What is the best outdoor pizza oven?

With a year of staycations and outdoor socialising ahead, there’s never been a more perfect time to invest in a pizza oven for your garden.  We know what you’re thinking… “But how am I supposed to know which is the best pizza oven for me?”

Don’t panic! We’ve put together this handy guide to help you discover which outdoor pizza oven is worth your dough!

Which is the best pizza oven for my needs?

There are a few things to consider when trying to decide the best pizza oven to purchase – your budget, the size of your outdoor space, and how many mouths you will be feeding are all worth thinking about.

Whether you plan to host lavish parties in your garden, or you’d prefer to pack up your oven and enjoy wood fired pizza in the wilderness; we have the perfect pizza oven to suit your needs.

Let’s walk you through your options!

Alfresco Chef Naples Oven

If this is your first time purchasing a wood fired oven then the Naples pizza oven may just be the pizza oven you’ve been dreaming of. This outdoor pizza oven offers the perfect introduction to authentic wood fired cooking – not only does it perfect homemade pizzas in just 60 seconds, it can also be used to barbecue, bake or roast your specially prepared dishes.

The Naples boasts a quick fire set-up, reaching a temperature of 400°C within 15 minutes. The oven then maintains this heat throughout use, making it easy for party hosts to give their guests the unique experience and flavours of wood fired food.

The mobile stand offers great stability and allows you to move the oven confidently around your outdoor space. We recommend this oven for families of up to 4 and for smaller at-home gatherings. The spacious cooking floor (60cm x 55cm) allows room for two large pizzas, meaning you can host to smaller crowds easily with the Naples Oven.

Alfresco Chef Ember Oven

If you’re a pizza enthusiast looking to add that wood fired flavour without breaking the bank, our Ember pizza oven may be the perfect choice for you. This tabletop pizza oven may be the cheapest and smallest oven in the Alfresco Chef range, but it can roast, bake and sear with the best of ‘em!

The biggest benefit of the Ember Oven is that it is completely portable – meaning, not only can it be easily moved around your garden, it can be taken anywhere you like.

We recommend the Ember for those who like to experience outdoor cooking while on the move. You can take this oven on day trips, camping holidays, or even just round to a friend’s house.

The detachable legs and chimney make it easy to store and the removable stone tile makes it easy to clean and maintain.

The Ember is super easy to light and ready to cook in just 10 minutes. All you need is a natural firelighter and our Alfresco Chef kiln dried hardwood or pellets. This oven is a really great pick for anyone who is new to the pizza oven game!

Alfresco Chef Milano Oven

If you enjoy being the host with the most, then the Milano outdoor pizza oven is most definitely the best pizza oven for you. This outdoor oven is the ultimate choice for larger families, parties, and even those embarking on their own catering venture.

Available in both black and red, the Milano is so much more than just a pizza oven. The impressive cooking floor provides the flexibility to cook up to four pizzas or multiple dishes at a time – making it the perfect outdoor oven to cater to your guests.

Much like the other Alfresco Chef Ovens, the Milano pizza oven is ready to cook in just 15 minutes and maintains a heat of at least 400°C to ensure your food is packed with delicious wood-fired flavour. This oven is a truly brilliant addition to any family garden or social event. 

Alfresco Chef Roma Oven

The Alfresco Chef Roma pizza oven shares all the cooking features of the Naples Oven, but boasts a bigger cooking floor which fits up to 4 pizzas or dishes at once. If you have a larger family, or enjoy hosting for friends quite often, this oven may be the better choice of the two.

You don’t need to be sitting on an acre of land to incorporate a Roma Oven into your garden landscape – the stylish design makes the oven an attractive focal point in any sized garden, while its small footprint makes it ideal for households with limited space.

The Roma comes with a mobile stand to help avoid tricky wind conditions and allow for easy movement into storage.

The oven also boasts a handy base shelf, so you can keep your wood close at hand while you’re cooking up a storm in this pizza oven.

Alfresco Chef Verona Oven

The brilliant thing about the Alfresco Chef Verona Oven is that it is available to be purchased with or without the standing base. Both ovens are essentially identical (aside from the base) and can be fired up and ready to cook in just 20 minutes. They have the capacity for up to 4 pizzas making them another excellent choice for hosting all your alfresco parties.

The tabletop version is perfect for those who may already have their own outdoor kitchen or brick-built stand ready to go. While the Verona Oven with the base benefits from greater stability and can be easily moved around the garden to make a brilliant social focal point.

Like all our ovens, the Verona is easy to light and maintains its temperature so you can continue to enjoy those authentic woodfired flavours into the early hours. 

What is the best pizza oven: the verdict

Deciding which pizza oven is best depends entirely on your needs. If you’re looking for a small but powerful pizza oven, we recommend the Ember oven. The Naples pizza oven offers a great introduction to wood-fired cooking. Meanwhile, the Milano, Roma and Verona pizza ovens are much larger making them the go-to choice for those looking to host garden parties or cook for more people at once.

All of our pizza ovens can be used to create an array of delicious wood-fired foods from seared meats to fire-cooked veg, bread, desserts and, of course, pizza. You can also view our Pizza Oven Comparison Guide here to check which pizza oven is best for your needs.