When 50 Top Pizza announces the best pizzerias in Europe each year, one country is always conspicuously missing from the list. That’s because Italy has its own awards, and the prestigious guide’s founders are, after all, proudly Italian.
So excluding Italy’s famous pizza joints, what’s the best pizzeria in the rest of the Europe? This year’s 50 Top Pizza crown went to Napoli on the Road in London, a city that knows a thing or two about royalty.
50 Top Pizza announced its 2024 list at an awards ceremony in Madrid, Spain, on May 13. You can click here to see the full list.
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The guide hailed Napoli on the Road as “a must-try in London’s pizza scene,” adding, “The year 2023 has seen Michele Pascarella and his pizzeria as undisputed protagonists on both the European and global stages. At both locations (Chiswick and Richmond), you can savor the authentic flavors of Neapolitan pizza with a contemporary twist.”
50 Top Pizza pointed to Pascarella creations like the Ricordi di Infanzia (made with Neapolitan ragù and 24-month-aged Parmigiano-Reggiano fondue) and the Tonno e Cipolle (Cetara tuna filets, semi-dry cherry tomatoes, olive powder and caramelized onions) as menu standouts. All of the pizzas on the menu feature “long-fermented dough, a pronounced crust, top-quality ingredients, melt-in-your-mouth texture and very high digestibility,” the guide noted.
This year marks the second major 50 Top Pizza award for Pascarella. The guide gave him its Global Pizza Maker of the Year award in 2023.
Timeout London reports that Pascarella started making pizza at the age of 11 in Caserta, Italy, near Naples. At 19, he moved to the UK and started Napoli on the Road as a food truck in 2019 before opening his first brick-and-mortar operation.
In an interview with the Chiswick Calendar, Pascarella said 50 Top Pizza is “like the Michelin guide for pizza.” He said the award “is a testament to pushing the boundaries of flavor and innovation within pizza. It’s not just about crafting the perfect dough or finding the finest ingredients; it’s about the artistry and passion that goes into every slice.”
Spain, meanwhile, is apparently quite the continental pizza hotspot, landing four restaurants in the 50 Top Pizza’s top 10. Sartoria Panatieri, owned by Rafa Panatieri and Jorge Sastre, came in at No. 2 on the list. “The signature classic is the pizza topped with stracciatella di burrata, tomatoes and basil pesto with toasted pine nuts,” the guide noted. The pizzeria’s menu offers “a perfect tableau of taste, pleasure and balance.”
Francesco Calò, owner of third-ranked Via Toledo Enopizzeria in Vienna, makes a “flawless” Margherita, the guide said, while the Marinara is “priceless for its balance between San Marzano and cherry tomatoes, the aroma of mountain oregano and black garlic.” 50 Kalò, in the No. 4 slot, is “a sure bet in London,” where “the focus is on simplicity with a direct dough preparation, stretched as per tradition in a rot’ e carrett style and topped with carefully selected, high-quality ingredients.” And No. 5 Baldoria, located in Madrid, fires up a “perfect” Marinara “with just the right amount of tomato and fragrant oregano,” while the Smoked Cheese and Pepper pizza “offers a play on hot and cold” as “the cheese is added at the last moment to enhance the role of the pepper.”
Here’s a look at the top 10 pizzerias in Europe as chosen by 50 Top Pizza:
1. Napoli on the Road, London, England
2. Sartoria Panatieri, Barcelona, Spain
3. Via Toledo Enopizzeria, Vienna, Austria
4. 50 Kalò, London, England
5. Baldoria, Madrid, Spain
6. Pizza Zulu, Fürth, Germany
7. IMperfetto, Puteaux, France
8. NNea, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
9. La Balmesina, Barcelona, Spain
10. Fratelli Figurato, Madrid, Spain
