Happy Face Pizza has opened in Eccleston Yards with signature Neapolitan pizzas (with a twist) alongside curated music and knockout Negronis. Executive chef Mario Mastrangelo tells us more
What’s your food background?
I was born in Salerno, Italy – a town just outside Naples in Southern Italy. When I was 14 I started working in local pizzerias, before heading to Venice to study at the acclaimed Accademia Pizzaioli where I became a Master of Pizza Training. I moved to the UK in 2013 and then spent a year at the famous PizzAperta Manfredi in Sydney. I returned to London as head chef at Radio Alice and after a short stint at Piccolino, joined Happy Face.
How is Happy Face different?
While the brand is very playful and irreverent with a fresh take on a classic offer, the menu remains totally authentic – a real love letter to Italian food. Obviously this begins with the pizza – a large Neapolitan with a light, puffy crust which is cooked in a 500 degree oven after a 72-hour ferment. We have classic Italian sides such as calamari, zucchini fritti and burrata and an amazing, compact drinks menu including the much-loved Negroni.
Do you have any secret recipes?
Yes, but I can’t tell you about them! Seriously though, we spent a lot of time working out our vegan pepperoni to ensure it had a really distinct flavour and was a genuine meat alternative. Also, our tiramisu recipe is closely guarded – it’s delicious!
Why Eccleston Yards?
We fell in love with Eccleston Yards when we came to see the site around 12 months ago. It’s such a great community of creatives and it felt like the perfect place for our second location.
23 Eccleston Place
