Paesani

Head up to Crookes and you'll find Paesani doing what it does best: making pizza the way it should be made. The wood-fired oven's the star here, turning out blistered bases with proper char and toppings that actually taste like something. It's the kind of place where you'll see locals proper excited about their food—no Instagram theatrics, just good pizza that justifies the 4.8 rating and 551 reviews. The room's buzzy without being pretentious, and there's a genuine warmth to how they operate. You'll probably wait for a table (it happens), but that's because word's gotten out and people keep coming back.