Just about every week I’ll get an email asking for my recommendations for where to eat pizza in Naples. Lots of people seem to be visiting pizza’s birthplace lately and I’m delighted to help get people to the best places. There are SO MANY great spots and I certainly haven’t been to all of them, but I’ve decided to put together a quick list of 5 pizzerias you should strongly consider. Keep in mind that Naples has LOADS of pizzerias and many of them are excellent. I’m leaving out some obvious spots because they’re already pretty well known (Sorbillo, Pizzeria Brandi, Pizzeria da Michele) in favor of some spots you may not have heard of.
Pies are personal size (about 12″ in diameter) and usually served uncut. It’s a good idea to order an average of 1 pizza per person in your group, but try to get some variety on the table so you can taste several. This style features an incredibly hot oven that bakes pizzas in under 2 minutes. That means the pizza will cool down quickly, so you should eat it as soon as it lands on the table. It’s best not to take these pizzas to-go, but if that’s what you have to do please open the box and eat them as soon as possible.
Pizzerias in Naples are usually open for lunch and dinner, with a gap in between. I’ll give you some basic info about each pizzeria along with links to their websites so please double check your timing before you go.
Here they are in no particular order.
Pizzeria da Attilio
This is the pizza makers’ pizzeria. Head pizzaiolo/owner Attilio Bachetti is the grandson of the pizzeria’s founder, after whom he was named. The place opened in 1938 and has been in the family ever since. Attilio (the grandson) is a focused pizza maker who takes great care to carry on his family’s tradition. His pizzas are simple and elegant. One house specialty is the Carnivale, which is a star-shaped pizza whose points are filled with ricotta. Attilio added this pie to the menu after he saw it listed on a 1940 menu from the restaurant. Ask any tourist and they probably haven’t heard about this place. Ask a Neapolitan pizza maker and they’ll tell you it’s the best place to eat pizza in Naples.
Pizzeria da Attilio
Via Pignasecca, 17
80134 Napoli NA, Italy
closed Sunday and Monday
50 Kalo
I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a lighter pizza than the one I had at 50 Kalo five years ago. I went back three years ago and explored more of the menu to find it even better than I had remembered. Owner Ciro Salvo is a third generation pizzaiolo whose brothers are also in the business. Ciro has won all the big awards and Michelin recommendations. He doesn’t let you forget it either, blasting his accolades on his menu and on posters throughout the restaurant. Bravado is just part of the experience, but the proof is in the pizza and I can safely recommend everything I’ve tried at this hip spot.
50 Kalo
Piazza Sannazaro, 201/c
80121 Napoli NA, Italy
open daily
Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba
Pizzeria Port’Alba claims to be the oldest, if not the first, pizzeria in Naples. That would make it the first pizzeria in the world. I usually worry that pizzerias with such grand claims won’t deliver the goods but this one absolutely does. They were one of the early bakeries making pizzas as a means of testing and cooling down their ovens. When the city banned outdoor food sales, they moved tables and chairs inside and became a legit pizzeria. Today you can dine both inside and out! My suggestion is to get a pizza marinara portafolgio to-go. That’s the whole folded pizza Neapolitans used to eat back in the 18th century. I had one a few years ago and was blown away but its simplicty. Truly a remarkable place and a necessary stop on any pizza lover’s tour of Naples.
FUN FACT: The founder of the pizzerias that eventually became Lombardi’s and John’s of Bleecker Street in NYC claimed to have worked at this pizzeria before emigrating to the U.S.
Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba
Via Port’Alba, 18
80134 Napoli NA, Italy
closed Tuesdays
Pepe in Grani
I’m totally embarrassed that the one time I visited this incredible pizzeria was the day after I let some Neapolitan friends feed me several negronis. I wasn’t in my best shape, which is why my photos are all blurry. Even in this imperfect condition, I was able to discern that the pizza and restaurant were at the highest level. This spot isn’t in Naples, it’s about 45 minutes north of the city in Caiazzo. The owner/pizzaiolo is Franco Pepe, another third generation pizzaiolo. His family runs a restaurant down the street, which he split from to open Pepe in Grani in 2012. His restaurant is located in an old building that feels like a home. He has a team that makes all the restaurant’s dough by hand in a wooden trough called a madia. He doesn’t use refrigeration, so the dough is truly subject to its environment.
This place is quite famous among food nerds and gourmands, so please try to make a reservation if you plan on going. No pizzeria has ever been awarded a Michelin star but if I had to make a list of contenders this would be at the very top. Not only is the food excellent, but the service and the space feel truly special. It’s exactly what a restaurant is supposed to be.
Pepe in Grani
Vicolo S. Giovanni Battista, 3
81013 Caiazzo CE, Italy
closed Mondays
Pizzeria La Notizia
The first time I traveled to Naples, I spent just about every morning meeting with the great Enzo Coccia to learn about the history and process behind the original Neapolitan pizza. Enzo is one of the core pizzaioli in Naples who strives to protect the sacred craft of pizza making. He even penned an incredibly scientific book outlining all the details of Neapolitan pizza making. If you saw Stanley Tucci’s CNN series about Italy, you saw him make pizza with Enzo. Enough about Enzo, let’s talk about his incredible pizzeria. This is another one that’s not on the tourist path, it’s more for locals. Even though Enzo is a guardian of traditional Neapolitan pizza, the pizzas he serves are inventive and playful. The first time I went, I remember having an eggplant pizza that completely blew my mind. On my last visit I was in such a rush I didn’t take good notes on what we ate. Just trust me, everything they do is excellent.
Pizzeria La Notizia
Via Michelangelo da Caravaggio, 53
80126 Napoli NA, Italy
closed Mondays
Via Michelangelo da Caravaggio, 94
80126 Napoli NA, Italy
closed Sundays and Mondays
