Such a shame that the dough made with ground up crickets was off the menu when we visited West Hampstead's new pizzeria.
Locals could also be sad that the arrival of Zia Lucia comes at the expense of award-winning restaurant Ham, which closed at the end of April citing soaring costs.
But judging by the full house on a rainy Wednesday night, this small but growing pizza chain, run by Islington-based Italian friends Gianluca D'Angelo and Claudio Vescovo, has been welcomed with open arms.
It's named after Gianluca's aunt, and in seven years has built a repuation for putting authentic Italian ingredients on top of some of the best dough you'll taste in London.
Over the past decade, their winning formula has caught on, with their first restaurant in Islington joined by others in Aldgate East, Hammersmith, Stoke Newington and Wembley Box Park - and now their ninth outlet in West Hampstead.
The marble top tables, light green banquettes, pale wood flooring and house plants make a pleasant environment, and the opening offer in June of half price pizza saw hungry customers queueing along West End Lane - many even tried the cricket dough special.
With Firezza now closed, and nearest rivals unexciting take-away giants, the 40-seat pizzeria has a clear run.
And after tasting Zia Lucia's main draw there really is no contest.
The menu is super simple - the toughest decision you will make is choosing from four doughs; gluten free, traditional, wholemeal or charcoal.
Starters include rocket and parmigiano salad, focaccia or burrata - a ball of soft cheese from Puglia which arrived with an excellent Parma ham. We drizzled it with oil and devoured it.
The pizzas include unusual combinations such as the Arianna Sbagliata with honey truffle oil, fresh sausage and gorgonzola, or the Andrea Pirlo with mozzarella, gorgonzola, apple, truffle oil, and olive pathe.
We went for the Paperon di Pepperoni which was generously loaded with sweet roasted peppers, and a lightly charred spianata spicy salami with a nice chilli kick. Sticking with the heat, we added a fiery Nduja to the burrata and chestnut mushroom pizza, which possibly overpowered the fungi, but was also a hit.
At Zia Lucia, the dough's the thing. 48-hour, slow fermented it creates a light crust - you can see the air pockets - that's crisp, slightly chewy, and tastes amazing.
Desserts are also simple, ice-cream or Tiramisu. But Zia Lucia's is home-made to an Italian recipe, and it's another generous portion. Dip your spoon into the clouds of creamy bittersweet softness, and banish memories of sticky mass-produced puddings.
Zia Lucia is at 238 West End Lane, West Hampstead.
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