After serving millions of pizzas across Ireland, we've accumulated fascinating data about what our customers love most. While pizza preferences are deeply personal, clear patterns have emerged from our order history. Today, we're sharing the top 10 toppings that Irish customers simply can't resist.
These rankings are based on actual order data from the past year across all our Irish locations. Some results might surprise you, while others confirm what we've long suspected about Irish pizza preferences. Let's dive into the toppings that make Irish hearts and taste buds sing.
Number 10: Fresh Mushrooms
Starting our countdown at number ten are fresh mushrooms. While they might not seem exciting to everyone, mushrooms add an earthy depth and satisfying texture that complements nearly any pizza combination. We source our mushrooms from local Irish suppliers when possible, ensuring maximum freshness and flavour.
Mushrooms are particularly popular as part of vegetarian combinations and feature prominently on our Garden Veggie pizza. Their ability to absorb and enhance other flavours while contributing their own subtle taste makes them a versatile choice that appears on about 18% of all custom orders.
Number 9: Green Peppers
Green peppers bring a fresh, slightly sweet crunch that provides textural contrast to melted cheese and softer toppings. They're especially popular during summer months when customers gravitate toward lighter, fresher flavour profiles.
Interestingly, while green peppers rank ninth overall, they're often paired with other vegetables or used to balance richer meat toppings. Their versatility and the pop of colour they add to pizzas make them a favourite among customers who appreciate visual appeal alongside great taste.
Number 8: Italian Sausage
Italian sausage represents traditional pizza heritage, and Irish customers have embraced this classic topping enthusiastically. Our Italian sausage is seasoned with fennel, garlic, and traditional spices, creating a flavour profile that's robust without overwhelming other ingredients.
What makes Italian sausage particularly appealing is its texture. Unlike ground meat, sausage maintains its structure during baking, providing satisfying bites of seasoned pork that complement our signature tomato sauce beautifully. It features on approximately 20% of meat-topped pizzas ordered through Apache Pizza.
Number 7: Onions
Onions might seem like a supporting player, but they rank impressively at number seven. When properly prepared and baked on pizza, onions undergo a transformation. Their natural sugars caramelize, creating sweet notes that balance savoury elements while adding aromatic complexity.
We use both red and white onions depending on the pizza style. Red onions provide a sharper, more pronounced flavour and beautiful colour, while white onions offer milder sweetness. Onions appear on nearly 23% of all pizzas ordered, often as part of combination pizzas rather than as a standalone topping choice.
Number 6: Black Olives
Black olives bring Mediterranean flair to pizza, and Irish customers have developed a strong appreciation for their distinctive taste. The briny, slightly bitter notes of black olives provide complexity that elevates simple cheese pizzas and complements vegetable combinations beautifully.
Quality matters tremendously with olives. We use premium imported olives that are properly pitted and sliced, ensuring consistent flavour and no unwelcome surprises. Black olives feature particularly prominently on our Mediterranean and Greek-inspired specialty pizzas, and they're requested on about 24% of custom orders.
Number 5: Bacon
Perhaps unsurprisingly given Irish culinary traditions, bacon ranks solidly at number five. But we're not talking about standard breakfast bacon here. Our pizza bacon is specially prepared to crisp perfectly in our high-temperature ovens while maintaining some chew and releasing savoury, smoky flavours.
Bacon pairs exceptionally well with a wide range of toppings, from classic combinations with mushrooms to more adventurous pairings with pineapple. Its universal appeal is reflected in its appearance on nearly 28% of all pizzas ordered. Customers love how bacon adds both flavour and textural interest to every bite.
Number 4: Ham
Ham secures the number four position, proving that sometimes classics endure for good reason. Whether featured on a simple ham and cheese pizza or as part of more elaborate combinations, ham provides mild, slightly sweet meat flavour that appeals to broad audiences.
Our ham is carefully selected for quality and flavour. It's pre-cooked and sliced to optimal thickness, ensuring it heats through perfectly without becoming tough or dried out. Ham appears on approximately 31% of all pizzas, making it one of the most requested toppings across all our locations. The Hawaiian pizza, combining ham with pineapple, remains particularly popular despite ongoing debates about fruit on pizza.
Number 3: Extra Cheese
Taking the bronze medal is extra cheese, a choice that demonstrates Irish customers' appreciation for indulgence. While every Apache Pizza comes with a generous layer of our premium mozzarella blend, many customers opt for extra cheese to achieve that ultimate gooey, stretchy experience.
Extra cheese doesn't just increase quantity, it transforms the entire pizza experience. The additional cheese creates thicker cheese pulls, enhances creaminess, and provides more of that satisfying melt-in-your-mouth sensation that makes pizza so comforting. About 35% of customers choose to add extra cheese to their orders, making it a clear favourite among those who believe you can never have too much cheese.
Number 2: Chicken
Chicken claims the silver medal in our topping rankings, reflecting broader trends toward poultry as a protein choice. Our pizza chicken is specially prepared, seasoned, and cooked before being added to pizzas, ensuring it's tender, flavourful, and perfectly complementary to other ingredients.
What makes chicken particularly popular is its versatility. It works beautifully with traditional Italian flavours, pairs excellently with barbecue sauce bases, and serves as an ideal protein for customers seeking lighter alternatives to beef or pork. Chicken features on an impressive 38% of all pizzas ordered, appearing in everything from classic Chicken and Mushroom to our popular BBQ Chicken specialty pizza.
The rise of chicken as a pizza topping also reflects changing dietary preferences. Many customers view chicken as a healthier protein option while still delivering satisfying substance. Our chicken is always fresh, never frozen, and prepared daily to maintain the quality standards Apache Pizza is known for.
Number 1: Pepperoni
Taking the top spot with an overwhelming lead is the undisputed champion of pizza toppings: pepperoni. Featured on an astounding 47% of all pizzas ordered through Apache Pizza Ireland, pepperoni's dominance is absolute and shows no signs of waning.
What makes pepperoni so universally beloved? The answer lies in the perfect combination of factors. Quality pepperoni provides spicy, savoury flavour with just the right amount of heat. When baked in our high-temperature ovens, the edges crisp and cup slightly, creating pockets that capture seasoned oils and deliver intense flavour bursts.
Our pepperoni is specifically selected for pizza performance. The diameter, thickness, and seasoning blend are all optimized to deliver the classic pepperoni pizza experience that customers crave. We source from suppliers who understand that not all pepperoni is created equal, and the difference is evident in every bite.
Pepperoni's appeal crosses all demographics. It's beloved by children for its familiar, approachable flavour and by adults who appreciate its complexity and the way it enhances cheese and sauce. Whether ordered as a simple pepperoni pizza or combined with other toppings, it remains the cornerstone of pizza culture in Ireland and beyond.
Honourable Mentions
While these ten toppings dominate our order data, several others deserve recognition. Jalapeños, for instance, have seen steadily growing popularity among customers who enjoy heat. Sweetcorn, particularly popular with younger customers, adds unexpected sweetness and texture. And anchovies, while polarizing, maintain a dedicated following among traditionalists who appreciate their authentic Mediterranean character.
Regional Variations
Interestingly, topping preferences show some regional variation across Ireland. Coastal areas show slightly higher preferences for seafood toppings, while urban centres demonstrate more adventurous topping combinations. However, the top five toppings remain remarkably consistent across all regions, suggesting these favourites transcend local preferences.
Creating Your Perfect Combination
Understanding popular toppings is one thing, but the real magic happens when you combine them thoughtfully. At Apache Pizza, we've developed specialty pizzas based on combinations that our data shows work exceptionally well together. However, we also encourage customers to experiment and create their own perfect pizza.
Some proven combinations include pepperoni with mushrooms and onions, chicken with bacon and barbecue sauce, and the vegetarian favourite of mushrooms, peppers, and black olives. The key is balancing flavours and textures while ensuring no single topping overwhelms the others.
The Bottom Line
These topping rankings reveal that Irish pizza lovers appreciate both classic choices and quality execution. While trends come and go, fundamentals like pepperoni, chicken, and extra cheese remain beloved because they deliver consistent satisfaction.
At Apache Pizza Ireland, we're committed to sourcing the best possible versions of these popular toppings. Whether you're ordering a tried-and-true favourite or experimenting with a new combination, you can trust that every topping meets our strict quality standards.
The next time you order from Apache Pizza, you might find yourself choosing from this top ten list. And that's perfectly fine. These toppings earned their popularity through consistent quality and universal appeal. But don't be afraid to venture beyond the familiar. Some of our most satisfied customers are those who discovered unexpected combinations that became their new favourites.