Dublin restaurant awarded best pizza in Ireland for third year running

Ellen O'Donoghue

Little Pyg, based in the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre in Dublin, has been crowned Ireland’s top pizza for the third year in a row at the Top 50 Pizza Europe Awards in Madrid.

The awards, held on Wednesday, June 4th, also ranked Little Pyg as the 16th best pizza in Europe, meaning it qualifies for the World Pizza Championship in Naples in September.

The awards are widely considered the gold standard in European pizza excellence, and are curated by Italian food critics Barbara Guerra, Luciano Pignataro and Albert Sapere.

Over 2,000 anonymous inspectors assess restaurants across the continent to pick the winners.

The Top 50 Pizza Awards were launched in Italy in 2017 and have grown every year since.

Each year, the organisation’s team of inspectors visit thousands of venues anonymously, assessing everything from dough quality and ingredient sourcing to service, innovation and overall experience.

The final rankings are then revealed at a live awards ceremony, bringing together all those who qualified.

Little Pyg is the only Irish restaurant to earn a place on the list three years in a row.

Speaking from Madrid, owner Paul McGlade Jnr said that he is very proud of Federico Rapali, Little Pyg’s head chef, who McGlade says is “regarded as one of the best pizzaiolos in the world,” and of the entire team at Little Pyg.

“This recognition means everything. It is a reflection of relentless passion, long hours and the belief that great pizza can bring people together. What started as a dream has grown into something far greater than I ever imagined. Here’s to tradition, innovation, and never settling for anything less than excellence,” Rapali said.