Pizza, pizza, pizza. It’s probably the most universally adored food, but we all have our preferences. Are you a thin-crust or thick-crust person? Does ordering a margarita make you a purist or a bore? Does anyone actually like deep-dish? And then, of course, there’s the question of pineapple. But let’s not even get into that.
With hundreds of variations and different national twists on this treasured Italian dish, judging the best pizza in the world is a pretty big task. Enter the Top 50 Pizza awards.
This judging panel, once described as ‘the Michelin guide for pizza’ in the Chiswick Calendar, conducts rigorous research into the best pizzas, the best pizzerias, and the best pizza chefs in the world for its annual awards, and it has just announced its rankings for 2023.
London-based pizza chef Michele Pascarella was awarded the super-prestigious Global Pizza Maker of the Year, which you can read all about here, and his restaurant, Napoli on the Road, ranked as number 46 in the top 50.
Crosta Pizza, in the Philippines, had the winning pizza, topped with culatello (a type of salami), black tasmanian cherries marinated in marsala, gorgonzola cream, mozzarella and balsamic vinegar. Yum.
The panel also announced their picks for the world’s best pizzerias – and 11 of the top 20 are in Italy, obviously.
Ranking at number one is 10 Diego Vitagliano Pizzeria in Naples, which already ranked as the best pizzeria in Italy earlier this year. The whole floor of this outstanding pizzeria has been converted into a classy living-room style space, with a cocktail counter and notoriously welcoming service.
I Masanielli - Francesco Martucci, just down the road in Caserta, was awarded joint first place. It’s known for its pizza cooked in three stages: steamed, fried, and baked, which is accompanied by a professionally curated beer and wine list.
Second place went to an American restaurant, Una Pizza Napoletana in New York, which is headed up by Anthoni Mangieri. This East Village pizzeria keeps it simple, showcasing the freshness and subtle excellence of the kitchen’s ingredients.
Here are the top 20 best pizzerias in the world for 2023, according to Top 50 Pizza.
- 10 Diego Vitagliano Pizzeria, Naples, Italy
= I Masanielli - Francesco Martucci, Caserta, Italy - Una Pizza Napoletana, New York, US
- Sartoria Panatieri, Barcelona, Spain
- The Pizza Bar on 38th, Tokyo, Japan
- I Tigli, San Bonifacio, Italy
- Seu Pizza Illuminati, Rome, Italy
- 50 Kalò, Naples, Italy
- Bottega, Beijing, China
- 180g Pizzeria Romana, Rome, Italy
- I Masanielli - Sasà Martucci, Caserta, Italy
- Razza Pizza Artigianale, Jersey City, US
- Francesco & Salvatore Salvo, Naples, Italy
- Bӕst, Copenhagen, Denmark
- 50 Kalò, London, UK
- Dry Milano, Milan, Italy
- Cambia-Menti Di Ciccio Vitiello, Caserta, Italy
- Via Toledo Enopizzeria, Vienna, Austria
- Ken’s Artisan Pizza, Portland, US
- Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, San Francisco, US
- La Notizia 94, Naples, Italy
Did you see that Berlin is getting 500 news culture spaces – but some of its celebrated clubs are under threat?
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out Travel newsletter for all the latest travel news.