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'I tried best rated pizza in Europe - it's in the UK and beats Italian slices'

A UK pizza restaurant has won the top spot for the best pizza in Europe for three years running thanks to their creative takes on true Italian classics that has seen them decorated with trophies

[Napoli on the Road has won Best Pizza in Europe for three years running]

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Napoli on the Road has won Best Pizza in Europe for three years running

The UK necessarily isn't the first place you'd think of when it comes to award-winning pizza - but this small but mighty restaurant has certainly made a name for itself.

Napoli on the Road, a London eatery owned by top chef Michele Pascarella, has just been crowned Europe's No.1 Pizzeria for a third year running. The impressive title has been awarded by the official 50 Top Pizza guide, the most coveted pizzeria award globally.

Pascarella, also won Best Pizza Maker in the World 2023 and their popular Ricordi d'Infanzia pizza won Best Pizza in the World 2025.

It's hard to imagine these prestigious titles going to a pizzeria anywhere other than Naples, the homeland of the humble slice. But it seems you won't have to catch a flight to try the best of the best as Naples-born Pascarella has bought all of his magic to the capital.

With Napoli on the Road snagging the title again this summer, I headed down to their Soho branch, the third and newest restaurant by Pascarella, find out whether it really lives up to the hype...

[I visited Napoli on the road in London that has won Best Pizza in Europe for three years running]

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I visited Napoli on the road in London that has won Best Pizza in Europe for three years running

[Michelin chef Michele Pascarella has won several awards for his neopolitan pizzas]

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Michele Pascarella has won several awards for his neopolitan pizzas

Much like a traditional Italian hole in the wall, the menu is quite small, but their flavour offerings are far from simple.

They do offer classic pizzas but it's their 'Pizza NoTR' specials, an acroynm for Napoli on the Road, where some of their most famous and elevated creations come out to play.

In the name of fairness, I ordered a classic Margherita for 13.90 (if you can't get the OG right, it's over) as well as the famous Ricordi d'Infanzia - a classic base slathered with slow-cooked beef ragu, Parmigiano fondue, lots of grated Parmigiano, basil and oil for 19.50.

Also on their special menu was the Cheesewick for 19 which included buffalo ricotta, flor di latte cheese, stracciatella cheese, Parmigiano crisps, Blue Stilton, cherry tomato jam and oil. There are also white base and vegan options too, with prices ranging from 13.90 to 19.

Much like their other two locations in Chiswick and Richmond, the restaurant's interior has a pared-back industrial feel with strip lighting, bare concrete walls and wooden chairs and tables, and there's a downstairs seating area to serve even more hungry diners. But in order to try and escape the bustling crowds in the blistering heatwave, we went for the takeaway option.

[We opted for the Margherita and the Ricordi d'Infanzia pizzas ]

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We opted for the Margherita and the Ricordi d'Infanzia pizzas

[We opted for the Margherita and the Ricordi d'Infanzia pizzas ]

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The restaurant offers eat in and takeaway options

The pizza base is perfectly thin with thick and chewy crusts that perfect for dipping. I was amazed that the stone baked pies could hold the sheer weight of the topping, but be warned - this is a messy munch.

The Ricordi d'Infanzia is really unexpected - it tastes like a mix of lasagne and bolognese on a pizza, just without the pasta. To me it tastes like a traditional Italian dish, just with a fresh twist.

The ragu is rich and meaty with deliciously soft beef, with a very generous amount of parmigiano cheese layered on top. It's hearty and certainly very filling which makes it worth the money. I usually opt for a pepperoni or meaty topping, so it's my perfect type of slice.

I have been lucky enough to try Pizza in Italy, stumbling across a small little traditional Pizzeria in the heart of Rome. While nothing can quite compare to eating a steaming hot pizza in Italy in the sunshine, with fresh ingredients straight from the traditional countryside and farms, I have to say, this does come very, very close.

The inspiration behind the creative topping comes from Michele's childhood. Every Sunday at 4am, Michele's nonna and mum started the Neapolitan rag with the meat simmering for 810 hours.

By the time Michele and his brothers and sister woke up, the house was filled with that glorious smell and they dipped bread right into the pot, cooling it down with Parmigiano, and that's how the family memory turned into a pizza.

My only gripe is that there wasn't much structure to the base which meant a lot of the toppings would fall off when picking up a slice. It's a similar story with the Margherita - the cheese is wonderfully stringy with a good ratio of tomato base to cheese but again some fell off when trying to eat it as the base was so thin. But that's to be expected for a Neapolitan style pizza.

To finish off, there are also some traditional Italian desserts on offer including Tiramisu and a Ricotta sponge cake. For starters, you can expect antipasti dishes including bruschetta, olives and seasonal tomatoes and mozzarella.

Second place in the Top 50 list went to Baldoria in Madrid, led by Ciro Cristiano, which also retains its title as the Best Pizzeria in Spain for 2026. And third place was awarded to IMperfetto in Puteaux, France, owned by Tonino Cogliano and Simone Lombardi.

Another London spot impressively won fourth place - 50 Kal by Ciro Salvo, while England as a whole placed third among all nations represented in the guide, with 22 pizzerias - behind only Spain (29) and France (24).

[McDonald's bring back fan favourite after 17 years along with new menu hack]

OPINION

[Niamh Kirk]

Niamh Kirk

Niamh is an experienced lifestyle and features journalist based in London for Daily Mirror. Having joined The Mirror in 2023, Niamh has covered a vast range of different areas including real life, explainers, crime, royals, money, travel, health and social issues. A keen foodie, she often covers the latest food news as well as sharing lots of reviews and opinion pieces. Obsessed with all things Gen Z, you can also find her on TikTok sharing her stories and deep dives. For any tips, tricks or stories get in touch - Niamh.Kirk@reachplc.com

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