The renowned Dublin-based Little Pyg pizzeria secured the 15th position amongst Europe’s best pizza places, as well as winning two other prizes at the esteemed Pizza Europa Awards held in Madrid on a recent Monday night. 50 Top Pizza, a culinary publication that applauds top-rated pizza accomplishments worldwide, bestowed this honour on Little Pyg, located in Dublin’s Powerscourt Townhouse Centre.
Amidst famous pizzerias from all over Europe, Little Pyg, the only Irish contestant, found its place in the Top 50 list. Furthermore, this impressive restaurant snagged the title of Ireland’s finest pizza place for the second consecutive year.
The pizzeria was established shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic by Paul McGlade jnr. In a unique initiative, each chef employed at Little Pyg is trained by Enzo Coccia, a pizza maestro and the first pizzaiolo to be featured in the Michelin guide, right in the heart of Italy.
An additional accolade recognising Little Pyg as the best authentic Italian produce in Europe was awarded on the night, surprising many, considering the competition is typically dominated by Italian names. This honour led to speculation if they had managed to rank among the top 50 in the competition.
McGlade admitted to not knowing the significance of their achievement in the previous year until they looked it up and realised that 50 Top is considered the ultimate authority for pizza makers. 50 Top Pizza, the largest pizza body globally, employs over 2,000 inspectors who visit restaurants anonymously and pay for their meals, notifying the establishments of their reviews via a letter. McGlade received a letter around a month and a half to two months prior to the awards, inviting them to Madrid and informing them of their place in the top 50, an achievement that he believes is a massive win for the Irish food scene.
McGlade’s pizzeria managed to secure 27th place out of 50 spots in the 2023 event, and he had made a pledge to his pizza chefs that they would celebrate in Ibiza if they made it into the top 15. Right after their ranking announcement, they held him to this promise.
The squad, however, are preparing for a trip to Naples in September as they’ve been granted a “golden ticket” to compete in the Pizza World Championship. This privilege resulted from their stellar performance at the Pizza Europa Awards where they finished in the top 20.
“We are acknowledged as one of the best pizzerias on earth with such recognition,” explained McGlade, referring to the contest that features 100 of the world’s finest pizzas.
“Hard earned I’d say, considering the challenging times during Covid. We’re a favourite among the Italians too, you’d see them eating at our place every Sunday,” he added.
Little Pyg is part of the renowned Pygmalion in Dublin and apart from its culinary delights, the restaurant also prides itself on its variety of cocktails.