Zero Zero is a restaurant in London (Finchley) that is unique because it serves fresh authentic HALAL Italian food and not only that they also DO NOT serve alcohol. Very hard to get. Indian restaurants take note… Anyway, we recently visited to try out some of their offerings and in this post I will describe our experience.
Zero Zero
They offer a culinary adventure influenced by the rich tradition of Italian home cooking. They provide a warm and delightful atmosphere, evoking memories of cherished moments spent with family around the hearth in Italy. The name of their venue draws inspiration from a fundamental ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine: Flour, specifically double zero flour, also known as doppio zero or 00 flour. This finely ground Italian flour, commonly employed in crafting pasta and pizza dough, symbolises the core principles that define their philosophy: Zero Waste and Zero Alcohol. And we love this about them. I mean in 2024, offering halal options isn’t anything fascinating in London, but to not serve alcohol is brave and bold, and we love and appreciate it. Halal explorers can get an authentic Italian dining experience without compromising any of their morals or feeling uncomfortable.
The menu
Their menu boasts some classic Italian offerings. The mains include two main components: pizza and pasta. They offer a variety of starters too including croquettes and Pesto Burrata. The pizza and the pasta are both fresh homemade, so you can be rest assured about the quality. Their pizza options are numerous and intriguing including the classic Margherita, four cheese, chilli salame (which sounds great) and white pizza. Their pasta options, likewise include a wide variety of delicious sounding dishes. These include: gnocchi, cacio & pepe, bolognese and carbonara. They also have dessert options, which we’ll discuss below.
Check out the full menu here.
What we ordered and what we thought
We ordered the croquettes, Margherita pizza and bolognese. The croquettes were delicious single bites. Can’t go wrong really with croquettes though can you? The pizza was decent, but just a little too tomatoey for me. I prefer my pizza more cheesy than tomatoey. The bolognese was good, but nothing to scream and shout about. I’ve had better at home. Look, I’m not bashing the food, I think we could’ve been a bit more adventurous with our orders as we kept it safe and classic and also I’m not the biggest Italian food fan.
Let’s talk about the dessert. We ordered the classic tiramisu. People think it has hard to find tiramisu without alcohol or it isn’t traditional or authentic if there’s no alcohol in it. I’ve actually read that the real authentic version doesn’t even have alcohol in it. Anyway, the tiramisu here was lussshhhh. I make a mean tiramisu and I was impressed, so that says a lot.
We took advantage of the offer they got going: £25 for a starter or dessert, pizza or pasta and any drink, which I think is a great deal.
Getting there
Nearest station: Finchley Road
Nearest mosque: Kilburn Islamic Centre (KIC) (25 minute walk or a 10 minute drive)
Parking: Fairfax road or Compayne Gardens (2nd half) – evenings and weekends
