Napoli on the Road: How Did This London Pizzeria Become Europe’s Best?

Europe’s best pizzeria? Turns out it’s here in London. Napoli on the Road, which has branches in Chiswick and Richmond, has topped the European edition of the 50 Top Pizza Awards for the second year running, announced at a ceremony in Madrid yesterday. It’s the world’s most prestigious pizza ranking, so how did an unassuming British joint secure the top prize?

Top 50 Pizza Awards Europe: Napoli on the Road Tops 2025 List

While Napoli on the Road is located in London, it’s the brainchild of a Naples-born chef, Michele Pascarella. He learnt the art of pizza making from the ripe age of 11, growing up in the Caserta province, deciding to move to the UK at 19. Soon after, he began his mission to open his own restaurant, starting off by serving pizzas out of a three-wheel Ape Piaggio truck equipped with its own fire oven. 

It was a quick hit, and before long Pascarella had opened a bricks-and-mortar site in Chiswick, with a second to follow in Richmond in 2023. His approach? No gimmicks, just proper ingredients and traditional Neapolitan techniques, learned and developed over the years. Right from the get-go, his focus has been on using the finest seasonal ingredients – so at the moment, you’ll find the likes of wild garlic and asparagus popping up on the menu. 

Staples include the We’re On Fire, which features ‘nduja from Spilinga and stracciatella from Puglia, and the Provola e Pepe, which is topped with smoked mozzarella and four different ground peppers. There’s also a vegan section, plus specials including a pizza topped with slow-cooked beef ragu.

Soon enough, the awards started coming – and they haven’t stopped since. In 2023, Pascarella was named World Pizza Maker of the year by 50 Top Pizza, which sparked a surge in bookings. Suddenly, the restaurant was fully booked for the next three months, with people travelling from as far as New York to have a taste of the good stuff. It also attracted the attention of some famous faces – earlier this year, Pascarella ended up cooking up a pizza for David Beckham.

Then, in 2024, Napoli on the Road secured 1st place in the 50 Top Pizza Europa 2024, voted for by a number of anonymous inspectors, as well as coming in at number five in the 50 Top Pizza World 2024. And in the 2025 awards, the pizza joint has done it again, landing the top spot on the list. Plus, the aforementioned beef ragu pizza, named the Ricordi d’Infanzia, was named the best pizza in Europe this year.

‘Winning for a second year means more than I can say,’ says Pascarella. ‘This award belongs to the entire team, who share my commitment and passion every day. Taking first place at the 50 Top Pizza Europa in 2024 changed my life and it’s an honour to receive this recognition once again.’

Who Else Made The Top 50 Pizza List?

The only other London pizzeria to make the top 10 was 50 Kalò in Westminster, which also focuses on Neapolitan pizza made with a wood-fired oven, helmed by third generation pizza maker Ciro Salvo. Hampstead Pizzeria L’Antica Pizzeria took the 25th spot, celebrated for its conscious approach to dough-making, which includes a longer fermentation process, resulting in a lighter flavour. 

Elsewhere in Europe, Madrid’s Baldoria and Barcelona’s Sartoria Panatieri came second, followed by Austrian restaurant Via Toledo. In the entire Europa guide, which includes 193 pizzerias, Spain landed the most spots in Europe with 31 pizzerias on the list, followed by France with 22, and England and Switzerland both with 16.

You can find the full list here, and stay tuned for the Top Pizza World 2025 list, which will be announced in September this year.