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As Leonardo Da Vinci once said, ‘simplicity is the ultimate sophistication’. Sure, he probably wasn’t talking about pizza when he said it, but the logic still applies. There are few things in life quite as close to perfection than the combination of a thin-crust base, rich tomato sauce and molten cheese.
Which is why when we heard that the best pizzeria in the UK had been named for 2026, our ears perked up and our stomachs started rumbling.
Stable Hearth Neapolitan Pizzeria & Enoteca in Darlington, County Durham has been crowned Britain’s best pizza restaurant in the annual Italian Awards.
The team behind the family-run resto sure know what they’re doing when it comes to a pizza pie, because Stable Hearth is no stranger to the title, having now taken home the glory an impressive six times.
Restaurateur Nicholas Thexton, who owns the pizzeria, posted about the win on Instagram, saying the team were ‘more than a little nervous’ ahead of the big day considering the calibre of the competition.
‘Not a bad achievement for a little family run pizzeria in the north-east! We are so proud to keep the region on the foodie map!’ he wrote.
Menu highlights include multiple white base pies alongside options including the Three Little Pigs, with homemade tomato sauce, fiordilatte cheese, smoked pancetta, cumberland sausage and local black pudding, and the Pizza Vesuvio, with San Marzano tomato sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni salami, n’duja, fresh chilli, smoked provola cheese and fresh basil.
Finalists for Best Pizzeria in the UK 2026
- Amico Mio in Clitheroe, Lancashire
- Osteria V2.0 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire
- Primavista Bury St Edmunds in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
- Scaramantica Pizzeria in Cardiff, Wales
Pizza wasn’t the only thing on the menu at the awards, run each year by Scottish events company Paramount Creative. The competition names the UKs top Italian businesses, recognising the individual chefs, restaurants, cafes and dishes which best represent Europe’s glorious Boot.
Awards span 24 categories, celebrating everything from best wholesale supplier and best wine list to up and coming chef and best tiramisu (hint: you’ll have to head to Lancashire to taste this year’s top sweet treat).
As well as being crowned the best pizza restaurant, Stable Hearth made the shortlist for the best restaurant in north east of England and best wine list categories.
Check out the full list of winners for 2026 on the Italian Awards' website here.
Did you see that the UK’s best restaurant has just launched a more affordable menu?
Plus: all the British restaurants that were added to the Michelin Guide in March 2026.
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