Of course one of the best pizzas in the NE is in Sunderland 🍕
Pizza in the last five or so years has become the BBQ of the early 2010s, with new ventures popping up everywhere. Ranging from people doling out Ooni pies in their home kitchens, to takes on the ‘grammable Detroit-style, and everything in between. A lot of it is crap, and frankly they’re all distractions from the king of pizzas, the Neapolitan style that I miss from c.2018 Cal’s Own.
The Wildfire Pizza (26 Silksworth Row, SR1 3QJ) team seemed to be obsessive about leopard spotting and high quality toppings, so last week we made the trek over to Sunderland which thankfully, is finally getting some serious places to eat. It seems to have taken my entire lifetime but it’s definitely a good thing.
I’ll maybe get back soon to have brunch at Spent Grain, tacos at Mexico 70, donuts at the Little Shop, or one of those fuck-off focaccia sandwiches from Cole Kitchen. But for now — no hyperbole — Wild Fire Pizza is the best thing in the city.
After trying and failing miserably to find a decent glass of wine in SR1, we ended up stopping at Port Bierhaus for a tinny, which is a canny little indie space. And the new Vaux Brewery taproom is another great addition. City regeneration requires just a small handful of good and timely things to act as catalysts for a real kick on and Wildfire Pizza is hopefully something to light a match under Sunderland. See here if you want the reality…
Like a lot of the best food businesses lately, Wildfire started as a pop-up a few years back, and has finally found a home in a pub kitchen. The guys are currently operating out of The Ship Isis, which is a spoons-esque boozer, just outta the centre of Sunderland. This is what they were doing at the start of lockdown:
Was seriously impressed back then, and after following the guys on social, just seems to have gotten better and better. Perhaps it’s when you see the guys going through some devoted menu development. But it’s all there to see when someone gives a shit about their product.
So at Wildfire, you’ve got10 pizzas on the menu. No gimmicks. Just Margherita, pepperoni, meaty one, veggie version, white pies. No cheesy chips on pizza (yet), no messing about. The pies, well they look spot on because they are absolutely killer.
Lovely soft crusts, really as good as you’ll find anywhere including Flint, or The Wood Oven. Cheese, tomato and basil and you’re onto a winner when the fundamentals are done like this.
I’ve got a lot of time and respect for ingredient sourcing too. Everything you want to see on a legit pizza menu; Properoni, Block & Bottle nduja, Ortiz anchovies. It stands out all the way through to B-Sting hot honey (this is superb) and Kaltur olive oil. It makes a huge difference and sets Wildfire apart from a lot of the street food vans that just peddle any old shite.
It all adds up to a pizza which punches with the best of them. My Wild Fire 2.0 ticked all the boxes you want from a meat pizza, and the Margherita is an honourable effort at pizza perfection.
Their insta does a good job of selling the graft that goes into everything — from this insane chicken sandwich, or a belter tiramisu, the occasional omg-looking burgers, and some just really great looking desserts. Always managing to tick the simple-but-beautifully done box.
Crunchy and juicy chicken tenders are also on the agenda — beautifully fried and char siu heavy with anise and enough chilli to keep you titillated. Polished all of this off and needless to say, could barely move. But I immediately want all of it again, now.
The Ship Isis is better than I anticipated too. It’s a proper boozer. Wood panelling, old blokes grunting at the bar, surprisingly strong selection of beer. But no doubt Wildfire will make its move into a home of its own soon, and it’ll be one of the small handful of things that will have me making tracks for SR1 again.
Make the journey, enjoy a couple of pints. Wonder just how far up the list of ‘best pizzas in the North East’ Wildfire is. Much, much closer to the top than you might have expected.
Contact: via Instagram
Food hygiene ratings: 5/5
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