Review: Leaven Pizza, Broad Street in Herefordshire

Leaven Pizza was recently highly commended for best pizzeria, best team, best pizza and best restaurant in the Midlands.

Upon arrival, the restaurant was busy but not uncomfortably full, with a nice background noise of happy customers enjoying their food and drinks.

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Before food was even served, it was clear to me why this restaurant is so popular, with an artsy and vibrant décor, and a buzzing atmosphere with plenty of large dining tables welcoming large parties.

The popular restaurant is owned by A Rule of Tum (ART), which also owns other Hereford foodie hot spots including the Burger Shop and the Bookshop.

(Image: Julia Baker)

The Independent restaurant group opened the Burger Shop in Hereford 10 years ago, marking the beginning of its journey, and has since added Leaven and Maneki Ramen to its portfolio.

It's clear to me how they've built up such a good empire, with excellent service, interesting menus, and an enjoyable buzz in each restaurant.

We were immediately seated and quickly ordered drinks, both of us opting for soft drinks, having work the next day! Service was timely and efficient, and we ordered our food only ten minutes after being sat down. 

I quickly opted for the fungi pizza, topped with herby and fragrant wild mushrooms, mozzarella, garlic crème fraiche, crispy sage, and truffle oil.

The truffle fries were topped with fresh, fragrant parmesan. (Image: Julia Baker) My partner, Conlan, decided on the nduja burrata, with toppings of tomato, mozzarella, nduja, burrata, olive oil, and basil. We also opted to share some truffle fries between us, although in hindsight we most certainly did not need anything else!

The wild mushroom pizza was the perfect blend of herbs and creamy sauce. (Image: Julia Baker) The food arrived quickly with some extra aioli dips that we had ordered, and which turned out to be the perfect accompaniment to the rustic pizzas. 

Conlan's pizza looked incredible, it was the perfect blend of a rich tomato sauce, with a firm crust, and succulent toppings.

"The pizza was very fresh, from the base to the toppings everything tasted fresh. They have some interesting options for pizza and nothing feels overwhelming," he said.

"The flavours are well balanced and nothing overpowers anything else, everything feels like it has a purpose.

"The fries stayed hot throughout the entire meal, they tasted like they had just come out of the fryer. Again very fresh, crispy and soft.

"Overall everything was very enjoyable and I will recommend to anyone I know."

I opted for the mushroom pizza, which was succulent and fresh. (Image: Conlan Beech) The fungi pizza was the perfect mix of herby and wild mushrooms, along with an indulgent creamy and cheesy base. The flavours worked perfectly together, and for those wanting a vegetarian option- I would certainly recommend this pizza. The truffle fries were the perfect mix of a crispy potato, but with a truffle oil softness, and the aftertaste of fresh parmesan. 

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In total, for our two pizzas, the fries, and two drinks, the bill came to around £44, which felt like the perfect price for the sensational quality of the food.

Leaven Pizza is certainly not comparable to any pizza chain. It has an overwhelmingly unique feel, with both a sophisticated atmosphere, for those wanting a more formal sit-down meal, but also plenty of large tables filled with friends and family looking for a quick pick me up.

I would highly recommend Leaven to anyone wanting either a quick meal out, a large gathering, or just simply craving a fresh, beautifully crafted pizza.