I tried the ‘best pizza in the world’ and no, it wasn’t in Italy
You’d be forgiven for thinking that Europe’s best pizza would be found in Italy, somewhere like Rome or Naples.
But in actuality, it happens to be right here in London.
Napoli On The Road, which has restaurants in Chiswick and Richmond, was recently crowned the best pizzeria in Europe in the 50 Top Pizza Awards 2024.
The pizzerias are owned and run by Michele Pascarella, a chef from Naples who has been making pizza since he was just 11 years old.
He realised at a young age that this was his calling, and at 19 came over to the UK, where he worked in various restaurants, including Sartori in Soho, before finally setting up his own business selling wood fire pizza from a van, hence the name.
Michele’s first brick and mortar site opened in September 2019, with the second one in Richmond following in June 2023.
Both restaurants have proved incredibly successful, with the owner even being crowned the best pizza chef in the world at the most recent World 50 Top Pizza Awards.
Michele was named world’s best pizza chef in 2023. (Picture: Napoli On The Road)
With all these impressive accolades under Michele’s belt, I couldn’t help but wonder if his pizza really is the crème de la crème.
So when I heard that a six-course charity tasting dinner was being held at the Chiswick restaurant, I knew I had to go along and find out what all the fuss was about.
For the special event, Michele teamed up with Diego Vitagliano, another chef from Naples, whose pizzeria, 10 Pizzeria di Bagnoli, also scored big at the 50 Top awards, being named Best Pizzeria in the World.
I was about to eat a pizza cooked for me by the current ‘World’s Best Pizza Chef’ and the owner of the ‘World’s Best Pizzeria’, at the best pizzeria in Europe. It really doesn’t get any better than that.
So was it the world’s best pizza? I can confirm it thoroughly deserves that title. It was phenomenal.
If you’ve ever wanted to enjoy a gourmet pizza, then this is the place to go.
The two chefs came together to make an unforgettable meal, and the best part is that the standout pizza of the night just so happens to feature on the Napoli On The Road menu as a signature dish, so you’ll be able to go and try it for yourself.
Although you’ll want to be quick as the menu changes and evolves every three months based on which ingredients are in season.
The pizza in question is the Cheesewick (a play on Chiswick), which is topped with Buffalo ricotta, fior di latte, buffalo stracciatella, Parmesan chips, dry blue Stilton, and piennolo cherry tomato jam. It’s essentially a very fancy five cheese pizza.
As someone who isn’t a fan of blue cheese, I wasn’t expecting to like this slice, but it blew me away.
The tomato jam is tangy, but there’s only a little of it dotted about so as to let the cheese remain the star of the show. But a little goes along way in this case and it cuts through the richness of the cheese nicely.
The Parmsean chips add a very satisfying crunch to combat the molten topping and the dough, despite being light, holds its structural integrity through every bite, which was impressive.
Five cheese pizza isn’t a new concept, but this one hits different. I think it all comes down to the expertly paired cheeses, which are incredibly indulgent. Don’t expect to find any cheddar here.
Other pizzas on the menu for the event included Zucchini & friends (Zucchini cream, zucchini chips, truffle caviar, egg yolk), Lardo & Pancetta (Potato cream with saffron, fior di latte, lard from colonnata, peppers mayo, smoked paprika) and Marinara Sbagliata (San Marzano tomato, oregano, wild garlic leaf, sweet jam).
Michele Pascarella’s top tips for making pizza at home:
According to the beloved chef, the key is to choose the right ingredients, respect the flour you’re using, and pay attention to temperature and time.
He tells Metro.co.uk: ‘People often think that making pizza is easy, but there is a world behind it, we are 100% focused every single day from the first step to the last one.
‘The most important tips for creating a good pizza at home are: always respect the leavening times of the dough, always try to avoid places that are too humid during the preparation phases, and always heat the oven before inserting the pizza.
‘For the hydration and leavening of the dough, it is also essential to insert water that is not too “hard”, and low in calcium and magnesium, which can strengthen the gluten network and favour the fermentation of the yeast.
‘The choice of ingredients is fundamental: they must always be of high quality, from flour to tomato, from mozzarella to oil.’
He adds: ‘The biggest mistake you can make is to add too many toppings to a single pizza.
‘People must try to understand that food combination is an art, that takes time to perfect. The pizza that I would never choose is something that makes no sense, for example pizza with lots of different meats and fruits like pineapple etc.’
So much care, attention, and creativity went into making these pizzas, and I can honestly say that I’ve never eaten anything like them.
You could tell that the ingredients were of the highest quality, which really added to the depth of flavour and stopped the food from being greasy.
These pizza chefs are in a league of their own, so it’s no wonder Michele and Diego have been winning such prestigious titles left, right, and centre.
Napoli On The Road definitely needs to skyrocket to the top of your must-visit list for London restaurants.
There’s no doubt in my mind that this is the best pizza I’ve ever eaten. It really is that good.