If you live in Luxembourg City, you may have already fallen for the Neapolitan pizzas of Cloud Factory in Neudorf, this ghost kitchen opened during the pandemic for pizzas to be delivered or taken away! Its first restaurant has just opened its doors in Esch-sur-Alzette, so we decided to give it a try!
For Francesco Micillo, one of the owners of Cloud Factory, opening this restaurant in Esch was the next logical step in the story. “The people guided us actually, as they were asking for it!”
Since their opening in Neudorf, the “fluffiest” pizzas in Luxembourg have made a name for themselves, thanks to the expertise of Francesco Micillo. This native Neapolitan, engineer by training, has worked for 15 years as a pizzaiolo in his family’s restaurants in Naples, and trained in the art of pizza dough in renowned culinary workshops in Italy. This enthusiast has also launched “FranzPizzaLux” culinary studio, which is a great success with pizza lovers who want to learn all the techniques for preparing dough like a real pizzaiolo.
Eager to continue the Cloud Factory adventure, Francesco Micillo and his partners have just opened a restaurant with an Italian atmosphere in the heart of Esch city centre. Open for barely 2 weeks, word of mouth has already worked well and the queue is growing every day in front of the doors!
As far as the decoration is concerned, you immediately feel like you are on a sunny terrace in Italy with a bright room surrounded by bay windows! Small round marble tables on which hang hand-painted glass lights, garden chairs made of steel, a more “lounge” corner with velvet armchairs to drink an Italian beer while waiting for your pizza, and at the back of the room, a soft bench topped by mismatched and coloured plates fixed to the wall. “This mix of vintage Italian and industrial was inspired by the local area with its rough concrete walls and exposed pipes.” In the basement, a long table welcomes large tables and opens directly onto the kitchen where you can admire the Neapolitan pizza oven, with a rotating stone, allowing 9 pizzas to be cooked at the same time.
Once you are seated at the table of your choice, it’s up to you to order your meal on your phone via a QR code (online payment), with the order sent directly to the kitchen. Of course, it is still possible to interact with a waiter and to pay at the counter. “I was very keen on this possibility, because people are autonomous, and we manage the flow of pizzas better.” It must be said that in the first week of opening, the pizzaiolos prepared more than 250 pizzas per day! “It was crazy, I didn’t expect such a success!” says Francesco.
On each table, no cutlery but scissors to cut your own pizza. The scissors are the best tool to avoid damaging the dough, and to see if the dough is perfectly cooked. “I also want to show that eating pizza doesn’t have to be formal, you eat with your hands without any fuss!
A limited selection of pizzas is offered with top quality ingredients, transported to Luxembourg every week from markets and farms around Naples. “The products must be excellent to make the best pizza; the mozzarella, for example, must have the right level of humidity so that it doesn’t give off water during cooking,” explains the owner, who also points out with a smile, “at the end of the pizza, your plate must be clean, that’s the sign of good quality!”
Lulled by the soft sounds of Italian music, get ready to eat a pizza with soft and airy dough that you will remember. We fell for the Margarita, divine in its simplicity with its San Marzano tomato sauce and mozzarella.
We’ll be back for sure, because after this beautiful tasting at Cloud Factory, we’re still in heaven!
More information: www.cloudfactory.lu