases themselves, Pizza Punks prove and stretch the dough all on site. The sourdough bases are created from a sourdough starter originally from San Francisco and are left to prove for 48 hours before a short blast in the flames. One of the pizzas was perfect with those blackened leopard spots whilst the other was perhaps a little underdone. Still super tasty and crispy but I love the slightly charred effect.
If you’re not in the mood for pizza, you can create your own pasta too and there are plenty of side dishes too; we tried the Punk Mac & Cheese. Next time I will definitely be trying the Nduja & Hot Honey Burrata which basically comes with a huge ball of mozzarella on what looked like the most insane pieces of garlic and rosemary focaccia I have ever seen.
The Drink
For the beer lovers, there are plenty of craft lagers and ales to choose from as well as Pravha on draught (which was my drink of choice). The cocktails cannot be missed (whether alcoholic or non-alcoholic) as Pizza Punks really take things to the next level. You can even get cocktails which come with candy floss and a drumstick lolly though they might be best saved for dessert.
Overall Thoughts
Without doubt, I enjoyed the night at Pizza Punks with incredible pizzas, a great atmosphere (helped by the banging playlist!) and nice drinks. I think there were probably a few teething issues at the moment with the venue literally only having just opened. Pizza Punks do delivery too so you will see Deliveroo drivers pass through the restaurant to the kitchen at the back.
I really can see Pizza Punks settling in to Durham and becoming a local’s and visitor’s favourite. I will definitely be going back for sure and it’s great to see Durham attracting more of the big hitting names to the city!
Check out Pizza Punks in Durham here!
Amazing photos as always! Makes me wish I lived in England! Would I be correct in assuming these photos are shot in Chrome Urban?
Thank you, that’s nice to hear – when I put photos on Instagram it’s like they don’t exist!
Yes all chrome urban JPEGs, the food photos I’ve just pushed up the shadows in Lightroom but that’s it!
Cheers
If you can’t tell by now, I’m a fan of your blog (I check it at least once a day, and reread posts frequently). I have another question for you, do you use lens hoods 100% of the time? Part of the time? Not at all?
Once again, big fan, love your work!
That’s very kind thank you! Do you have instagram? It would be great to follow you on there!
I only have the Squarehoods on the X100F and 35mm 1.4 other than that I don’t use them at all!
Cheers
I don’t have Instagram, not really a social media person :/