Cult New Haven apizza Lenny’s is opening its first permanent restaurant on Covent Garden’s Henrietta Street, after a successful 2024 pub residency that built the pizzeria its devoted following.
In partnership with MJMK Restaurants (the team behind Michelin-starred KOL and AngloThai, alongside Luso, Fonda and Casa do Frango) the opening marks a new chapter for Lenny’s, bringing the distinctive, New Haven ‘apizza’ to a permanent London home.
The new menu will introduce Lenny’s signature pies to Covent Garden, from the Tomato Pie, which brings together San Marzano tomato, mozzarella and pecorino, to The Lenny, founder Max Lewis’ signature 14-inch pie, split down the middle: half tomato, garlic and pecorino, half classic mozzarella.
Alongside classics, a line-up of specials will bring the people and places of New Haven that have shaped Lenny’s to the menu, including Handsome Dan’s Potato Pie – a nod to Yale’s bulldog mascot and, as Max notes, one of the signs that pointed him towards opening Lenny’s in the first place – topped with mozzarella, thinly sliced potato, red onion, rosemary and pecorino. Also on the specials, the Ray Santiago, named after the legendary New Haven apizza chef, who played a pivotal role in Max’s journey to opening the restaurant.
Lenny’s Covent Garden Menu
The pies:
New Haven-style apizza – crispy, chewy, charred, led by tomato and pecorino, with mozzarella as an optional extra not the main event
Classics:
Tomato Pie – San Marzano tomato, garlic, pecorino and olive oil
Cheese & Tomato – San Marzano tomato, mozzarella and pecorino
The Lenny – the signature 14-inch pie split down the middle: half tomato, garlic and pecorino, half classic mozzarella
Pepperoni Classic – pepperoni, tomato, mozzarella and pecorino
Sausage & Onion – fennel sausage, red onion, tomato and mozzarella
Specials:
Handsome Dan – red potato, rosemary, mozzarella and pecorino
Ray Santiago – pepperoni, fennel sausage, bacon, red onion and chilli
Houdini – bacon, garlic and red onion
And to wash things down, a curated menu of drinks will be available, including a Belvedere Martini with a blue cheese olive, the Lenny’s Spritz, complete with gin, blackberry and rosemary shrub, Prosecco, and a rye and cold brew Peach Iced Tea. There will be two alcohol-free serves, including the New Haven Highball.
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Alongside this, a 25-strong wine list running from Lambrusco and Gavi to Barolo and Beaune 1er Cru will complete the menu.
Max Lewis, founder of Lenny’s, said: “It feels really good to be back in the kitchen, working on our new pies alongside the classics. I’ve spent the last few years travelling between the UK and New Haven, visiting apizza spots and thinking ‘why hasn’t anyone caught onto this yet?’ So it’s been incredibly exciting to finally bring a vision to life – developing the menu, getting stuck in with the restaurant design and collaborating with MJMK to get the doors open.
We’ve been blown away by the response from everyone who discovered Lenny’s during its residency. There’s so much anticipation and we can’t wait to bring something new to London.”
Jake Kasumov, co-founder of MJMK Restaurants, added: “Opening an East Coast pizzeria in London has always been a goal for us, and we’ve wanted to do it from the beginning, but the right opportunity never really came along. When I discovered Max’s residency in North London I felt like we’d finally found what we were looking for. The apizza is so unique, and brings something fresh and exciting to Covent Garden. Max already has a loyal following from his previous residency, so we’re excited to build on this with a central London location.”
The new Lenny’s site will open to the public on 27th October at 22–24 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden.
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