Irish pizzeria named among world’s Top 100: ‘We want to put Irish pizza on the map’

The Dough Bros in Galway, run by brothers Ronan and Eugene Greaney, was listed at No.79 in the 50 Top Pizza World Awards for 2022.

The awards were unveiled at a ceremony in the Palazzo Reale in Naples, with I Masanielli in Caserta, Italy and Una Pizza Napoletana in New York tying for the No.1 position.

In their citation for The Dough Bros, judges said its “dough is made to perfection and the selection of raw ingredients is always top quality”.

The Galway pizzeria was the only Irish outlet to feature on this year’s list, and also ranked at No.27 in Europe.

“We have some of the best dairy, meat and veg in the world right here, on our doorstep,” Eugene Greaney said.

“So why can't one of the world's best pizzerias be right here in Galway, on the west coast of Ireland? It sounded crazy, but that has been our goal from day one, and now we have seen that materialise.”

The 50 Top Pizza Awards are run by 50 Top Pizza, an online guide based in Italy.

Rankings are based on the feedback of “inspectors” who make anonymous visits to pizzerias around the world, it says.

“This guide encompasses many different styles of pizza, even if, obviously, the Neapolitan style, both classic and contemporary, is the most popular.

"The most important cities for pizzas in terms of quality are: Naples above all, then New York, Tokyo and São Paulo.”

In their citation, the judges noted how The Dough Bros had re-thought its business strategy during the Covid-19 pandemic, offering DIY kits for delivery “to all corners of the country”.

The Greaney brothers first fell in love with pizza on childhood visits to Naples, and Ronan trained there in 2015. Their pizza business began in a food truck, and is today based at Cathedral Buildings on Middle Street.

The Galway pizzeria uses Neopolitan-style dough and wood-fired ovens, with Irish food and creativity key ingredients.

Toons Bridge Dairy fior di latte cheese is used alongside San Marzano tomato sauce, for example, and one pizza – the ‘Peter Stinger’ - is billed as an “Irish Margerita” with Gubbeen chorizo and “a good drizzle of Noel's Hot Honey” from Co Galway among the toppings.

“We started with a mission to change people’s perceptions of what pizza could be when it's done right,” Eugene says.

"When it's done with craft, dedication and the best of Irish ingredients. We wanted to shake things up in the Irish pizza scene but also to put Irish pizza on the international map.

“After our training in Naples in 2015, and numerous trips to Italy, the States and more, we had a quiet confidence in the Irish food scene and felt what some of our peers were doing here at home was up there with anything we had tried.

“We started to ask why the best pizzerias in the world have to always be in Naples, New York, London?

“And now Ireland and Galway is there.”

Prior to the pandemic, Ireland’s pizza scene had been on a roll, with chefs and restaurateurs travelling to research their craft and wood-fired ovens popping up all over the country.

In 2020, both Dough Bros and Cirillo's in Dublin featured on the list of best pizzerias in Europe. Manifesto in Rathmines featured on the 2019 list.

Top 10 Pizzerias 2022

1. I Masanielli – Caserta, Italy
2. A Neapolitan Pizza - New York, USA
3. Peppe Pizzeria - Paris, France
4. 50 Kalò - Naples, Italy
5. 10 Diego Vitagliano Pizzeria - Naples, Italy
6. I Tigli - San Bonifacio, Italy
7. Francesco & Salvatore Salvo - Naples, Italy
8. Seu Pizza Illuminati - Rome, Italy
9. La Notizia 94 - Naples, Italy
10. Tony's Pizza Napoletana - San Francisco, USA

Source: 50toppizza.it