[title]
It’s official, the greatest pizza in the country is in London! Frankly, we are unsurprised, considering the quality of this city’s current slice scene.
The 2025 edition of the National Pizza Awards took place yesterday (Nov 4) at Big Penny Social in Walthamstow, with 16 independent and high street pizzerias getting stuck into a live cook-off for a panel of industry judges, including Time Out’s food and drink editor Leonie Cooper.
This year’s well-deserved overall winner was Short Road Pizza, which you can find in residence at Three Colts Tavern in Bethnal Green and William The Fourth pub in Leyton, which are both run by Exale Brewing.
Inspired by crispy Romana-style pizza, Short Road Pizza won the signature round with their glammed-up marinara, which came topped with garlic purée, a dose of chimichurri, burrata cheese and anchovies.
Time Out is already a fan of Short Road Pizza. Our review from earlier this year says: ‘This thin crust, zero-flop pie acts as a canvas for Short Road’s Italian founder Ugo to paint all kinds of crazy flavours. Paying homage to his grandfather Gigi's ‘a bocca o forno’ (on the edge of the oven) technique, they pair the light crispy dough with exciting flavour combos.’
In second place was Bing Bong Pizza which operates out of You Call The Shots bar in Hackney, and third was London mini-chain Yard Sale Pizza.
Other winners included Antonio Raspone of Mamma Dough in south London, who was named Pizza Chef of the Year. Pizza chef Riccardo Demuru of Short Road Pizza also won the Alternative Slice Award for the best use of ‘free-from’ ingredients, while the Blogger’s Choice Award went to Howard Quayle of Ace Pizza in Victoria Park.
The National Pizza Awards is hosted by Dine Out, an industry magazine about the UK restaurant sector, which also hosts the National Burger Awards.
The best London restaurants for pizza, according to Time Out.
Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.