402 Old Ford Road Bow, London E3 5NR
Forno 22 · Bow, London
Our Story
Forno 22 is a Roman-style pizza kitchen run from inside The Lord Morpeth — a 19th-century East End pub a short walk from Victoria Park. Here's the dough, the building, and the people behind it.
RomanSlow-proved pizza style
1848The Lord Morpeth first opened
100%Halal kitchen
E3 5NR402 Old Ford Road, Bow
The dough
What makes it Roman-style
Roman-style pizza uses a dough that's left to slow-prove for a day or more, rather than baked within hours of mixing. That long, cold rest lets the gluten relax and develop flavour, so the finished base bakes up light, airy and delicately crisp — closer to a cracker at the edge than the soft, puffy crust you'd get from a classic Neapolitan pizza.
At Forno 22, that slow process is the whole point. We're not trying to be the fastest pizza in Bow — we're trying to be the one you'd cross the park for. The same base carries everything from a simple Margherita to gourmet specials like Burrata & Mortadella or the Inferno, with its spicy nduja and hot honey.
We also keep the menu genuinely inclusive: a gluten-free base is available on any pizza, and vegan cheese can be added to any order, with the Tronchetto built as a fully vegan pizza from the start.
See the full menu
1+ dayslow-proved dough
402Old Ford Road, Bow
The building
A pizza kitchen inside a 19th-century pub
Forno 22 operates from inside The Lord Morpeth, a pub that has been serving Old Ford Road in Bow since 1848. It's the kind of building that's seen most of East London's modern history pass its windows — long before pizza was on the menu, this was simply the local.
The pub is said to have been a regular meeting place for the Sylvia Pankhurst-led suffragettes in the early 20th century, and a large mural of Pankhurst still marks the building today. (We're double-checking the finer details of this history with the team — it's the kind of story worth getting exactly right.)
What hasn't changed is the welcome: local beer, cocktails, sport on the screens, and now a proper Roman pizza kitchen, all a few minutes' walk from Victoria Park. It's a strange and good combination — centuries-old East End pub, and some of the best pizza in Bow.
A short history
From East End boozer to pizza destination
A timeline worth knowing if you're curious where Forno 22 actually fits in.
1848
The Lord Morpeth opens its doors on Old Ford Road, Bow — one of the area's longest-serving pubs, predating most of the streets around it.
Early 1900s
The pub becomes part of Bow's social fabric through the suffrage movement years, with ties to the Sylvia Pankhurst-led East London Federation of Suffragettes (detail being confirmed).
2020s
A stone-baked, sourdough pizza kitchen is added to the pub — putting proper pizza alongside the beer and cocktails for the first time.
Today
Forno 22 runs that kitchen — Roman-style, slow-proved, 100% halal — serving Bow, Mile End and Victoria Park for dine-in, collection and delivery.
How it's made
From dough to door, in four steps
01
Mix
Flour, water, salt and yeast — nothing else. Simple ingredients, given time to do the work.
02
Slow-prove
The dough rests for a day or more, developing the light, crisp texture Roman-style pizza is known for.
03
Top & bake
Hand-stretched, topped with quality ingredients, and baked fresh to order in the kitchen.
04
Serve
Straight to your table at The Lord Morpeth, ready for collection, or out the door for delivery.
What matters to us
A small menu, taken seriously
🕒
Patience
We'd rather slow-prove the dough properly than rush it for the sake of speed.
🕊️
Halal
The whole kitchen is halal, so everyone at the table can order anything on the menu.
🌱
Inclusive
Gluten-free base and vegan cheese on any pizza — dietary needs shouldn't limit the menu.
🏘️
Local
We're part of a 175-year-old neighbourhood pub, not a chain — Bow is genuinely home.
Good to know
Frequently asked
Roman-style pizza uses a dough that's slow-proved for a day or more, giving a light, delicately crisp base — thinner and crunchier at the edge than a classic Neapolitan pizza, and never heavy. It's the only style Forno 22 makes.
Yes. Forno 22 runs a 100% halal kitchen, including options like the Halal Pepperoni pizza, so the whole menu is open to halal diners.
Forno 22 is at 402 Old Ford Road, Bow, London E3 5NR — operating from inside The Lord Morpeth pub, a short walk from Victoria Park. The nearest station is Mile End.
The Lord Morpeth is the East End pub that has stood at 402 Old Ford Road since 1848, and is the building Forno 22's pizza kitchen operates from today, alongside the pub's beer, cocktails and live sport.
Yes. A gluten-free base is available on any pizza, and vegan cheese can be added to any order — the Tronchetto is a fully vegan pizza by default.
Roman-style dough is proved for longer and rolled thinner, giving a flatter, crisper base. Neapolitan dough is proved for less time and shaped thicker, giving a softer, puffier crust with a chewier centre.
Hungry yet?
Come taste what slow-proved actually means
Dine in at The Lord Morpeth, collect from Old Ford Road, or get it delivered across Bow, Mile End and Victoria Park.