This London Pizzeria Has Won National Pizza Of The Year

By Ellie Smith

1 hour ago

Bad Boy Pizza Society has secured the top gong


The UK has a strong offering when it comes to pizza – but where to find the best in the country? From London-based pizzamakers Bad Boy Pizza Society, according to the National Pizza Awards, which has just crowned its 2024 winner.

National Pizza Awards 2024: Who Won?

Bad Boy Pizza Society, which operates from three sites across the capital in Tulse Hill, Covent Garden and London Bridge, has won Pizza of the Year for its signature dish: the ‘Sausage Party’. The 16″ New York-style pizza is made with a 48-hour ferment method, then topped with tomato sausage, fennel sausage, red chilli, lemon zest, caramelised fennel, onion and Parmigiana Reggiano.

The pizza brand began its life at the University of Southampton, where a group of four friends decided to launch a parody society dedicated to supplying members with discounted meals out. This grew into a group dedicated to pizza-related activities via the Instagram @badboypizzasoc, hosting backyard pizza parties and pop-ups at festivals. Before long, the team had secured three locations across London.

Bad Boy Pizza Society beat 15 other finalists in the awards, which were announced in a ceremony at London’s Big Penny Social earlier this week. Others nominated included Ace Pizza in London, Pizzaface in Brighton and nationwide favourite Pizza Pilgrims.

Commenting on the win, chef Damodar Niksic said: ‘This is very dreamlike. I have worked very hard to get where I am. Bad Boy Pizza Society is only bad boy by name – we are a big family and we all support each other with ideas. Yes, I made this pizza today, but everyone has worked so hard alongside me. Unity and family are good things, and winning this is down to my Bad Boy pizza family.’

He added: ‘Bad Boy Pizza Society is going to open its first bricks and mortar in Bethnal Green really soon, and because of that we really care about what we did today – this is the thing we’ve been chatting about, as we want to present our pizza to the people, to do justice to the pizza gods. Perfection is about little things done well and I’m just so happy that at the end of the day, it showed. Winning this confirms we’re doing the right thing, it’s a great way to tell people that we’re out there and put ourselves on the map.’

This is the second win for the pizzeria, who took home the National Pizza of the Year title two years ago. Alongside the winning pizza, the menu includes dishes like the Vodkaroni, which features the signature vodka sauce and pepperoni, and Fungi Town, made with whipped lemon ricotta, mushrooms and truffle oil.

The full list of finalists for 2024 were:

  • Ace Pizza, London: Honey Pie
  • Bad Boy Pizza Society, London: Sausage Party
  • Botanica Hall, London: Paradise Lost
  • Crust Bros, London: Smokestack Lightnin’
  • Due Forni, Beaconsfield: Ragu Pazzo
  • Homeslice, London: The Bebé
  • Maurizio & Co, Cambridge: Lord Orli
  • Pizzaface, Brighton: Sri Lankan Saman
  • Pizza Pilgrims, Nationwide: Umami Mia
  • Pizza Pilgrims, Glasgow: Birria Beef
  • Rudy’s Pizza Napoletana, London: The Lorenzo
  • Scott’s All Day, Cambridge: Pepperoni & Hot Honey Detroit
  • The Dough Thrower, Cardiff: La Finale
  • The Woodyard, Woodbridge: Vesuvio
  • Voodoo Ray’s: Porky’s
  • Zizzi, Nationwide: Spicy Short Rib Pizza