Before we get into this, I need to mention that what used to be Lost Boys Pizza is now Lost Souls Pizza. On doing some digging on their Instagram, I found out that Warner Bros asked them if they could buy the name back. They’re under an NDA so couldn’t tell me more, but I have read rumours online that a Lost Boys reboot is on the table. This article is great at summing up how I feel about that.

I visited a while ago, but I wanted to write about it because of how much fun I had. It’s also more important to me than ever to post, as Lost Boys/Souls Pizza unfortunately suffered a fire. The place was more or less gutted, which was absolutely devastating for the owners, friends, and supporters.

Out of respect for those directly affected, I’m not going to go into any more detail. But just know that this blog is out of my own love and drive to support this indie business, and to hopefully help more people find Lost Souls Pizza as they work to reopen.  

Cult Classic

The Lost Boys has to be one of my favourite vampire films of all time. Off the top of my head, I’d say my medallists are Dracula (the 1931 Bela Lugosi version, obviously), The Lost Boys, and 30 Days of Night. Despite coming out 5 years before I was born, TLB has a really comfy feeling of nostalgia for me. It’s kitschy and campy, but also dripping with cool. I mean, HOW did Kiefer Sutherland make a white-blonde mullet look absolutely incredible??

I first watched the film at age 12 or 13, when my Dad recommended it to me, and I’ve loved it ever since. The banging soundtrack, the flawless cast, the throwback aesthetics… and of course, the vampires. Special shout-out to Nanook and my boys the Frog Brothers, too.

Sleep all day. Party all night.
Never grow old. Never die.
It’s fun to be a vampire.

So, when I heard about a pizza place named Lost Boys Pizza, I vowed that I’d get my butt down to London to try it out. It was even more exciting when I found out that the restaurant was situated right next to my favourite part of London ever, Camden Town.

Vampires in Camden

It was during a quick overnight stay in London that I decided to have my dinner at Lost Boys Pizza. I didn’t go to London singularly for that, but I also didn’t didn’t go just for that. Pizza is a compelling thing, you know, and I’m a fool for gimmicky places.

Considering it’s a ‘gimmick’, the place looked really tidy and classy outside. Monochrome, with the name in a ‘dripping blood’ horror font. A sign sat out front (with a cartoon of Bela Lugosi as Dracula) saying that they were open.

I was immediately taken in by the décor. Lost Boys/Souls isn’t a huge place, but it didn’t feel cramped. It was cosy and very low-lit, with a bar on the right and the tables on the left. Black and white posters plastered the ceiling. Some were photos from the film, others were drawings of characters and scenes.

On the walls were vintage posters and comics, including a poster of the cover of in-universe comic Destroy All Vampires. A separate booth in the back corner had stickers all over the bench backrests. It was cool and casual, but also had a kind of cohesive class. Someone clearly thought carefully about how to make the place look.

The whole time I was in there, they had an absolutely bitchin’ playlist of 80s rock. It had obviously been curated to capture the vibe of the movie. Lost Boys Pizza as a whole succeeded in capturing the feel of the film, especially the vampire gang’s dark glamour.

Worms in my Cocktail

The (really lovely) waitress furnished me with a drink menu as I sat down. There were some really cool offerings, but I had to go full-camp when I saw one they called ‘Only Noodles Michael’.

For those unfamiliar with the film, David (Kiefer Sutherland) offers the main character, Michael (Jason Patric), some noodles in a Chinese takeout carton. But he tricks Michael into seeing worms in there, before eating a big mouthful and saying “….They’re only noodles, Michael.” Little shit.

This cocktail was made of Kraken Spiced rum, plum, lime, and pineapple. It came in a takeout carton, with gummy worms hanging on the sides! It was so funny and cute that I had to go for it.

Luckily, it was also exactly my kind of cocktail, very fruity and tasty. Slightly dangerous though, as the alcohol was very well-disguised!

Goth Pizzas

Everything on the menu sounded great, so I initially had a bit of choice paralysis (I’m very prone to that). There are lots of options, including gluten free and vegetarian/vegan substitutes! Lots of the pizzas had punny names like You Killed Marco Pollo and Kale All Vampires.

In the end, I opted for the ‘Have You Seen Laddie’ pizza. If you’ve seen the film, you’ll remember Laddie as the little missing boy who somehow ended up falling in with the vampires.

I can’t find a whole lot of information about his character, but I assume he was one of the street kids that’re shown to be a common sight in Santa Carla.

Anyway, he’s Star’s little buddy and she looks out for him. He’s also the catalyst for one of my favourite The Lost Boys quotes:

The ‘Have You Seen Laddie’ pizza had parma ham, a nice pile of rocket, and sun-dried tomatoes as toppings. It was so good. The special dough isn’t too thin, but it’s wonderfully light to eat. You can’t really taste the veggie charcoal, but there is a taste that makes the pizza so unusual (in a good way).

I also had some dough balls, which were more like… Finger-shaped. These came with their ‘Bloody Good’ ragu which was heavenly. So rich and flavourful!

Man, I was bloody (ha) stuffed when I’d finished, but it was totally worth it.

All the pizzas at Lost Boys/Souls are made with their signature black dough. Some even have pesto pentagrams drawn on them, for all you Wiccans and Satanists out there. I personally would call the dough ‘tombstone grey’ in colour, but it’s so cool-looking! Definitely matches the gothic vibes of the place.

Oh, I Still Believe!

My favourite piece of the décor, though, was a signed photo of the most iconic character from The Lost Boys – the crazy, oily saxophone guy! The credits list him as ‘Beach Concert Star’, but I don’t think that does him enough justice for people who haven’t watched the film. Please allow me to enlighten you:

This mad lad is Timmy Cappello, and he actually is a saxophonist! He worked with Tina Turner for 15 years, and that should’ve been his big claim to fame. Instead this single day of work for a film in which he appears for less than a minute made him a phenomenon, which is endlessly funny to me.

Here’s an interview with Mr Cappello where he talks about it. He seems incredibly bemused by the whole thing, but so thankful and good-natured about being a living meme. I love this guy!

Lost Boys Pizza wouldn’t have had as much of an edge without that piece of memorabilia. I hope they didn’t lose their signed photo in the fire and – if they did – I hope they can reach out to Tim and get another!

Friendly Vampire Crew

Lost Boys Pizza, as I mentioned, is a small restaurant. I would definitely recommend pre-booking before you go.

When I visited, it was completely full, so I was glad I’d made a reservation. The clientele I met were all suitably gothic or alternative people, very fitting and fashionable. Hardly surprising either, considering the part of London we were in.

Everyone was so relaxed, laughing and chatting while they enjoyed their food. It was a lovely, low-key atmosphere and I instantly felt settled.

Big, big shout-out to the staff of Lost Boys/Souls Pizza! They were so nice! My waitress was constantly keeping her eye out to make sure the guests were happy and had everything they needed. We chatted about takoyaki and other Japanese food, and shared a few laughs.

One of the chefs came out and asked what I thought of the dough. He explained how they made it black, and was happy when I raved about how much I was enjoying the pizza. I found it unusual to see someone from the kitchen come out for a chat, but it was just another example of how lovely the staff were and how they clearly took pride in their work. It really shows in the food, too!

When I was finished and settling up the bill, my waitress handed me a little sticker of the Lost Boys Pizza logo, complete with Kiefer-as-David leering out at me. It’s so cute that I’ve been too scared to stick it on anything. Even more so now that the name has changed!

How We Can Help

Pete Clucas, the Chief Vampire of Lost Souls Pizza, did set up a Just Giving page for the repair and reopening. That campaign finished in September last year. Before scheduling this post, I explained to him that I was making a blog about them and asked how people can support the continuing revamp (heh heh).

Basically, the best thing we can all do now is follow their socials, and be ready for the brand spankin’ new Lost Souls Pizza. Keep your peepers on their social media accounts (@lostsoulspizza) and website to keep up with the news.

I believe the opening day is getting closer and closer to being confirmed, but they’ll rise from the dead when they’re ready to.

I’m already set on going back to Lost Souls Pizza when they resurrect. It’ll be interesting to see how different it is. Will they theme it as much to the film after the name change? Or will it become more of a general pop horror/slightly-gothic place?

I mourn the loss of the original Lost Boys Pizza, but I’m very excited to see what shape this phoenix takes when it rises from the ashes!

However, I’m also happy I got to see it pre-fire. It feels extra special now that that version is sadly gone.

Did you ever visit Lost Souls Pizza in its previous life? Tell me about your experience, especially what you ate! If you didn’t visit, are you intrigued enough to make the trip to Camden when they reawaken?