Margate’s GB-PIZZA-CO to reopen following fire

The restaurant, originally launched by co-founders Lisa Richards and Rachel Seed back in 2012, has undergone a major refurbishment following the fire and will feature a new design with bold colours inspired by the Margate sunset.

Reopening on 5 July, the menu will feature a selection of hand-stretched wood-fired pizzas with signature toppings including peppers, Kentish goat’s curd and basil; and a vegan option with spinach, mushrooms, caramelised onions, hazelnuts and rocket.

In recognition of the eight-month hiatus, there will also be a special ‘no smoke without fire’ pizza available with nduja, hot honey, Ashmore chilli cheese and red chillies.

As before, there will be a monthly-changing ‘charity pizza’ where £1 of each sale goes to The Brain Tumour Charity, in memory of Seed, who died of a brain tumour in 2018.

“We’ve had a rollercoaster of a decade at GB Pizza that’s for sure,” says Richards, who now leads the business on her own.

“There were times over the past few months when I thought it would be impossible to bring our little pizza joint back to life, but we’ve been honoured to be a part of so many people’s Margate stories, and since the fire forced us to close, we’ve received letters and emails of support from so many different people waiting for our return it’s been amazing.

“GB Pizza has been at the heart of the town’s community on the seafront in Margate for more than 10 years. We are a safe haven - as a gay-owned and operated business, celebrating diversity, and demanding inclusivity and equality has been our mission since day one.

“The fire rocked us all, however, only eight months later, we’re the ones that are all fired up, and ready to reopen for a summer of fun doing what we do best - pizzas!”

Following the fire in October, a man was subsequently arrested and charged with one count of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.