In Notting Hill, West London, you'll find Ria's — the cool and casual bar serving Detroit-style deep-pan pizza by the slice (plus an array of tasty natural wines).
When we heard that our new lighting collection had made the cut (or slice?) for its interiors kit out, we hopped down to meet its founders, Ria & Dave, to discuss the restaurant's origins, their passion for pizza, plus big plans for 2025.
Tell us the origin story of Ria's? Why Detroit style pizza and natural wine?
When we got married, Dave and I made a promise to live an adventurous life. Dave was
born with Cystic Fibrosis, meaning he’s always had a slightly different view of life — it potentially being much shorter than others — and therefore wanting to make the most of it while he can.
And when I was made redundant rather suddenly in 2022, it was one of those life moments where we were presented with an opportunity to take a different path. We always loved going out, eating, cooking and community, so we thought why not start a restaurant? Potentially naively, thinking it would be a simple thing!
But the idea of a change came first., Detroit-style pizza and natural wines actually came later. It was very much the blind leading the blind at first.
We believe juxtaposition can be very powerful in restaurant experiences. We placed together something elevated in natural wines with something as simple as pizza, but with a new-take on what Londoners are used to.
Your restaurant interiors look as good as your pizzas taste. Tell us a little about the design inspiration.
Pizza restaurants in the UK are typically very themed — they try to replicate something exactly as it comes from Italy or New York, from interior design to menu.
But we’ve always been true to being a British, London born concept at heart, and therefore I think that means we are much more authentic in what we do. That started with the interiors.
The original thesis — in part by calling it Ria’s, as well — was that we wanted it to feel familiar and homely, like going to your friend's place. So, for the design, we focused on “Shaker” inspired interiors, which is very on trend within home kitchen design, and then brought in subtle hints of home. For example, placing our favourite books under table lamps; small touches that you often see in homes, not restaurants.
It’s about not over-polishing things, making people feel relaxed, including curating our playlists, plus how our team interacts with customers. Through every intentional element, we want to create an atmosphere that is authentic, welcoming and relaxed.
What can visitors expect to see on the pizza and wine menu in 2025?
We’re really eager to keep fine-tuning our fundamentals over the next year — I swear, 87% of Dave and I’s conversations are about cheese these days 🧀
Pizza wise, we’re hoping to bring in more by-the-slice options and a new style of pan pizza 🍕
Wine wise, we’re working really closely with the great team at Under the Bonnet to help us create a continuously interesting and delicious wine list 🍷
You chose our NOVI Wall Lights in Rust Red for your recent basement refurb'. Is it because they look like pepperoni?
Funnily enough no, but now I won’t be able to get that out of my head! We like playful and colorful elements, and we’re leaning into deep red as a color theme throughout, so the NOVI Wall Lights worked perfectly for what we were after.