Pictured: Tonino Magno, Head Chef

A fourth-generation artisan pizza chef from Naples will be at the helm when Rossopomodoro launches its new restaurant in Selfridges Birmingham Food Hall in mid-August.

Tonino Magno, aged 36, whose great grandfather, grandfather, father, brother and uncles have all been 'pizzaioli' (pizza chefs), will head up a team of Neapolitan chefs making a range of traditional pizzas and pasta dishes.

He will also be giving lessons in the art of pizza making. With more than 110 restaurants in Italy, Rossopomodoro is the country's most successful pizza company. It is renowned for its traditional Neapolitan pizzas, using ingredients sourced exclusively from the Naples area and prepared only by chefs trained there. 

The Selfridges Birmingham restaurant will be no different. Every ingredient, including the tomatoes, mozzarella, olive oil…even the water for the pizza dough…will be imported directly from southern Italy to make the experience as authentically Neapolitan as possible.

The restaurant will seat more than 60 and house a traditional wood-burning pizza oven. It will serve a wide selection of pasta dishes and artisan pizzas, including the famous Margherita pizza famously invented in Naples for Queen Margherita during a royal tour in 1889.

Rossopomodoro's director Mario Romano revealed Birmingham was his first choice when looking to expand in the UK, outside his current three successful restaurants in London.

"Birmingham is an extraordinary city with many diverse cultures and a very exciting food scene. Add to that the fact that our new restaurant will be within Selfridges, the city's most prestigious store, and we knew we had found our perfect home outside the capital."

"We very much look forward to serving Birmingham a true pizza, with all ingredients brought direct from farms and food producers in and around Naples."

Ewan Venters, Selfridges' Food & Restaurants Director, said: "Rossopomodoro's credentials for traditional Italian cooking and provenance of ingredients will be a great asset to Selfridges Birmingham. We know the city has an appetite for really great food experiences and a wood-burning pizza oven is certain to satisfy this appetite."

"I am sure that Rossopomodoro's first outlet outside of London will rapidly build a reputation for the best pizza in the West Midlands."