As a kid, I loved going to friend’s birthday parties, especially if they were at venues like McDonald’s. Although Cara loves chicken nuggets, we thought it would be more fun (and healthy) to host a party where kids could make their own lunch. After unsuccessfully locating an affordable pizza van to hire, we decided to go with the kids pizza party at Pizza Express.

Date: Saturday, 1st December, 2018

Location:  4 Tranquil Vale, Blackheath, London SE3 0BN

Getting There: We selected our most local and convenient Pizza Express restaurant. Easy to get to by bus or train, and ample parking available either on the street or in the station’s car park.

Cost: £11.95 per child (£5 deposit per child). Includes invites, pizza making, dough balls, ice cream and all-you-can-drink squash. 

Review 

What a day. After planning Cara’s birthday for a couple of months, it all worked out. 25 kids were fed, along with their parents. Success.

We arrived at 10:20am to settle in downstairs, a quiet and private area for the party. Cara’s friends arrived shortly after for the 10:30am start. Once we were all comfortable, it was time to begin, starting with a wash of hands! The staff were brilliant helping the kids. From dressing up with an apron and hat, to shaping the dough and dressing the pizza with toppings (olives, chicken, ham, pepperoni). The kids had fun creating their own pizzas, lots of giggles and mess. Luckily, as it’s not at home, there was no cleaning up!

Once the pizzas are prepped, they’re numbered based on the number written on their hats. Unfortunately, this was the only mix up of the day. Somewhere along the process line, the numbers were mixed up and the pizzas were delivered to the wrong child. There was a lot of confused looks when they found their pizza creation had olives or mushrooms on it. 

While the pizzas are cooking, the dough balls are served. There’s also activity sheets to keep them occupied if they’re not busy chatting to each other. We ordered some ‘adult’ pizzas as well for the parents, so they were able to tuck in as well. We know it’s not easy chaperoning your child to parties and other weekend activities. 

Once all the pizzas were finally delivered to the correct child, it was time to eat. Not all the pizzas were finished, but the good thing was there were take away boxes! So not only were the kids covered for lunch, dinner was also covered. Post-pizza, the ice-cream arrived. Added to this was Cara’s hand-made panda birthday cake made by her Mum. By 12:30pm, the kids and parents were fed, and based on Cara’s feedback, they had fun.

Party Gift Bags:

Cara’s party gift bags included: 

  • Snacks – Gummy pizza sweets, Pom Bears, mini-Haribo
  • Mini-slinky
  • Small tub of Play-doh
  • Stretchy man

A big thank you to the staff at Pizza Express, Blackheath for hosting the pizza party. They were great with the kids and service was impeccable (bar the pizza mix-up for some of the kids). The food was tasty and we weren’t waiting around very long, either for food or drinks. 

Tip: 

  1. If you’re looking to cater for parents as well, contact the local Pizza Express manager and pre-order to speed things up
  2. They also do a pizza party version for adults, which is nice if you’re looking for a Christmas party, work event or team building idea

Ratings:

Burn Time: 5 out of 5 – like most parties, 2 hours is sufficient time. With the pizza making, eating and general playing, time flew by
Value: 4 out of 5 – 
£11.95 per child for food and activity – great value! Also, no need to clean up afterwards.
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 –
 It would have been a 5 out of 5 had the pizzas not been mixed up, which caused a little confusion for the kids and parents. However, a minor error in what was a fun-filled day. Would highly recommend it!

Have you been to a kids pizza party before? If so, how did it go? Any other birthday party ideas or tips? Share your comments below

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