We all agree that pizza is one of life's greatest pleasures. Among the most famous and simplest dishes in the world, it has been universally adopted and reinvented in a thousand and one ways. Pizza is undoubtedly an Italian creation, a representation of the country's soul even abroad, from its ingredients to its most popular names: Margherita, Quattro stagioni, Marinara. But don't worry if you are on the road, just check out the Top 50 best pizzerias serving authentic Italian pizza.
Good pizza is not only found in Italy ©Jaboticaba Fotos/Shutterstock
Every year an updated guide is published with the 50 best pizzas in Italy, Europe and North America. The selection process is very simple: customers nominate their favourite pizzerias and ranking 'agents' visit them incognito to make an objective assessment. Here is the European Top 10 to check out to eat the best Italian pizza on the continent.
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50 kalò was declared the best European pizzeria outside Italy © 50 kalò
1. 50 kalò di Ciro Salvo, London (UK)
50 kalò opened in the summer of 2018 in a London super location, Trafalgar Square. The owner is chef Ciro Salvo, who arrived directly from Naples, bringing with him his own story and that of Neapolitan pizza; in fact, Ciro learned how to make the perfect pizza in his grandmother's pizzeria in Italy. 50 Top Pizza decreed that his pizza is the best in Europe, and Ciro said he was "incredibly honoured and proud of this achievement, achieved after just one year in business." His 'English and Mediterranean' style restaurant in London seats 90 and offers some of Ciro's specialities, such as the 50 kalò, the Montanara and, of course, the Margherita. The kitchen is open, so customers can see with their own eyes that the chefs strive for perfection in every step of preparation.
L'Antica, one of Bijou's most famous pizzas, created with ingredients from Chef Nasti's childhood © Bijou
2. Bijou, Paris (France)
Silver medal for Bijou, the pizzeria of Neapolitan chef Gennaro Nasti, located in the famous Montmartre district of Paris. It opened in November 2016 and since then has been offering Parisians a wide choice of pizzas, prepared with love and using only seasonal ingredients; this is why the menu changes often throughout the year according to the products available. Chef Nasti works to perfect his brand of creative pizzas, seeking innovation while respecting the tradition that has recently been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At Bijou there are 30 seats in the indoor dining room and 10 in a beautiful terrace overlooking Montmartre.
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At BÆST only local ingredients are used, but the taste is absolutely Mediterranean © BÆST
3. BÆST, Copenhagen (Denmark)
In third place in the Top 50 is BÆST, in Copenhagen. The restaurant is located near the Assistens cemetery in the Nørrebro area. It opened in 2014 and is part of the gastronomic project of the Relæ Group, "four restaurants, a bakery, a wine import company, a cocktail bar and a farm that work in close synergy." BÆST 's pizza is prepared using only organic ingredients and local flours. The cheese and meat come directly from the butcher's shop and mini-cheese factory upstairs in the restaurant. The Mediterranean flavour has reached as far north as the wood-fired ovens created especially for BÆST in Naples, the birthplace of pizza.
The menu at Ober Mamma never ceases to amaze customers, always changing according to seasonal produce © Ober Mamma
4. Ober Mamma, Paris (France)
The Parisian restaurant Ober Mamma took fourth place in the ranking. Not far from Place de la République, Ober Mamma is a beautiful pizzeria with skylights and an indoor tree. The pizzas are baked in a wood-fired oven to guarantee the 'inimitable smoky flavour'. In the kitchen, the staff is entirely Italian, ensuring 'a chaotically joyful environment'. The team told Lonely Planet that being in the Top 50 Pizza was 'one of the best prizes we could aspire to'. The staff also stated: 'we follow the tradition of baking pizza in a wood-fired oven and respect the more technical details behind the preparation; it fills our hearts to see that our efforts are recognised across Europe'. Among Ober Mamma 's most popular pizzas are the classic Margherita and the pizza tartufo, courgette and stracciatella, but the menu changes monthly according to seasonal produce.
Pizzeria Luca's pizzas faithfully respect the Neapolitan tradition © Pizzeria Luca
5. Pizzeria Luca, Copenhagen (Denmark)
Back to Copenhagen for the fifth location: Pizzeria Luca. One of the youngest on the list, it opened in March 2019 in the centre of the Danish capital. "It was a great honour to be named the fifth best pizzeria in Europe," one of Pizzeria Luca's partners, Lasse Wiwe, told Lonely Planet. "We had only been open two months when we received the award. Although we knew we were offering a good product, it was a surprise. Since then we have been working hard to confirm this merit and to improve, aiming for the top of the ranking". One of the hallmarks of the pizzeria is its name, chosen in honour of Luca Platania, famous for letting the pizza dough rest for 72 hours. At Pizzeria Luca, this very method is followed, and delicious pizzas are then assembled and taken out of the oven.
Kitaly staff said it is difficult to make your way in the Geneva restaurant business © Kytaly
6. Kytaly, Geneva (Switzerland)
In sixth place on the list is the Swiss restaurant Kytaly, in Geneva. The kitchen is in the hands of the famous pizza chef Franco Pepe and the pizzas are always prepared using the same method and ingredients, for a 'delicious, healthy and light' result. They don't miss a beat at Kytaly as the one in Geneva appears in the European ranking while the Hong Kong location tops the 50 Top Pizza list for the best pizzerias in Asia. "We are very happy to have achieved this recognition," Kytaly staff told Lonely Planet. "We see it as a point from which to do more and even better."
7. Lilla Napoli, Falkenberg (Sweden)
Seventh place goes to Lilla Napoli, a pizzeria in Falkenberg, a small town in southern Sweden. The restaurant remains faithful to the Neapolitan tradition despite adding a personal touch, because it is well known that 'there are as many different ways of making pizza as there are pizzerias in Naples'. The menu changes often with the chef's new creations and according to seasonal products, but the Margherita is never missing from the list of pizzas. "We are not very interested in rankings," the staff told Lonely Planet, "but we are happy to have achieved this recognition."
8. Addome, London (UK)
Eighth place goes to the London restaurant Addomè, in Streatham Hill, a piece of Naples in the middle of the English capital. Like many pizzerias in the ranking, customers can always find something new on the menu here. Some ingredients are homemade, as is the fresh pasta. One of the most famous pizzas is the one named after the pizzeria, Addomè, with mozzarella, scamorza, parmesan, potato croquettes and rosemary.
All the ingredients of the 'da Michele' pizzeria chain come from Campania© Elke-Simone Kooijman van Guldener /L'antica pizzeria da Michele
9. L'antica pizzeria da Michele, London (UK)
Let's stay in London for the penultimate restaurant on the list, theAntica pizzeria da Michele, a stone's throw from Sherlock Holmes' house on Baker Street. It is the British branch of a chain of restaurants called Michele in the World, born on the streets of Naples and exported to all major Italian cities and abroad, to Spain, Japan, the United States and the United Arab Emirates. All of the restaurant's pizzas are prepared by a Neapolitan pizzaiolo and the ingredients come exclusively from Campania. Michele's pizza has a thin base and a crispy crust, 'a delight that explodes flavours in the palate that could previously only be found in Naples'.
Gazzo's best-selling pizza is with salamino, red peppers, pimiento for a spicy touch, and burrata © Gazzo
10. Gazzo, Berlin (Germany)
Last but not least, the pizzeria Gazzo closes the ranking. It is located near the (former airport) Tempelhof park and serves 'a Neapolitan-inspired pizza, cooked quickly but at very high temperatures,' a crispier version of the Neapolitan original. Only local ingredients are chosen, from flour to cheese to meat: everything comes from the area around Berlin. 'We are surprised and honoured to receive this recognition,' one of Gazzo 's co-founders told Lonely Planet. They did not expect to make it into the rankings given the many criticisms they received about their way of making pizza. "Our goal is to bring pizza to the table that makes people happy," said the other founder, Mikael Andersen. "But we also want to revisit the traditional pizzeria concept, proposing new sustainable and ethical standards."
