A humble pizza venture that started in East London during the Covid-19 lockdown has just been awarded the country's top pizza honour. Short Road Pizza was named Pizza of the Year at the National Pizza Awards 2025, seeing off competition from some of the UK's most esteemed pizzaiolos.
From Community Project to National Champion
The business began in 2020 as a lockdown initiative by founders Ugo Galelli and Kate Prior. Their goal was simple: to connect with their new neighbourhood in Bethnal Green. "The idea was to give our neighbours a couple of pizzas to try, and then all the profits used to go to food banks," Ugo explained. "Short Road was born as a community project."
The pizzeria's inspiration is deeply personal, drawing from Ugo's grandfather, who ran a Michelin-starred pizzeria in Liguria, Italy, in the 1970s. "My grandad was obsessed with achieving a light and crispy product," Ugo said. He still employs his grandfather's method, using a 48-hour fermented dough cooked 'low and slow', resulting in a unique base he describes as "not Romana, not New York style: more like a Romana Americana."
The Award-Winning Slice and Creative Menu
The pizza that clinched the title was the Short Road Marinara. Far from a basic offering, it features homemade tomato sauce, confit garlic purée, spicy chimichurri, fresh stracciatella, Cantabrian anchovies, and oregano. The result is a bold, deeply savoury creation with complex layers of heat, richness, and umami.
But the Marinara isn't a lone success. The menu showcases consistent creativity, with items like the 'Cowabungai' with 'nduja béchamel and smoked pepperoni, and the 'Bianca Pie' topped with soy marmite mushrooms and porcini dust. This inventive approach also earned Short Road Pizza the Alternative Slice Award at the same ceremony.
A Shock Win and an Emotional Celebration
The victory came as a surprise to the small team, which has only been operating from pubs for a year. They currently serve from The Three Colts Tavern in Bethnal Green and alongside Exale Brewing in Leyton. Ugo dedicated the win to his head chef, Riccardo: "I was very proud of my chef Riccardo, who participated as our head chef, and he smashed it."
Reflecting on the moment, Ugo expressed profound gratitude. "I felt a sense of unity with my team and a massive sense of gratitude towards my clients and the people that have been supporting us," he said. "This has done a lot to us and I feel very excited about the future."
The win solidifies Short Road Pizza's rapid journey from a neighbourhood lockdown project to a nationally recognised name, proving that exceptional flavour and community spirit can rise to the very top.
