18 Mar 2026
James Cameron checks out the new pizza hotspot…
Japes is cool, of that there is no doubt. The name is cool, the decor is cool, the playlist is cool and the concept is cool. Most of its locations are in cool London, so we should feel especially honoured that they have deigned to set up a branch in St Albans. Not to say we’re not cool, but it’s more of a restrained and mature coolness, like how cool it is to get your tax return in early.
One thing it is too cool for is vegans, as there is literally nothing for them on the menu (despite what it says on the website). Apparently vegan options are on their way, but it did mean we had to split our party, though the other half ended up having a very nice lunch at Cha & Nasta, so don’t you worry about them. There was no way I was leaving Japes, though, by this point I had been thoroughly captivated by their enticing scent.
Another cool thing that greets you on entry is a free popcorn dispenser.
Customers can fill up tin cups, which gives you a nice savoury thing to munch on whilst you wait for your food to arrive.
It’s a lovely idea, probably fairly inexpensive and it makes you feel well looked after as soon as you enter.
We did not have long to munch on the popcorn, though, as our starter of nachos came very quickly.
These were characteristically unusual, the chips themselves were fried to perfection and as well as the cheese and salsa there was buttermilk ranch thrown into the mix.
Ranch with tortilla chips is always a Cool Original combination, and it worked fantastically well here.
As mentioned, the offering presented on arrival is very different to what’s on the website.
Possibly this is another manifestation of their coolness, as a scathing take-down of those people who like to plan their meal before arriving at a restaurant (eg. me), but it meant that rather than the choice of Chicago or London-style pizza that I was expecting, we instead got it Detroit-style.
For those who have never had business in Michigan, Detroit-style is basically very thick. More like a topped focaccia, with a crispy cheese toastie-style crust around the edge. It is available as a four slice block, but although it is slightly more expensive (around £2) I would recommend getting individual slices as this allows you to sample the full variety of flavours on offer.
The toppings are largely in the range of what you would expect if you have ordered from Dominos before. The Prosciutto came, perhaps unsurprisingly, with very high quality prosciutto on it, whilst the Piccante was reminiscent of a good antipasti selection. The fennel sausage on the Sicilian Stinger was exceptional, the rich earthy flavours teaming perfectly with the sweetness of the hot honey sauce, and this was my favourite of the four.
The Sister Chick was great but quite out there, it lists chicken tenders on the menu but they were more like nuggets (it would be difficult to fit many tenders on a slice), and with a creamy base and a welcome return of the ranch it was quite a long way from the flavours you would normally associate with pizzas. In fact, none of them really tasted particularly like pizza, more like the stuffed focaccia sandwiches you would find at Silver Palate. Absolutely nothing wrong with that, I really enjoyed the food and would be eager to return, but it is worth going in with your eyes open.
The menu recommends two to three slices each, and our four slices between two, plus the nachos and popcorn, were definitely more than enough. If you were just popping in for lunch, and had not been particularly energetic that day, then you could probably be quite happy with a single slice (though I wouldn’t sleep on the nachos). As it was, and to my great sorrow, I had no room left for the incredibly seductive desserts, great creamy trays of Tiramisu and Cheesecake that winked at me from the counter.
It is decided, I will have to return, eat less pizza and then go to town on the puddings. I will be intrigued to see what new style of pizzas they have by then, Middlesbrough-style maybe? That is, of course, assuming that I am cool enough to be allowed in.
