A Dublin restaurant has been named by the 50 top pizza guide as one of the best pizzerias in Europe.
Baggot Street hot spot Cirillo's placed 16th on the list, which takes into account pizzerias across the whole of the continent (excluding Italy). In a similar vain to Michelin, the guide sends judges to anoymously inspect all eligible restaurants, meaning that until the results were announced in Milan via live stream on Tuesday, Cirillo's had no idea that it was set to be included.
Discussing Cirillo's inclusion in the guide, the judges said: "The establishment, which is also a restaurant, was opened in 2016 by James Cirillo. He is of Italian origin; his mother is Irish, and his father is from Caserta in southern Italy.
"The atmosphere is more like that of a pub than a pizzeria, but there is no doubt about the product. The pizza is remarkably like the traditional Neapolitan pizza, well risen and, more importantly, well baked. There is an obsessive research into Italian products, from the tomatoes to the extra virgin olive oil.
"A real surprise was finding some excellent friarielli! The service is very attentive, the Italian spirit is all in the food and not flaunted in a folkloristic way. Obviously, a good selection of beers. The best in Dublin.”
Meanwhile owner of the pizzeria, James Cirillo was understandably delighted by the inclusion, saying: "This is a huge achievement for Cirillo’s and particularly welcome right now. We take great pride in the quality of our ingredients and to have that acknowledged is wonderful!"
Cirillo's opened back in 2016 and cooks its Neapolitan-style pizzas in a pizza oven imported from Naples, using dough which has been proved for 30 hours.
Craving some Italian food in Dublin but don't know where to start? Check out our list of the best Italian restaurants in Dublin