Yard Sale Leytonstone is open. Here’s what it’s like

Just under three months after sharing the news that their fourth shop would be in E11, Yard Sale Leytonstone is open. Drum roll.

They’re kicking things off with a soft launch week with 50% off dine-in and takeaway. Delivery starts next week, with a Willy Wonka-style giveaway of £1000 in Yard Sale ‘dough’ vouchers, hidden in takeaway boxes at random for lucky Leytonstoners to find.

We bagged a preview of the latest addition to the YS family on Thursday evening. Sitting between Peacocks and Paddy Power on the High Road, the backlit sign is like a beacon luring pizza-loving locals. The interior has a kind of diner-with-a-dash-of-Hackney-plant-shop vibe: think dark blue walls, neon signage, checkerboard flooring and hanging plants-a-plenty.

There’s a mixture of seating options – counter tables and high stools down one side of the room, and blue-and-white tables made from recycled chopping boards, with diner-style seating and chairs, down the other. The open kitchen is at the far end of the room with a smart dark-wood counter, white tiled walls and pendant lighting framing the this-is-where-the-magic-happens Gozney pizza oven.

Whilst we dithered over the eight-pizza menu and wondered whether there’s more pizza in one 18” pizza or two 12” pizzas (clue: the latter), we knocked back a glass of house red, a bottle of Session IPA by Forest Gate brewers Pretty Decent Beer Co and shared a portion of juicy Gordal olives aka The Best Olives In The World.

Minds finally made up, we went for a 12” TSB – tenderstem broccoli and pinenuts, with the manchego swapped for vegan cheese – and a 12” Holy Pepperoni, as it comes which is with two types of pepperoni and a spicy nduja sauce, plus a chimichurri dip.

The Neopolitan-stye pizzas were all crispy base, melty cheese, tomato-y paste and tasty toppings. Not for nothing have Yard Sale won a host of awards including Best Cheap Eats at the Observer Food Monthly Awards 2017. Ordering a dip is a smart move if, like me, you tend to leave your crusts in a Jenga-like pile, the parsley-packed chimichurri dip lifted them from meh to must-eat.

We finished our meal with the indulgent, almost toffee-like brownie and a pot of London’s own Nonna’s Gelato Salty Toffee Apple ice cream. Rolling off into the night, I was already planning a return visit, and crossing fingers my address will make the cut and they’ll bring pizzas direct to my front door when deliveries are up and running.