Stefani’s Pizzeria - An Enlightening Experience In Blackpool

Some of the best pizzas that I have had in Italy have been at small family-run restaurants where all the locals eat: the decor might not to be to British tastes but as they say, you should never judge a book by the cover.

We were driving to Turin one stormy night, the rain was so heavy that the windscreen wipers on the hire car could not keep up with the torrential rain. Having pulled over into a small village we saw the local pizzeria, the rain had not stopped the locals from dining out. It didn’t look much outside and the interior was very bare - much like all pizzerias are in Italy. What a find it was, the owners had not seen a British guest in years and we both ate one of the best pizzas we had ever tasted.

You might find yourself saying the same thing if you visit Stefani’s pizzeria in Blackpool. It was a rainy autumn evening night when we visited, with the seafront packed with traffic due to the illuminations. Venture a few hundred yards back and those in the know were tucking into the best authentic pizzas you will probably find for miles around.

Like all proper Italian pizzerias the decor is simple with plastic table cloths, an open kitchen and very friendly staff. Like I said, don’t judge a book by its cover, it’s not so much about the place but more about the pizza.


The pizzeria is owned by Nico Stefani, though his accent might be more Northern than Italian. Nico was previously working in sales but he had always had a love of making pizzas and decided to put his Italian heritage to good use.

To get that true authentic Italian pizza taste right Nico travelled to Naples to learn his trade. He must have had a good teacher as if you close your eyes when you eat the pizzas you could be in Bologna and not Blackpool. All the ingredients are sourced from Naples and the Amalfi coast.

The menu has a few starters and breads too, but the main event is the pizza. Ranging from the Margherita at £7.90 to the Salsiccia at £10.90, in between there are at least sixteen other options to try.


The pizzas are cooked in a wood-fired oven, like all good pizzas are. The pizza oven at Stefani’s is named after Nico’s grandma Gigi. There is even a pizza named The Don after his grandfather.

I tried the Carne Italiana - the base was just like you would get in Campania with tomato sauce, mozzarella, salami, nduja, pepperoni and prosciutto. I could have eaten two but of course you have to leave enough room for dessert.

My partner decided on the Milano without the mushrooms. The tomato sauce, mozzarella, prosciutto finished with rocket and Parmesan was rated excellent by someone who is not really that keen on pizzas.

There is also a healthly Vegan menu.

We finished with a homemade Galaxy Cheesecake and a bowl of Italian Gelato, which was a good end to a meal that had it all.

The home delivery service seemed to be very popular too as the locals know they are on to a good thing!

No wonder Stefani’s has been voted as one of the 50 best pizza places in the UK. We might not be able to get on a plane yet to Italy but thankfully Blackpool and Stefani’s is a lot nearer to home.

Stefani’s Pizzeria, 3 Cedar Square, Blackpool FY1 1BP
Telephone 01253 297185
https://www.stefanispizzeria.co.uk/