Pizza can be so boring and so samey, with the challenge of finding something tasty but with a unique angle that makes it stand out from the crowd. Burt & Nelly don’t only find a way to combat this challenge, but they do it in serious style.

So, you might ask, what makes Burt & Nelly a different pizza place to the Papa John’s that also occupies a space in Meanwood, and what makes it stand out against the likes of Ecco or Il Forno? Simply put, it is the sheer OTT nature of everything that this new pizza place (well, new to Leeds) does.

With pizzas coming in a smallest size of 12″ (not exactly a small size) and coming all the way up to 16″, you get the idea that there is a taste of American greed taking place here.

That theme is continued with pizzas with names like Ballpark. We opted for Shoot Out and Sausage Fest to share between four of us. That, and a garlic bread with cheese (we chose not to go for the love/hate marmite option) and baconaise and nasty sauce to dip our crusts in.

For a savoury pizza episode, this was satisfying (more on the need to use the word ‘savoury’ later). Indulgent? Yes. Over the top? Most certainly. But most importantly everything had a great flavour, nothing was too greasy and the dips made the pizza crust all the more indulgent.

Also, despite the fact everything else was US style, these were not Chicago deep pan style – they were proper New York fold in half pizzas that let you shove as much of the triangle in your gob as you can!

For pudding, we went to town. If you don’t know already, Burt & Nelly do dessert pizzas, so naturally we ordered a s’mores themed pizza. Add into the mix the fact that the milkshakes are ridiculous beasts that contain whole desserts within them and you can see that the focus here is on sweet as much as savoury.

While the main event was decadent, this was pure greed. The  s’mores pizza was a mess of deep pan chocolate and goo that looked like something out of a horror move but tasted like a little bit of heaven. Milkshake-wise the fact that the second serve contained a whole (yes, really) jam doughnut in it didn’t make it easy to drink (then again neither did the whole brownie in the nutoreous milkshake) but it sure did make it that bit more tasty.

All in all, when you drive past Burt & Nelly and wonder what this chipboard covered takeaway (where you can eat in if you so desire and are happy to be a bit cramped) is all about, then just think of one word: indulgence. If you want a taste of the USA on a pizza from Meanwood (trust us it eats better than that sounds!) and want something different to your usual pizza then this is the place to visit.

We’ll be back soon to try out the chicken wings if nothing else…