The Best Pizza in Naples

Pizza in Naples is the stuff of lore and independent from the other styles you’ll find anywhere else. A slice of oozing excellence smothered in cheese and drenched in olive oil, sampling this crunchy specialty in its birthplace should be on every foodie’s bucket list.

Believe me; you have to taste pizza in Napoli for yourself. It’s a gastronomic experience that’s steeped in tradition: the dough, the sauce made from San Marzano tomatoes, the fresh mozzarella, and the hint of basil on top; once you try it here, it won’t taste the same anywhere else.

For a taste of the real wood-fired Pizza Napoletana, you should visit one of these 6 pizzerias in this list, which we take some of our customers to on our Naples food tours.

Pizzeria Attanasio

Photo credit: Pizzeria Attanasio

Let’s start off with a pizza place in Naples that we visit on our Pizza, Pizza, Pizza! Naples Pizza Tour; it’s the wonderful Pizzeria Attanasio, which is closeby to the Sansevero Chapel Museum.

The first time I ever visited Naples, I came here after getting a recommendation from a friend of mine. It’s like all the best pizzerias: unassuming, with small tables, bricked walls, and always busy until late into the night.

It wasn’t busy the night I came here, so I managed to get a seat just by the door without any lining up. I was told in advance by my buddy to try the pizza margherita option on the menu, so I put my faith in him to see if it was all it was cracked up to be.

Dropped on a large white plate, the whiff of dough as the server delivered it was incredible. Each bite was better than the first; from the sweetness of the tomato sauce to the creaminess of the double mozzarella, I didn’t leave a single crumb behind on the tray.

Pizzeria Gino Sorbillo (€) – Via dei Tribunali, 379, 80134 Napoli NA, Italy – Open every day, 12:00 pm to 4:30 pm and 7:00 pm to 12:00 am

Pizzeria La Notizia 53

Photo credit: Pizzeria La Notizia 53

Pizzeria La Notizia 53 is a lovely pizza house on Via Michaelangelo da Caravaggio. They have two locations in Naples, but this one is my favorite spot to eat pizza. There’s such a nice, warm atmosphere; I loved how the staff makes you feel like a part of the family from the moment you step inside.

Upon arriving here, Enzo, the owner, greeted me at the door; he was super friendly. I could tell from the outset the meal would live up to the reputation. The interiors were quite quirky; the half chair hanging on the wall and the extravagant paintings throughout added some personality to the place.

The St. Gerrano pizza seemed like nothing I’d ever tried before, so I thought I’d give it a shot. It was huge, with the crusts hanging off the edge of the plate and loaded with toppings; you’d want to be seriously hungry if you were going to tackle it.

It was made up of a mix of yellow piennolo tomatoes, oregano, anchovies, black olives, chopped parsley, basil leaves, extra virgin olive oil, and garlic, and the flavor profile is hard to describe in words.

The anchovies added a salty element to the black olives’ earthiness and the fresh basil’s minty pepperiness, while the dough was quite fluffy and light.

Pizzeria La Notizia 53 (€€) – Via Michelangelo da Caravaggio, 53, 80126 Napoli NA, Italy – Closed every Monday, open every Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday, 7:00 pm to 12:00 pm and Friday and Saturday, 7:00 pm to 1:00 am

1906 Imperatore

 

Situated on the Via Duomo, 1906 Imperatore is centrally located near some of the city’s big attractions. I came across it a few years back after visiting the Pio Monte della Misericordia and the Maradona Graffiti, and I can say they serve some of the best pizza in Naples.

The inside of the 1906 Imperatore is beautiful; it’s a long building with table settings on each side, pendant lights, and tiling that makes the shape of a pizza oven on the wall. However, I prefer sitting outside if I can to watch the chaos of the Naples traffic in full swing.

1906 Imperatore is one of the city’s newer pizzeria additions, but they’ve managed to rack up a fantastic reputation in little time thanks to their quirky combinations like the mortazza. It’s not every day you find a great pizza with Emilian mortadella Bonfatti and fresh chips, right?

The tangy Provola di Agerola matched with the spicy Emilian mortadella from Bonfatti was a delightful combination. Throw that in with some crunchy chips and chewy, golden crust; it may be your everyday choice, but I found it to be a strangely delicious pizza style.

1906 Imperatore (€€) – Via Duomo, 218, 80138 Naples NA, Italy – Open every Sunday to Friday, 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm to 11:30 pm, and Saturday, 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm to 12:00 am

L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele

Photo credit: L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele

A crowded, tiny, white-colored building with a spread of tables and a pizzeria where you can see the chef’s magic being done right in front of you, how can you resist the charm of L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele?

You’ll be able to spot it on Via Cesare Sersale; just look out for the massive queue leading out onto the street. I’ve lined up here for more than an hour a handful of times, and I don’t regret it for a second; the pizza is that good.

After my fair share of pizzas over the years, I would argue L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele serves up some of the tastiest marinara, not just in Naples, but all of Italy.

The crust is crisped to perfection, the garlicky and tomatoey blend of marinara sauce provides a flawless base, and the oregano adds an almost woody tinge to the overall flavor of the recipe.

L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele (€) – Via Cesare Sersale, 1, 80139 Napoli NA, Italy – Open every day, 11:00 am to 11:00 pm

Pizzeria da Attillo

Photo credit: Pizzeria da Attillo

Funny enough, I must have walked past Pizzeria da Attillo a dozen times in Via Pignasecca before I went inside. While the menu here isn’t as extensive as other picks on this list, after trying every option, I’ll say the quality of each dish is outstanding.

The building itself is split into two well-appointed dining rooms with an array of hand-drawn pictures on the walls and a little window-covered alcove filled with cute ornaments.

When I first read the menu and saw the appennini, I was intrigued; it’s a star-shaped pizza with ricotta wedged into the crusts, and let me tell you, it was downright phenomenal.

Topped with umami-rich sausage, mountains of delicate cheese, and velvety, acidic tomato sauce, it was enough to rival any other standard 12-inch pizza I have ever tried in the past.

Pizzeria da Attillo (€) – Via Pignasecca, 17, 80134 Napoli NA, Italy – Closed every Sunday, open every Monday, 7:00 pm to 11:30 pm, and Tuesday to Saturday, 12:00 pm to 3:30 pm and 7:00 pm to 11:30 pm

Friggitoria Masardona

Photo credit: Friggitoria Masardona

Friggitoria Masardona lies next to the Piazza della Vittoria, and it’s my go-to spot for some fried pizza. Yeah, you read that right; fried pizza is big here, and the guys at Friggitoria Masardona are the flag fliers for it in Naples.

The inside of Friggitoria Masardona is quite spacious; there are a lot of tables, but they tend to get snapped up fast. Personally, I think the vibe outside is better. I liked the blue-colored seats and the small table settings; they give it an intimate feeling without being too formal.

Make sure you order the pizza fritta with nduja. I’m not blowing this out of proportion; it’s like the size of a football; you’ll feel bad sticking your knife through it at first; it just looks so perfect. But when you do, the tomato sauce will burst out onto the plate.

Since the main ingredient was nduja, you can probably already tell that the dish had a spicy side to it with a gamey kick. But, when it was complemented with the crispy crust, I thought it toned down the spiciness and added a bit of depth to each bite.

Friggitoria Masardona (€€) – P.zza Vittoria, 5, 80121 Napoli NA, Italy – Open every Monday to Friday, 12:00 pm to 4:30 pm and 6:30 pm to 11:30 pm, Saturday, 12:00 pm to 4:30 pm and 6:30 pm to 12:00 am, and Sunday, 5:00 pm to 12:00 am

Conclusion

You now have the inside scoop on the best pizza in Naples! If you’re an avid pizza lover and coming to Italy, there’s no better place to try it than here.

While pizza may come from the Italian city of Naples, you still need to do some digging to try to find the true version of Neapolitan pizza. However, if you stick to Eating Europe’s list, all the hard work is done for you.