Napoli on the Road named World's Best Pizzeria

Napoli on the Road has been named World's Best Pizzeria at the 50 Top Pizza World Awards 2026, held this week in Naples. The London-based pizzeria, founded by Michele Pascarella, beat entries from more than 40 countries to take the title, an unusual result for a ranking long dominated by Italian addresses.

The award caps a run that started in a converted Ape Piaggio van. Pascarella, who moved to the UK from Maddaloni near Naples at 19, began selling pizza from the three-wheeler at London farmers' markets in 2016 before opening a permanent site in Chiswick three years later. Regulars from those early market stalls still turn up at the Chiswick counter, staff say.

Napoli on the Road now runs three restaurants: the original in Chiswick, a second in Richmond, and a Soho site that opened in February 2026. The group has placed among the world's top five pizzerias every year since 2024.

The Ape Piaggio van has outlasted every fine-dining kitchen in this particular race.

From street van to world title

The London operation has already been named Best Pizzeria in Europe three years running, from 2024 to 2026, and Pascarella won Pizza Maker of the Year at the same awards in 2023. This year, his signature pizza, Ricordi d'Infanzia — topped with beef ragù, Parmigiano Reggiano fondue and basil — was named Pizza of the Year.

"This award is the culmination of hard work over many years, from starting small in an Ape Piaggio to now running three restaurants," Pascarella said after the ceremony at Teatro Mercadante.

A tasting menu built on memory

The Soho site carries the group's newest format: a pizza tasting menu structured around dishes from Pascarella's childhood in Campania, served alongside the high-crust Neapolitan pizzas that built the brand's reputation. See also London's other high-volume Italian opening, Juno.

50 Top Pizza has run its World Awards since 2018, ranking pizzerias on dough, toppings, service and value. A London address topping the list marks a shift for a ranking long dominated by pizzerias in Naples and the rest of Italy.

Pascarella has not said whether a fourth site is planned. For now, London keeps the world title it took from Naples.