The Best Pizza Chef 2026

Special Awards: The world of pizza is expanding

Alongside the top prizes, numerous Special Awards were presented in Milan. They demonstrate the diverse ways in which pizza is interpreted today: as street food, a social media phenomenon, a means of expressing identity, a fried pizza culture, a dessert variation or an experiential concept.

The key Special Awards for 2026:

• The Best Pizza NextGen Award: Luca Fabozzi, Licoli, Antwerpen, Belgien
• The Best Pizza Margherita Award: Francesco Granata, Napul’è Italian Comfort Food, Vari, Griechenland
• The Best Fried Pizza Award: Enzo, Salvatore & Cristiano Piccirillo, La Masardona, Neapel, Italien
• The Best Pastry Pizza Award: Francesco Pompetti, Impastatori Pompetti, Roseto degli Abruzzi, Italien
• The Best Street Pizza Award: Floriana Pastore, Signora Pizza, Las Vegas, USA
• The Best Pizza Social Media Award: Jorge Sastre & Rafa Panatieri, Sartoria Panatieri, Barcelona, Spanien
• The Best Pizza Experience Award: Francesco Capece, Confine, Mailand, Italien
• The Best Pizza FoodArt Award: Amalia Costantini, Mater, Fiano Romano, Italien
• The Best Pizza Identity Award: Yuki Motokura, Pizza Marumo, Tokio, Japan
• The Best Pizza Icon Award: Anthony Mangieri, Una Pizza Napoletana, New York, USA
• The Best Pizza Legend Award: Franco Pepe, Pepe in Grani, Caiazzo, Italien

This diversity is particularly fascinating because it shows that pizza is no longer a single, uniform style. It is a global system comprising regional styles, cultural adaptations and personal interpretations.

From Naples to Tokyo: pizza is going global

The international list of winners highlights just how far pizza has travelled today. Naples remains a legend and a source of inspiration. Caserta and Caiazzo demonstrate just how strongly Campania continues to be a creative hub. At the same time, places such as New York, Tokyo, Las Vegas, Barcelona, Antwerp and Vari in Greece represent a new global pizza map. This is not about stripping pizza of its Italian soul. On the contrary: the best interpretations emerge where its origins are understood before they are further developed. And this brings us to the point: innovation does not work if it undermines tradition.

Fun fact: Neapolitan pizza is actually part of our cultural heritage

The art of the Neapolitan pizzaiuolo was added to UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2017. This highlights the cultural significance of this culinary tradition. It’s all about craftsmanship, gestures, dough handling, baking in a wood-fired oven, community and the passing on of knowledge. This is what makes pizza unique: it is one of the most democratic dishes in the world and, at the same time, one of the most strictly codified. Few ingredients, maximum precision. Flour, water, salt, yeast, tomato, mozzarella, heat, time. It only sounds simple to those who have never tried to make a really good pizza.

What really makes a good pizza?

A good pizza doesn’t start with the toppings. It starts with the dough. The key factors are the quality of the flour, water absorption, the amount of salt, fermentation, temperature, resting time and baking technique. A good dough needs structure, elasticity and flavour. It shouldn’t sit heavily in the stomach, but should be aromatic, light and easy to digest. Neapolitan pizza is particularly well known for its soft, airy crust, short baking time at a very high temperature and a juicy centre. Roman pizza, on the other hand, can be thinner, crispier or, as ‘pizza al taglio’, particularly versatile. Modern interpretations make use of long fermentation times, special flours, sourdough, regional ingredients or unusual textures. The most important thing for diners to remember: you can’t tell a good pizza just by how it looks, but by how it makes you feel afterwards.

Austria and the pizza craze: what comes after Neapolitan-style pizza?

In Austria, too, pizza has long since become one of the strongest trends in the restaurant scene. In Vienna, Graz, Salzburg and other cities, Neapolitan-style pizza has gained enormous popularity in recent years. What used to be considered a speciality – stone-baked pizza – is now available almost everywhere. The airy crust, the light browning, the juicy centre and its closeness to the Italian original have shaped the market. But this is precisely where the next question arises: what comes after the Neapolitan craze?

As already described in the Genusspunkt article ‘Pizza Trends in Austria’, the future could lie more in diversification. Roman-style pizza, pizza al taglio, deep-fried pizza, creative regional toppings, sourdough varieties and hybrid concepts could gain in importance in the coming years. Much like the burger, which gave rise to many sub-styles after its initial boom, pizza in Austria could also become broader, bolder and more varied. After all, the market has matured. Diners have learnt to taste the differences. They know that not all pizzas are the same. And they are prepared to pay more for quality, provided the experience is right.

Pizza as a revenue driver

Pizza is economically compelling because it satisfies several desires at once: accessibility, emotional appeal, shareability, craftsmanship, speed and individuality. It works within a fine-casual concept, as takeaway, as bar food, on sharing menus, in hotels, at events and as a signature product. This is precisely why pizza is so appealing. It can be accessible yet sophisticated. It can be highly profitable if the quality and process are right. It can feel familiar yet still surprise. The challenge lies in avoiding becoming just another run-of-the-mill option. Simply offering another Neapolitan pizza is not automatically enough. What matters most are distinctiveness, expertise in dough-making, the quality of ingredients, hospitality and a clear concept.

How pizza becomes a recipe for success

The Best Pizza Awards highlight three trends that are relevant to the catering and hospitality industries.

• Dough is strategy
  Anyone who takes pizza seriously must understand fermentation, flour, temperature and baking techniques. The dough is not merely a base, but a brand identity.
• Origin creates differentiation
  Regional ingredients, a distinctive style and clear supplier relationships make pizza more exciting than interchangeable topping lists.
• The experience counts
  The award for ‘Best Pizza Experience’ shows that pizza today is also about presentation, atmosphere, service and storytelling. Guests remember not just the taste, but the moment.

From Legacy to Future: Why pizza is so exciting right now

The theme of The Best Pizza Awards 2026, ‘Legacy & Future’, sums it up perfectly. Pizza is a dish with a rich history. But its future is being shaped by those who understand where it comes from, yet still have the courage to take it further. Francesco Martucci is a powerful symbol of this. Yet the list of winners shows that the future of pizza is not tied to any one place. It is taking shape in Caserta, Milan, Naples, New York, Tokyo, Barcelona, Antwerp, Las Vegas and wherever pizzaioli work with respect, craftsmanship and imagination. And anyone who wants to understand why pizza today is far more than just tomatoes, cheese and a hot oven should start with the dough: The First Viennese Pizza Association explains what makes a truly good pizza: from fermentation and heat to the art of occasionally leaving out the burrata.

Conclusion: Pizza is here to stay, but it’s maturing

The Best Pizza Awards 2026 impressively demonstrate that pizza has made the leap from an everyday meal to an international culinary category. It remains accessible, but is becoming more refined. It remains emotional, but is becoming more professional. It remains simple – at least at first glance. Because good pizza is never just dough, tomato and cheese. It’s about time, temperature, provenance, craftsmanship, attitude and a touch of magic. Or to put it another way: pizza is here to stay. But the really exciting question is no longer whether pizza is a trend. It’s who will write its next chapter.

Read more: Pizza trends in Austria, the Neapolitan hype and new movements.

Infobox: The Best Pizza Awards 2026

Location: Milan, Italy
Date: 24 June 2026
Venue: Studio Novanta, East End Studios
Theme: Legacy & Future
Guests: more than 500, including around 300 pizza chefs and 200 international journalists
Winner: Francesco Martucci, I Masanielli, Caserta, Italy
2nd place: Roberto Davanzo, Bob Alchimia a Spicchi, Montepaone, Italy
3rd place: Francesco Capece, Confine, Milan, Italy
Special feature: In addition to the Top 100, the ‘Ones to Follow’ list featuring a further 50 pizza chefs was unveiled for the first time. Together, the Top 100 and the ‘Ones to Follow’ represent 150 pizza chefs from 39 countries and five continents.