Nuvola Takes Franco Manca’s First Home — And Raises the Bar
Nuvola > Franco Manca? Market Row’s OG Pizza Site Gets a Worthy Successor
Market Row Series #7 · by Gerald
TL;DR: The original Franco Manca site on Market Row has a new steward. Nuvola isn’t filling a legend’s shoes—it’s sprinting in them. 50% Tuesdays pull the crowds; a biga dough keeps them loyal. Expect a crisp base, cloud-light cornicione, and a founder’s journey Albania → Rome → Naples → Brixton. This is how icons start.
The Address That Built a Movement
Some restaurant units in Market Row are just rooms. Unit 4, Market Row is different. It’s where Franco Manca lit the fire that changed London pizza. That oven is history—but icons don’t live on nostalgia. They need a present-tense champion. Enter Nuvola. I cant stop visiting and lately, I’ve seen people hovering for seats like it’s rush hour. Is this a pizza addiction, or do we have a generationally great pizza?
Is It the Oven—or the Hands?
It’s the founder Fatjon. Albanian by birth, but learnt to make pizza while living in Rome and Naples, and then moved to Brixton, where he spent seven years at the famous Made of Dough. He says to me, “Gerald, I have my own style now”. Instead of the daily-refreshed sourdough culture Franco Manca popularised (glorious but fussy), Nuvola runs biga—a two-stage slow ferment we can control precisely.
“We prepare the biga one day, rest it, then make the final dough and let it mature again. About sixty hours, start to finish.”
What we end up with is a snap-clean base and an airy rim with beautiful pockets. Bite down: glassy bottom, cloud-light cornicione. It's now perfectly balanced and more importantly consistently repeatable.
The “Secret” (That Isn’t)
No gimmicks—discipline. Biga keeps complexity without sourdough’s mood swings. Dough is portioned, rested cold, then baked hot. You get the Neapolitan lift without the soggy centre: crisp base, tender rim. It’s texture first, flavour second—and that’s the right order.
What to Order (and Why)
🍕 Margherita — For me, I'd start here. Serious pizza shops tell the truth on a Marg. Bright tomato, creamy cheese, and a base/rim duet that shows the ferment is dialled.
🥬 Sausage & Friarielli—reimagined — Instead of whole friarielli, he blitzes it into a pesto, so every bite carries greens and sausage. Small tweak, big difference. Ok, my mouth is watering as i write this :-)
Why It’s Rammed
💸 50% Tuesdays — Half-price pizzas every Tuesday. No faff, no tiny print. He’d rather spend on the plate than ads—and the queue agrees.
🥂 90-Minute Bottomless (£40pp) — Unlimited pizza + Aperol Spritz / Prosecco / Red Peroni. Switch drinks if you like; your 90 minutes starts when you’re seated and the team kicks off your order. Generous. Social. Very Brixton.
For the Pizza Nerds
🧱 Structure: base stays crisp, rim stays tender—thanks to staged maturity + cold proofing.
🔥 Heat: the oven’s a tool, not a religion. The win is in the stretch, proof, and bake curve, not just temperature.
⏱️ Tempo: dough is made daily; service hits a bake-ready rhythm, not a rush-proof panic. Two slices in and you still feel light on your feet.
I’ve loved Franco Manca since the early days. Respect. But right now, in the very room that defined London’s sourdough, is Nuvola serving the better pizza—texture wins for me, taste wins, and the deal is a no-brainer. Disagree? Bring me your counter-evidence (ideally hot, in a box).
Practical Bits & How to Support
📍 Where: Nuvola, Unit 4, Market Row, SW9 8LD
⏰ When: Promotions can change—check in-venue before you bank on a deal
📅 How: Big table for bottomless? Book ahead. Passing through? Tuesday is the steal.
Your Move, Brixton
Taste Test Challenge: Try Nuvola and the old guard back-to-back. Reply with your winner and why. 💰 Deal Hunter: Tuesday people—set a reminder. Bottomless-curious—gather the crew and go clock your 90.