Cole Sinanian
THE prestigious 50 Top Pizza has revealed the best pizzerias in Europe this year.
The list, revealed at a gala in Madrid, put Spanish pizza culture on display, with seven of the top 50 located in Spain.
The organisation produces an annual ranking on multiple continents, as well as a list of the top 50 pizzerias in the world, which is set to be unveiled in Naples in September.
It should be noted that the European list does not include pizzerias in Italy — the homeland of the beloved global comfort food — as there is a separate top 50 pizzas in Italy list.
Here are the top spots for a slice of Spanish pie.
- Sartoria Panatieri — Barcelona. No. 2
Owned by Rafa Panatieri and Jorge Sastre, the Sartoria Panatieri offers an elegant dining area with what 50 Top Pizza describes as “modern Scandinavian chic,” complete with a covered terrace doused in natural light. The menu offers handcrafted artisanal cocktails, desserts and its signature pizza — tomatoes, basil pesto, pine nuts, and stracciatella di burrata (buffalo cheese) — along with a rotating pizza of the day meant to showcase seasonal ingredients.
- Baldoria — Madrid. No. 5
Madrid’s Baldoria is known for its simple yet memorable menu and dedicated presentation. It offers just seven pizzas — including classics like marinara and margherita, as well more forward-thinking creations like “smoked cheese and pepper” and pumpkin — and a full menu complete with traditional pastas like carbonara and ragu, focaccia, charcuterie, and desserts. The 50 Top Pizza editors praised the staff’s hospitality as well as the food, noting that the manager is often around to warmly greet guests, and the waiters present the pizzas tableside with freshly grated cheese.
- La Balmesina — Barcelona. No. 9
La Balmesina, located blocks away from Antoni Gaudi’s famous Casa Mila in Barcelona, offers lunch and dinner and seamlessly blurs the boundaries between fine and casual dining. Craft beers, natural wines, and kombucha abound, though the restaurant is perhaps best known for its house-made pizza dough, which ferments for 72 hours. It’s also noted for its vegetarian options, namely the “Giana” pizza, topped with mozzarella, ricotta, cherry tomatoes, parmesan, fried eggplant, fresh basil, and basil-infused oil.
- Fratelli Figurato — Madrid. No. 10
Run by Neopolitan brothers Riccardo and Vittorio Figurato, Fratelli Figurato is also locally known for its exceptional dough, with 50 Top Pizza describing the crusts as “high and aromatic,” giving the pizzas an appealing lightness. The pizzeria offers seasonal pizzas that rotate monthly, and a full Italian menu that strays out of Naples, featuring regional specialties like the traditional Sicilian cannoli.
- Demaio — Bilbao. No. 17
The highly successful Bilabao pizzeria has opened a second location to spread the joy of its traditional Roman and Neapolitan pies through the Basque Country’s largest city. A project of Mattia, Gioel, and Jader Demaio — three brothers with roots in Calabria — Demaio also offers classic Italian pasta dishes like Carbonara, Lasagna Alla Bolognese, and Pesto Genovese at its Jardines de Albia location.
- Gasparic — Girona. No. 38
At Gasparic, guests are transported from the Catalan countryside to Naples via a multi-sensory experience. Wood-fired and terracotta Neapolitan ovens, ingredients sourced from Italy — including fresh San Marzano tomatoes, guanciale, red prawns and DOP Parmesan — and a dessert menu complete with tiramisu, panna cotta, cannoli and a luscious cheesecake all make for a truly immersive experience at one of Catalonia’s most renowned pizzerias.
- Infraganti — Alicante. No. 41
The Valencia Community’s only pizzeria to make the list, Infraganti also has locations in Murcia, El Campello, and Elche. Serving traditional Neapolitan pies with a special focus on sustainability, Infraganti uses seasonal ingredients and seeks to embody the principle of “slow food,” taking time and care to ensure the pizzas are of exceptional quality and digestibility. Infraganti’s dough, for example, ferments for a total of 96 hours.
READ MORE:
- It’s official: The best pizzas in Spain can be found in Barcelona
- Three Spanish restaurants make the Top 10 best artisan pizzas in the world
