In short
The best independent pizza in Exeter is The Flat at 142 Fore Street — hand-stretched, vegetarian and vegan, evenings Tuesday to Saturday. For a group, On The Waterfront on the Quay does giant sharing pizzas under brick arches. The cheapest good pizza is Franco Manca's £12.50 sourdough lunch deal in the Guildhall, noon to 4pm on weekdays.
The Ultimate Sharing Food
Pizza is, by its very nature, a social food. It arrives at the table and everyone leans in. Conversations pause, eyes widen, and the universal question is asked: "Shall we get a couple to share?" There is something about a pizza — the way it sits in the centre of the table, the way it is portioned for passing, the way even ordering becomes a collaborative exercise — that makes it one of the best foods for bringing people together. No other dish turns a group of acquaintances into a team quite as quickly as deciding which toppings to get.
It is also, and this matters enormously, one of the most budget-friendly ways to eat out with friends. At a time when a meal out can feel like a financial stretch, pizza offers the rare combination of genuinely good food at prices that do not make you wince. You can have a proper sit-down meal with drinks for under £20 a head at most of the places on this list, which makes it one of the best options for regular group dinners — the kind that actually sustain friendships rather than happening once a year when someone has a birthday.
Exeter's pizza scene has grown considerably in recent years. Alongside the reliable chains, a crop of independent pizzerias has emerged, each bringing something different — from plant-based specialists to waterside giants, from Neapolitan sourdough to no-frills pub pizza. Here are the five places we keep going back to, checked and updated for 2026.
The Independents
The Flat, Fore Street
If you are looking for the best independent pizza in Exeter, The Flat on Fore Street is where to start. This intimate vegetarian and vegan pizzeria has been serving hand-stretched, organic-where-possible pizzas since 2017, and the quality is outstanding. Every base is individually prepared, the ingredients are fresh and carefully sourced, and the result is a pizza that feels artisanal without being pretentious.
The menu is entirely vegetarian and vegan, which might sound limiting but is actually liberating — the kitchen has clearly poured all its creativity into making plant-based toppings genuinely exciting rather than treating them as an afterthought. Gluten-free bases are available at no extra charge, which is a thoughtful touch that makes it easy to bring a mixed group without anyone feeling excluded.
The atmosphere is cosy and a little bit bohemian — exposed brick, warm lighting, the kind of place where you settle in and lose track of time. It is open Tuesday to Saturday from 5pm, so it is an evening destination rather than a lunchtime stop, and the small size means booking is strongly recommended. As we noted in our guide to the best restaurants in Exeter, The Flat is one of those places that rewards regular visits — the specials change, and the kitchen is always trying something new.
Style: Hand-stretched, artisan, vegetarian and vegan. Signature pizzas: Rotating specials with seasonal ingredients. Price: Mid-range for an independent — check the current menu. Dine-in vs takeaway: Primarily dine-in. Atmosphere: Intimate, bohemian, independent. Location: 142 Fore Street, EX4 3AN. Booking: Strongly recommended.
On The Waterfront, Exeter Quay
At the opposite end of the spectrum from The Flat's intimate artisanal vibe, On The Waterfront at Exeter Quay serves enormous pizzas in an enormous space — and it works brilliantly. Set under the brick arches of a 19th-century warehouse on the Quay, this bar and restaurant is famous for its gigantic sharing pizzas and the long list of toppings that goes with them. You can order half and half, which is the smart move when you are sharing across a group.
The kitchen makes a point of its local sourcing — Devon beef and West Country produce feature throughout the menu. The pizza menu covers all the classics — Margherita, pepperoni, Four Seasons — alongside more adventurous options. The portions are generous (to put it mildly), and the waterside setting makes it one of the most enjoyable places to eat in the city, particularly on a warm evening when the Quay is buzzing.
On The Waterfront is open all day, seven days a week — check current hours before you set out — which makes it one of the most flexible options on this list. It takes larger parties as well as pairs, so it is genuinely useful for group events. If you are looking for somewhere to host a birthday dinner or a social gathering without breaking the bank, this is your place.
On The Waterfront is one of the best venues in Exeter for larger group dinners. The giant pizzas are designed for sharing, the space can handle big parties, and the Quay location means people can arrive early for a walk along the canal. It is the kind of place that turns a simple pizza night into a proper evening out.
Style: Giant sharing pizzas, locally sourced. Signature pizzas: The full range, with half-and-half available. Price: Mid-range, with generous portions. Dine-in vs takeaway: Both, plus delivery. Atmosphere: Waterside warehouse, buzzy and social. Location: 5-9 The Quay, EX2 4AP. Booking: Recommended for groups, especially weekends.
The Old Firehouse, New North Road
If there is one pizza institution in Exeter, it is The Old Firehouse. This independent pub on New North Road has been serving big square pizzas to students, locals, and everyone in between for years, and it has achieved something close to cult status in the process. The pizzas are big, the prices are reasonable, and the atmosphere is the kind of cheerful, slightly chaotic energy that makes for a great night out.
The pub has long run a discounted Margherita night at the start of the week — worth checking the board when you arrive. All pizzas come with a classic herb and tomato sauce and a mozzarella and cheddar cheese mix, and gluten-free bases are usually available. It is the sort of place where you end up staying longer than you planned, ordering another round, and remembering why you loved going out in the first place.
The Old Firehouse is also a proper pub with a good selection of ciders and ales, so it doubles as a destination for drinks and food rather than just a restaurant. For casual group dinners — the kind where the vibe matters more than the formality — it is one of the best options in Exeter.
Style: Square pub pizzas, generous and unpretentious. Signature pizzas: The discounted Margherita night; Chilli and Fresh Lime Chicken. Price: Among the cheapest sit-down pizza in the city. Dine-in vs takeaway: Both, plus delivery. Atmosphere: Independent pub, cheerful and buzzy. Location: 50 New North Road, EX4 4EP. Booking: Walk-ins usually fine; busy weekends may need a wait.
The Chains Worth Knowing
Franco Manca, Guildhall Shopping Centre
Franco Manca has been pioneering sourdough pizza in the UK since 2008, and the Exeter branch — located in the Guildhall on Queen Street, a short walk from the Cathedral — delivers the same quality that earned the chain its reputation. The sourdough bases are made fresh on site every day, the ingredients are seasonal, and the result is a pizza that genuinely tastes different from the industrial alternatives.
The menu is concise: a numbered list of pizzas from the classic Margherita (organic tomato, buffalo mozzarella, piennolo tomato, extra virgin olive oil and basil) to more adventurous options like the yellowfin tuna with kalamata olives, or the Amatriciana with cured pork cheek and pecorino romano. Prices are excellent — there is a lunch deal at £12.50 between noon and 4pm Monday to Friday, with a two-course option at £15.
The £12.50 lunch deal runs Monday to Friday, noon to 4pm — the cheapest way to eat properly good sourdough pizza in the city centre. Worth building a midweek catch-up around if your group can get away at lunchtime.
Outside seating is available, and they offer dine-in, collection, and delivery through Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat. Booking arrangements change from branch to branch, so check before you go if you are bringing a group.
Style: Neapolitan sourdough, slow-proved, seasonal. Signature pizzas: No. 1 Margherita; Amatriciana with cured pork cheek. Price: Chain-standard, with a £12.50 weekday lunch deal. Dine-in vs takeaway: Both, plus delivery. Atmosphere: Casual, bright, slightly canteen-like. Location: Queen Street Dining, Guildhall Shopping Centre, EX4 3EB. Booking: Check the branch — walk-ins are the norm.
Pizza Express, Cathedral Yard
PizzaExpress occupies one of the best locations of any restaurant in Exeter — right on Cathedral Yard at 2 Broadgate, with views of the Cathedral from the dining room. It is, of course, a chain, and the food is what you would expect: reliable, well-executed, and consistent. But the setting elevates it considerably. The Romana-style pizzas are thin, crispy, and come with the kind of adventurous topping combinations that the brand has been refining for decades.
The menu extends beyond pizza to fresh salads, pasta, and a solid drinks list, and there is a Piccolo menu for children. For families and mixed groups, PizzaExpress offers the kind of something-for-everyone reliability that independent restaurants sometimes struggle with. The Leggera range — lighter pizzas with a hole in the middle filled with salad — is a genuine innovation for anyone who wants pizza without the post-meal heaviness.
Style: Romana-style, thin and crispy. Signature pizzas: American Hot, Sloppy Giuseppe, Leggera range. Price: Chain-standard — check the current menu. Dine-in vs takeaway: Both, plus delivery. Atmosphere: Cathedral views, reliable and comfortable. Location: 2 Broadgate, Cathedral Yard, EX1 1HJ. Booking: Available online.
Pizza as the Ultimate Group Dinner
There is a reason pizza is the default food for gatherings. It is not just that it tastes good — though it does — it is that the entire experience is designed for sharing. Ordering pizza is a collaborative act: everyone weighs in, compromises are made, someone insists on anchovies and gets playfully shouted down. The food arrives and sits in the middle of the table, an open invitation for everyone to reach in. There is no hierarchy, no awkwardness about who ordered what, no silent calculation of who owes what on the bill.
This makes pizza an ideal format for the kind of social dinners that actually build friendships. As we explored in our piece on the role of food in emotional wellbeing and connection, shared eating creates a sense of belonging that individual meals simply do not. The informality of pizza removes the barriers that can sometimes make eating out feel stressful — there is no wine list to navigate, no dress code to worry about, no moment where you feel out of your depth. Just good food, good company, and the comforting knowledge that there is always another slice.
It is also one of the most budget-friendly options for regular socialising. If you have been feeling the pull to get out more but the cost of dining out has held you back, a pizza night is the perfect starting point. Most of the places on this list will have you fed and happy for the price of a couple of cocktails. That is a lot less than most nights out, and infinitely more sociable. As we discussed in our guide to the best pubs in Exeter, the best social experiences are often the simplest ones.
If you are organising a pizza night for a larger group, The Old Firehouse and On The Waterfront are your best bets for walk-in flexibility — On The Waterfront in particular has the room for a big table. The Flat is intimate and best suited to smaller parties, so book ahead. PizzaExpress takes bookings online if you would rather have the certainty.
Quick Comparison
For a fast overview, here is how our top picks stack up:
- Best independent pizza: The Flat — hand-stretched, organic, vegetarian and vegan brilliance
- Best for groups: On The Waterfront — giant pizzas, waterside setting, handles big parties
- Best budget option: The Old Firehouse — big square pizzas at pub prices
- Best sourdough: Franco Manca — Neapolitan-style, slow-proved, seasonal
- Best location: Pizza Express — Cathedral Yard views that no independent can match
- Best deal: Franco Manca's £12.50 lunch, noon to 4pm Monday to Friday
- Best for a pint alongside: The Old Firehouse — a proper pub with a serious cider list
Pizza Beyond the Restaurant: Delivery, Events, and More
It is worth noting that several of Exeter's best pizza spots now offer delivery through platforms like Uber Eats, Deliveroo, and Just Eat — which means a pizza night at home with friends is just as easy to organise as eating out. Franco Manca, On The Waterfront, and The Old Firehouse all deliver, so if the group is at your place rather than in town, you are not limited to the usual chain options.
For something different, keep an eye on the food markets and street food events that pop up around the city. Wood-fired pizza vendors regularly appear at the Exeter Quay markets and various pop-up food events, and eating fresh pizza from a mobile oven by the canal is a particularly pleasant way to spend a summer evening. The Exeter events calendar is the best place to check what is coming up.
If pizza is the gateway that gets your group together for a regular social meal, the same casual sharing format works well at the city's brunch spots for weekend catch-ups, or at the wine bars if you want to shift the energy slightly upmarket. The point is to make it a habit rather than a one-off — and pizza, more than almost any other food, makes that easy.
Pizza in Exeter: Common Questions
Frequently asked questions
- Where is the best pizza in Exeter?
- For independent pizza, The Flat at 142 Fore Street — hand-stretched bases, organic ingredients where possible, entirely vegetarian and vegan, and open evenings Tuesday to Saturday. For sourdough, Franco Manca in the Guildhall. For a big group, On The Waterfront on the Quay, where the sharing pizzas are enormous and you can order half and half.
- Where can I get cheap pizza in Exeter?
- Franco Manca runs a lunch deal at £12.50 for a sourdough pizza and a soft drink, Monday to Friday from noon to 4pm, with a two-course option at £15. The Old Firehouse on New North Road is the cheapest sit-down pizza in the city and has long run a discounted Margherita night at the start of the week — check the board when you arrive.
- Is there vegan pizza in Exeter?
- The Flat on Fore Street is entirely vegetarian and vegan, with no meat, fish, eggs or animal milk on the premises, and gluten-free bases at no extra charge. Franco Manca will swap mozzarella for Violife vegan cheese for free, and On The Waterfront lists vegan alternatives on its menu.
- Which pizza places in Exeter are good for large groups?
- On The Waterfront is the best option — the space under the Quay's warehouse arches is big, the sharing pizzas are designed for a table, and it takes larger parties. The Old Firehouse handles walk-in groups well. The Flat is intimate and better suited to smaller parties, so book ahead there. PizzaExpress at Cathedral Yard takes bookings online.
- Does anywhere in Exeter deliver good pizza?
- Yes. Franco Manca, On The Waterfront and The Old Firehouse all deliver through Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat, so a pizza night at home is as easy to organise as going out. The Flat is primarily dine-in, so that one you have to go to.
Ready to Make It Happen?
The best pizza is the pizza you share. If any of these places have caught your eye and you would like company to enjoy them with, we would love to help.