Marc Palladino and his father Umberto opened the Whitchurch pizzeria in November 1986 with the family recipes from Campobasso, southern Italy. Forty years on — three generations later — Gianluca Palladino runs the Lakeside opened in 2022, with James as Head Chef.
The original Palladino pizzeria
73 Merthyr Road
Whitchurch, Cardiff CF14 1DD
The original site opened by Marc Palladino and his father Umberto in November 1986. Forty years of wood-fired pizza on Merthyr Road. Family recipes carried from Campobasso.
Book at Whitchurch →The newer family room
Cardiff Lakeside
address — verify with venue
Opened on 18 October 2022 — the second Villaggio site, run by Gianluca Palladino, third generation. Same wood-fired pizza, same Campobasso recipes, a newer room for the Lakeside families.
Book at Lakeside →Hours indicative — verify on 029 2061 3110 before travelling. Lakeside full address to confirm with venue.
The recipes came first. Umberto Palladino — the family Nonno — carried the dough, the sauce, the pizza technique with him from Campobasso in southern Italy. In November 1986 his son Marc opened the pizzeria with him at 73 Merthyr Road in Whitchurch. Two Palladinos, one wood-fired oven, the Campobasso family book.
Forty years on, the Whitchurch counter is still Marc's. The Welsh Italian Awards named Villaggio Best Pizzeria in 2017 — a Welsh-Italian credential judged by Welsh-Italian restaurateurs and food critics. On 18 October 2022 the family opened a second pizzeria at Lakeside, Cardiff. Gianluca Palladino, third generation, manages it. James is Head Chef.
Three generations. One family. Two pizzerias. The same Campobasso recipes that came in 1986.
Campobasso sits in Molise, in the south of Italy — the part of the country where the dough is shaped by hand, the tomato sauce is reduced slowly, and the pizza is finished in the wood oven. The Palladino family carried that practice with them when they moved to Cardiff. It became the practice in a Whitchurch kitchen in 1986; it became the practice in a Lakeside kitchen in 2022.
Forty years of the same hands shaping the same dough, in two Cardiff sites, three generations on. The Welsh half of Welsh-Italian is the kids who grew up in the dining room. The Italian half is what comes out of the oven.
One form for both pizzerias. Pick Whitchurch (since 1986) or Lakeside (since 2022) on the dropdown — the booking lands with that site's diary and a member of the Palladino team comes back to confirm. Phone bookings on 029 2061 3110 keep working unchanged.
Booking confirmation by phone or email within the trading day. Special requests on the form below — allergens, high chairs, anniversaries.
Or phone the Whitchurch counter on 029 2061 3110 — evenings.
Yes — walk-ins are welcome at both Whitchurch and Lakeside subject to a free table. Weekends fill quickly, especially after 19:00; we'd rather hold a table for you than turn you away at the door. Phone 029 2061 3110 ahead or use the booking form above.
Phone-order takeaway is available at Whitchurch on 029 2061 3110 during opening hours — or by email at 73preorder@gmail.com. Collection at 73 Merthyr Road. Lakeside takeaway: verify with the venue first.
The pizzeria is a family room — kids welcome at every table, high chairs available, smaller plates for the little ones. Specifics rotate with the seasonal menu; ask the floor for tonight's kids' options.
Delivery availability varies by site and platform — check Deliveroo and Uber Eats with your Cardiff postcode for tonight, or phone-order takeaway at Whitchurch on 029 2061 3110 and collect.
The Whitchurch pizzeria is on Merthyr Road in CF14, four minutes from the Whitchurch village. The Lakeside pizzeria is at Cardiff Lakeside — full address to verify with the venue. Phone the family kitchen on 029 2061 3110 for either site, or email 73preorder@gmail.com.
Lakeside address, phone and hours to verify with the venue before travelling. Whitchurch hours indicative — phone first.