There are many reasons to visit to Naples, but the main one is probably pizza! Al forno, fritta, portafoglio… You can find them anywhere you go in the city. You can either sit down in a restaurant or get one as a takeaway to enjoy sitting on a bench in a piazza.
Pizzas with a thin and elastic dough, thick and irregular crust, loaded with cheese and very affordable for travellers! You can’t really go wrong in Naples, but just to be sure, we wanted to give you a list of some of the best pizzas we’ve tasted in this city.
L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele
Via Cesare Sersale, 1
“I’m tired of counting every calorie I consume so I know exactly how much self-loathing to take into the shower,” said Julia Roberts as she tucked into a pizza at a table in this busy restaurant. Yes! This pizzeria is the one you can see in this famous scene in Eat, Pray, Love. Margherita (tomato, mozzarella and basil) and Marinara (tomato, garlic and oregano) are the most popular pizzas in Naples and the only ones that this restaurant makes. So simple, yet so mouth-wateringly delicious. The only problem with this restaurant is that it has long waiting times (as the film made it famous!). Try to go in low season and avoid peak times.
Sorbillo
Via dei Tribunali, 32
Mozzarella di Bufala, fresh ricotta, fiordilatte, provola, parmigiano reggiano, gorgonzola… the list of cheeses they use as toppings in this restaurant is endless. You’ll find it on one of the busiest streets in Naples. The restaurant we mentioned above is known for its simplicity, but this one is quite the opposite: its menu is overwhelming. Not only because it’s in Italian and you might need a translator, but also because there are more than 30 different types of pizzas. We haven’t tried them all, but we can confirm that the ones we have tried are delicious – like mortadella, or pancetta with black pepper. And something we love about this restaurant is that they choose their products carefully – they promote slow food, and organic and designation of origin products.
Di Matteo
Via dei Tribunali, 94
http://www.pizzeriadimatteo.com
Just three minutes away you can find another of the most popular pizzerias in the city, which also gets very crowded. Neither of these restaurants are suitable for a romantic candlelit dinner because you would have to make yourself heard above the din that is so typical of Southern Italy. The tables are close together, and they use paper tablecloths and even plastic cups. But even so, we would come again and again to any of these pizzerias. Because if you go to Di Matteo and savour a pizza Margherita, the simplest pizza of them all, your troubles will melt away. Make sure you take your time to enjoy it, as if that moment was going to last forever, because you know that as soon as you catch the plane back home, any pizza you try will never taste like a Neapolitan pizza.
Dal Cardinale
Via dei Tribunali, 131
https://www.pizzeriadalcardinale.com
We’re still on Via dei Tribunali because, as we mentioned earlier, it’s one of the busiest streets in the city – a pedestrian street lined with restaurants. We also recommend Dal Cardinale, because as well as being a trattoria that makes amazing Neapolitan pizzas, they have a window where you can order a takeaway from the street, which is very handy when you are travelling. The pizzas are delicious, cost around €5 and the cans of drink are affordable (always ask beforehand because sometimes drinks can be a bit pricey).
La Masardona
Via Giulio Cesare Capaccio, 27
https://es-la.facebook.com/lamasardona/
In 1945, the grandmother of Enzo Piccirillo (the owner of this pizzeria) started to sell pizza fritta on her doorstep in order to survive the post-war years. Today, this restaurant, one of the best in the city, is named after her. Although the traditional pizza al forno is Italy’s most famous type, the locals are also partial to this other kind of pizza. You can eat a “plain” version – the base with toppings – or wrapped like a massive pasty (street-food style). Even though it’s fried, if it’s done properly it shouldn’t feel heavy on your stomach. Which is the most popular type? The one filled with cicoli, ricotta di bufala, provola and pepper.
Tutino
Via Cesare Carmignano, 79
https://es-la.facebook.com/pages/category/Pizza-Place/Pizzeria-Tutino-Napoli-267952736698704/
Another street-food option is pizza a portafoglio, which is folded over, served in a paper wrapper and you can eat it on the go very easily. If you fancy trying this popular type of pizza, this restaurant is the best place to go because, as well as a dining area, they have a window where you can get it to take away. They have three wood-fired ovens working nonstop and this family has been making pizza for five generations. It’s very close to Mercato di Porta Nolana, one of the most famous markets in Naples where seafood is the speciality.
Have we managed to whet your appetite? If so, don’t think twice and find a cheap flight to Naples. Why not try each and every one of these restaurants?
