DUMBARTON'S
AUTHENTIC
ITALIAN PIZZA
PLACE.
For Stephen and Gal, the creative DJ duo behind Bangin’ Pizza in Dumbarton, opening a pizza restaurant had been a dream for years. With Gal’s Italian heritage and Stephen’s insane passion for food and travel, the duo decided to swap making music for making pizzas during the pandemic.
After coronavirus paused the world’s live music industry, Stephen Kirkwood and Steven Galloni - who also heads up Dumbarton’s music and training business SKapade Studios - were forced to adapt. They took the opportunity to grab a shut-down shop unit and explore their passion outside of the music industry. This led to the launch of their authentic pizza restaurant, Bangin’ Pizza in Dumbarton.
Launching at the end of 2021, Bangin’ Pizza’s small, close-knit family team has been serving West Dunbartonshire with pizzas made of only the finest Italian ingredients. It has quickly become a huge success amongst the local community, travelling foodies and online bloggers alike.
Many of the immediate family members are involved in the business, including Stephen’s partner Claire, step-dad John, and Stephen’s mum Janet, who lost her job of 43 years due to the pandemic.
A top-secret dough recipe, coupled with limited batches of at least 48 hours of proofed dough and a ‘call-in-advance’ booking slot system makes for a genuinely exclusive pizza-eating experience. Currently, the restaurant only has a few seats inside and outside so grabbing a table is like gold dust.
‘We cut no corners with our pizza. You can taste the effort that has gone into the menu as strange as that sounds! Everything on our small menu is certified BANGIN’!
‘While touring as a DJ I’d travel around trying the pizzas in different countries and cities, from New York to Rome, and seeing all of the different styles and restaurant set-ups was fascinating. Pizza is made for sharing - it brings people together, and that’s exactly why we created Bangin’ pizza during a time when we were forced apart by the pandemic. Now we are looking to the future, constantly learning and evolving the brand, and we can’t wait to plan our next moves with the brand!
Stephen Kirkwood - Founder, Bangin’ Pizza
