If someone had told us in 2020 that the tiny room next to our terrace in Leytonstone would one day become one of Europe's Top 50 Pizzerias, we probably wouldn't have believed them.

Back then, it was just the two of us—Agustin, better known as Papi, and his partner and co-founder Simona. We had a household dough mixer, a little two-pizza oven squeezed into a spare room, and a dream of making great pizza. That tiny room became our first kitchen, where we made, packed and sold around 27 pizzas a day during the first COVID lockdown.

If you've ever wondered where the name Papi's Munchies came from... now you know. Agustin has never been great at remembering names, so he ended up calling almost everyone "Papi". Before long, everyone started calling him Papi too—and the nickname stuck long before the business ever existed. Since day one, he's been the driving force behind the company, whether it's operations, finance, HR, technology or simply solving whatever challenge comes our way.

Alongside him is Simona, the heart of our brand. She looks after our marketing, social media and customer relationships, but her role goes far beyond that. Simona is behind almost every creative aspect of Papi's Munchies—from designing our logo, menus, merchandise and T-shirts to creating all of our social media content and shaping the identity of the brand.

Our third partner is Romeo, from Abruzzo, Italy. Romeo joined us later in our journey, but it didn't take long before he became an essential part of the business. He became a business partner during our Monument chapter and has helped shape every step of our growth since then. Alongside producing exceptional pizzas, Romeo leads much of the creative direction of our menu, developing new recipes, seasonal specials and flavour combinations while always respecting the traditions of Italian cuisine.

In those early days, there wasn't really a team. It was just Agustin and Simona doing absolutely everything—making dough, stretching pizzas, answering the phone, packing orders, cleaning the kitchen and getting ready to do it all again the next morning.

Everything changed in August 2020, when Kevin, owner of the North Star Pub in Leytonstone, believed in what we were doing and gave us the opportunity to move into our first professional kitchen. We'll always be grateful for that opportunity because it completely changed the future of Papi's Munchies.

From that day on, every penny we earned went straight back into making better pizza. Better equipment. Better ingredients. Better techniques. We continue to source premium Italian meats, San Marzanotomatoes and fresh fior di latte mozzarella made in London by a Neapolitan family business, combining authentic Italian ingredients with local craftsmanship.

Our journey has taken us through several exciting chapters. During our time in Monument, Romeo became a business partner and helped us continue building the company. In December 2025, we teamed up with Pretty Decent Beer Co. to open our kitchen in Forest Gate, a partnership that has been an incredible success. Thanks to that relationship, we're excited to continue our journey together by opening another Papi's Munchies inside Pretty Decent Beer Co. in Victoria Park from September 2026, bringing our pizza to a completely new part of London.

Along the way, we've been honoured to receive recognition that means the world to us. Papi's Munchies has been recognised by 50 Top Pizza as one of Europe's Top 50 Pizzerias for two consecutive years, an achievement we're incredibly proud of. Agustin was also awarded 3rd Place in the Traditional Neapolitan Category at the European Pizza Chef Competition 2025, held during the European Pizza Show in London—a recognition of the passion and dedication that goes into every pizza we make.

Looking back, it's amazing to think that what started with two people, one tiny oven and a spare room has grown into what Papi's Munchies is today. But despite everything that's changed, the reason we do it hasn't.

We still believe that great pizza starts with great ingredients, hard work, constant learning and looking after the people who walk through our doors. We're incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported us over the years—from our customers and team to our suppliers and partners.

This is only the beginning, and we can't wait to share the next chapter with you.

Thank you for being part of our story.