Milan to host global Best Pizza Awards 2025

Milan will host the third edition of The Best Pizza Awards on 25^th June 2025, bringing together guests including food journalists, culinary innovators and over 300 international pizza chefs. The event, which aims to both preserve traditional pizza-making and encourage innovation, invites a panel of 512 independent experts from 60 countries to adjudicate offerings from around the world.

The Best Pizza Awards is not just about rankings – “it’s about uniting a global community that shares a deep respect for tradition and an appetite for innovation,” says Cristian Gadau, co-founder of The Best Chef and The Best Pizza Awards. This year’s edition will include new categories, discussions with influential figures in the pizza world, and a focus on the evolution of pizza beyond its cultural and geographical origins.

A key component of the programme is Pizza Talks, a series of panels moderated by leading food journalists. Speakers include Gabriele Bonci (Pizzarium, Rome), Francesco Martucci (I Masanielli, Caserta) and special guest Eduard Xatruch (Disfrutar, Barcelona) in discussions that will examine the interplay between tradition and innovation in pizza, as well as the diverse experiences shaping the industry globally, with additional panellists representing far-flung pizzerias in the Philippines, Japan and Chile.

Two masterclasses will be held in the afternoon: Franco Pepe (Pepe in Grani, Caiazzo) will present The Absolute of Fried, focusing on fried pizza techniques, while Amalia Costantini (Mater di Amalia Costantini, Fiano Romano) will lead a session on sourdough starters. The ceremony in the evening will unveil the Top 100 pizzas for 2025, alongside special awards recognising excellence in categories such as Margherita, Fried Pizza, Pastry Pizza and Pizza Innovation. Other accolades include distinctions for social media presence, food art and street pizza. Following the gala, a collaborative dining event will feature celebrated chefs from Italy, New Zealand and elsewhere – including Pier Daniele Seu, Floriano Pellegrino, Roberta Esposito and Vaughan Mabee – preparing pizzas for attendees.

Organisers emphasise the independence of the awards’ voting process, stating that the panel is comprised exclusively of professionals with proven expertise in culinary evaluation. The structure is designed to ensure transparency and minimise commercial influence to “safeguard the integrity of the profession, giving the stage to those who shape the craft from within”.

Food Desk

The Best Pizza Awards 2025 will take place at Spazio Antologico, East End Studios, Via Mecenate 84/10, Milan on 25^th June 2025. For further information, visit the event’s official website here.