Naples and pizza: those are two words that simply go together, so when we decided to head down to Naples and explore the city, we immediately knew that the best way to structure our visit would be through a Naples pizza tour.
Rather than head out for a single day, though, we wrote our own, marking down our best picks for pizza in Naples and embarking on a multi-day independent Naples pizza tour.
And, multiple days was definitely the right call: we in mixed visits to some of the best Naples attractions to break up the doughy madness (and Naples’ hilly topography certainly helped keep us active between bites).
We finished researching this Naples pizza guide so completely stuffed that we weren’t in the mood for more pizza for weeks–extremely high praise, considering spent several more weeks in Italy after leaving Naples!
Here are our takeaways from our personalized pizza tour through Naples, including the exact pizzerias we visited, the pizzerias we hope to visit next time, and which ones we’re dying to return to.
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How We Put Together Our Naples Pizza Tour
Essentially, we did lots and lots of googling to put this Naples pizza tour together.
Weāre hardly the first people to want to eat their weight in pizza while in Naples–even the Michelin Guide has put in their share of work in rounding up the best pizza in Naples, and pizza features prominently on any guide to what to eat in Naples.
Many articles later, we cultivated a list of Naples pizza shops that we thought would show us a cross-section of the pizza culture in the city.
Our picks ranged from classic and historical (including where pizza margherita was invented) to trendy and modern, and all five shops are within walking distance of Naplesā major tourist attractions.
Want to follow in our footsteps? We highly recommend it!
Eating our way through the best pizza in Naples was incredibly fun, perfectly manageable over a few days, and a fantastic way to structure a visit to the city.
Our Naples Pizza Tour Stops
LāAntica Pizzeria da Michele
LāAntica Pizzeria da Michele may have gotten an uptick in publicity from Elizabeth Gilbert featuring it in her famous memoir Eat Pray Love (not to mention Julia Roberts later filming the movie version of the story there)–but since the pizzeria opened in 1870 and they’ve been recognized by the Michelin Guide, it’s safe to say that they’ve been popular for much longer than that!
Not only is the pizza here completely delicious, boasting our favorite crust that we tasted in the city, the atmosphere is incredible.
The menu is tiny (two choices: pizza margherita or pizza marinara), the customers sit squished close together at tiny tables, and the pizza oven is completely visible along the back wall of the restaurant.
Surprisingly, given its popularity, this was also the least expensive pizza we had in a restaurant in Naples–each pie was 4 Euros, and the prices can only rise as high as 5 Euros (if you opt for the bigger size or double the cheese).
2024 Update: Prices have been raised to 6 Euro per pie and the menu has been slightly expanded–still a pretty great deal for a memorable lunch!
This is the only place we waited for a table for–about 30 minutes on a weekday in November–rumor has it that you can avoid the wait by showing up right when they open at noon.
Pizzeria di Matteo
Looking for cheap prices, a giant menu, and great pies just steps away from Naplesā Duomo? Welcome to Pizzeria Matteo.
This was neither our favorite nor least favorite stop on our Naples pizza tour: the atmosphere was a bit lacking inside, but the pizza (we opted for rucola and parmesan) was tasty and the prices were competitive, coming in at only 6 Euros for our pizza.
The location itself is a bit of a selling point, as most people visiting Naples will almost certainly be close by at some point.
Pizzeria deā Figliole
Before arriving in Naples, if someone had stated that they were eating fried pizza, I would have immediately assumed that they were at a carnival or fair in the USA, home of deep-fried just-about-anything.
But, no–fried pizza is as Neapolitan as they come, dating back hundreds of years.
It was originally considered a poverty food, but seeing as itās completely delicious, it has stuck around over the decades and remained a favorite in Naples.
No Naples pizza tour could be complete without sampling at least one fried version, and Pizzeria deā Figliole is the place to go to try it.
Ingredients are already chopped and prepared under the glass countertop, and when we walked in and ordered, the woman behind the counter started stuffing some dough on the spot!
In less than five minutes, we watched our fried pizza get assembled, dumped into and then scooped out of the deep fryer, wrapped in paper, and delivered to us as a takeaway order–all for a whopping 4 Euros.
Pizzeria Brandi
Before arriving at Pizzeria Brandi, we had heard it described as a historical must-see on a Naples pizza tour (pizza margherita was invented here!), but not actually a remarkable pizza.
Well, everyone has different tastesā¦ but we loved this pizza.
The crust, sauce, cheese, and basil combined into a perfect flavor (we ordered the margherita, of course), and the price was fair at 6.5 Euros for a pie.
The restaurant itself was also cozy and warm, boasting lots of dark wood and feeling every bit like the nostalgic Naples pizza joint that it is.
And, as I’m updating this post, it’s worth noting that when we returned to Naples on future visits, Pizzeria Brandi was one of our first stops in the city!
Pizzeria Gino e Toto Sorbillo
Sadly, this is the only destination on our Naples pizza tour that we would rate slightly disappointingā¦ and by slightly disappointing, I mean that we would have raved about this pizza when eating anywhere but Naples, but it just couldnāt quite stack up to its impressive neighbors.
That being said, this pizzeria is one of the most commercially successful in Naples, with locations in Milan and New York in addition to its Naples locationsā¦ so if you happen to be in Milan or NYC where the competition for Napoli-style pizza is less stiff, youāll likely be thrilled with this pizza!
Sorbillo is known for its inventive ingredients, so if youād like to step outside of a traditional pizza order in Naples, this is the place to do it.
2024 Update: Having now enjoyed this pizza in Milan as well as in Naples, my prediction came true: I adored the Sorbillo pizza we had in Milan.
Was that because I was further removed from Naples and its incredibly stiff competition for pizza, or just because I liked the pizza I ordered better? Who knows… but we’ll definitely give the Naples Sorbillo location another shot in the future, because I’m curious to find out.
Okay, but which one is our favorite?
Thatās always the first question, right?
And, just like answering what our favorite country is, itās hard to say.
If we had to choose one of these pizza shops that you just simply couldnāt skip on your own Naples pizza tour, though, it would be LāAntica Pizzeria da Michele.
Sure, itās popular, but the combination of the utterly delicious pizza and distinct environment makes it an unmissable Naples pizza tour experience in our minds!
That being said, when we eventually return to Naples, weāll probably be most likely to return to Pizzeria Brandi–we loved the cozy atmosphere and their delicious (and original!) margherita pizza (2024 Update: Yes, this prediction came true!).
More Epic Naples Pizza Tour Stops
Even once we narrowed down our list of possible stops on our Naples pizza tour, there was simply no way we were going to hit them all–these locations didnāt make the cut, either due to location or time, but theyāre still on our list for next time!
50 Kalo
This pizzeria is known for its modern twist on Naples pizza tradition, and for the beautiful views from the terrace at its Chiaia location.
Pizzeria La Notizia
Pizzeria La Notizia has two locations in Naples, located right down the street from each other–making them a perfect addition to a Naples pizza tour!
The 53 Via Michelangelo da Caravaggio location is known for its traditional pizzas, and down at 94 Via Michelangelo da Caravaggio, Pizzeria La Notizia has a more experimental style.
Pizzeria dal Presidente
Pizzeria dal Presidente is famous for–what else–having a president eat there.
President Bill Clinton ate at this pizzeria while in office, and it has been famous ever since.
We passed by partially because of how cheesy the advertisements outside were–lots of promotion of various celebrities who ate there–but it is a popular pizzeria, and the advertising makes some sense as there are some would-be imposters with similar names nearby.
Pizzeria Starita
Pizzeria Starita is famous in part for Sophia Loren filming a scene there for her 1954 movie āThe Gold of Naplesā.
However, as the pizzeria was founded in the 1940s and is popular to this day–even getting a nod from the Michelin Guide–itās still definitely well worth a visit on a Naples pizza tour!
Want to cook your own pizza in Naples?
We focused our Naples pizza tour on simply eating pizza, but there’s another very popular way to learn about the Naples pizza tradition when visiting… and that’s cooking your own!
This popular pizza-making class is a fantastic option, and while replicating true Napoli style pizza at home is near-impossible (those brick ovens are magic), you can definitely learn a few tricks of the trade!
We’ve made Napoli-style pizza at a cooking class in Florence and loved the experience, and will hopefully get to do so in Naples one day as well!
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