Polish pizzeria ranked among world’s best 100

A pizzeria in the Polish town of Pabianice has been ranked among the 100 best pizza places in the world.

The restaurant, called Zielona Górka, has previously featured among Europe’s 50 best. But now it has for the first time broken into the annual global ranking compiled by 50 Top Pizza, an Italy-based organisation that makes anonymous tasting visits to pizzerias.

It has rated Zielona Górka – which is run by husband-and-wife team Jędrzej Lewandowski and Lilianna Lewandwoska (pictured above) and specialises in Neapolitan-style pizza the 97th pizzeria in the world and 20th best in Europe.

“Reliability, courteous service, high-quality ingredients, and a welcoming atmosphere are the hallmarks of this must-visit venue,” wrote 50 Top Pizza in its description of the restaurant.

The owners are architects by training but, eight years ago, decided to switch careers and open a restaurant, they told newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza.

At first, their menu included a variety of dishes, but over time they focused mainly on pizza. Lewandowski learned the art of pizza making at the True Neapolitan Pizza Association (AVPN) and the restaurant holds an AVPN licence, confirming that its methods are in line with tradition.

After being named this month among the world’s 100 best, Lewandowski told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that he and his wife “did not even dream of being among such giants”. Zielona Górka was the only pizzeria in Poland to make it into either the global or European ranking this year.

The number one spot in the world was taken by Una Pizza Napoletana, which is located in New York. Three of the remaining top five are, perhaps unsurprisingly, in Italy, but fourth spot was taken by The Pizza Bar On 38th in Tokyo.

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The Zielona Górka menu features nearly 40 types of pizza, including a wide selection of vegetarian and vegan options. The pizzas at the restaurant cost between 40 and 60 zloty (€9.35 to €14) each.

Gazeta Wyborcza notes that the restaurant has created a buzz in Poland, with customers sometimes travelling dozens of kilometres to eat there. Pabianice is a town of around 65,000 inhabitants located near Łódź, Poland’s fourth-largest city.

Poland is developing a growing reputation as a culinary destination. The number of restaurants in the country to hold a prestigious Michelin star doubled this year in the latest version of the guide.

Main image credit: Marcin Stepien / Agencja Wyborcza.pl

Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She previously worked for Reuters.