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$ | Centro Storico |
Every pizzeria along Via dei Tribunali is worth the long wait—and trust us, all the good ones will be jam-packed—but just one can claim to have served a U.S. president: Bill Clinton enjoyed a margherita here when the G8 was held in Naples in 1994. Today the superlative pizzaioli (pizza makers) turn out a wide array of pizzas, all to the utmost perfection. Skip the calorie-counting and try the frittura, and you'll be pleasantly surprised with this mix of Neapolitan-style tempura featuring zucchini, eggplant, rice balls, and more.
Via Tribunali 94, Naples, Campania, 80138, Italy
Known For
- Functional decor and pizzaioli working at front
- Funny pics of Clinton and the "Pizzaiolo del Presidente" Ernesto Cacialli in 1994
- Top value, including filling pizza fritta (fried)
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$$$$ | Mergellina |
Overlooking the beach at the 15th-century Palazzo Donn'Anna, the Michelin-starred Palazzo Petrucci doesn't lack for dramatic dining options. On three levels, one of which is their lounge bar, diners are practically on the beach, with a glass partition revealing the kitchens. Fortify yourself with a complimentary glass of Prosecco before agonizing between the à la carte offerings and one of the three menu degustazioni (from €90 to €150). A popular starter is mille-feuille of local mozzarella with raw prawns and vegetable sauce. The paccheri al impiedi (large tube pasta served standing on end) in a rich ricotta-and-meat sauce is an interesting twist on an old regional favorite. The interior is elegantly minimal; the culinary delights are anything but.
Via Posillipo 16b/c, Naples, Campania, 80123, Italy
Known For
- Fine beach dining
- Magical location
- Three tasting menus
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed 2 wks in Aug. No dinner Mon.
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$$ | Chiaia |
In the evening, this fourth-generation fish shop becomes a trendy spot to enjoy an aperitif and a light meal. If you want to experience superb Neapolitan sushi and cold wine while sitting on a buoy stool, get here early: service is 7:30 pm–10:30 pm. A full fish lunch is served Tuesday–Sunday.
Vico Belledonne a Chiaia 27, Naples, Campania, 80121, Italy
Known For
- Pescheria counter displaying today's catch
- Intimate and small place, so get here early or call ahead for dinner
- Fish lunches
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No dinner Sun.
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$$ | Posillipo |
Chic and charming Da Cicciotto corrals more than a few members of the city's fashionable set—if you dine here, there's a fair chance you'll find a Neapolitan count or off-duty film star enjoying this jewel with a tiny stone terrace (with seats and a canopy) that overlooks a pleasant anchorage. You can also opt for the large covered patio across the way and appreciate the outdoor setting at either lunch or dinner. Don't even bother with a menu—just start digging into the sublime antipasti and go with the waiter's suggestions. Cicciotto sits at the end of the same long winding road that leads to the famed 'A Fenestella restaurant and shoreline.
Calata del Ponticello a Marechiaro 32, Naples, Campania, 80123, Italy
Known For
- Fabulous views over the harbor and bay
- Freshest seafood
- Venue for a special occasion
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$$ | Chiaia |
Run by the Di Porzio family since 1916, Umberto is one of the city's classic restaurants, combining the classiness of its neighborhood, Chiaia, and the friendliness one finds in other parts of Naples. Try the paccheri 'do tre dita ("three-finger" pasta with octopus, tomato, olives, and capers); it bears the nickname of the original Umberto, who happened to be short a few digits. Owner Massimo and sisters Lorella and Roberta (Umberto's grandchildren) are all wine experts and oversee a fantastic cellar. Note that Umberto has been catering to diners with a gluten allergy, as well as to vegetarians for years.
Via Alabardieri 30–31, Naples, Campania, 80121, Italy
Known For
- Authentic Pizza DOC (smaller, with chunky cornicione rim)
- Charming hosts
- Classic Neapolitan meat sauce alla Genovese
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch Mon.
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$ | Toledo |
Named for Neapolitan character Pulcinella’s girlfriend, this gem is in the one-time oratory of the adjoining church, which became a sawmill in the early twentieth century. The high tufo arches and period fittings have been maintained, and the food is to-die-for----pizza is the popular choice, with an adventurous menu, and there is also a selection of pasta dishes. The owners grow much of the produce on their farm in nearby Sant’Agata dei Goti.
Vico Maddalenella degli Spagnoli 19, Naples, Campania, 80132, Italy
Known For
- Delicious pizza
- A step back in time
- Friendly service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed.
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$$ | Posillipo |
This restaurant is perched overlooking a beach in Posillipo near the end of a long winding side road, and has long capitalized on its location. The landmark also comes with its own piece of Neapolitan folklore: in the 19th century the owner's great-grandmother Carolina was one day standing at the window (fenestella in the local dialect) and was spotted by musician Salvatore Di Giacomo below, thus inspiring the Neapolitan folk song "Marechiaro." Today, the restaurant is straightforwardly traditional, with comfortable decor and the usual suspects on the menu.
Calata del Ponticello a Marechiaro 23, Naples, Campania, 80123, Italy
Known For
- Part of the city's folklore
- Glorious views
- Close to the beach
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. Sept.–May
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$ | Santa Lucia |
If you're trying to keep to a budget but want to enjoy a seafood feast alongside the yachts of the Borgo Marinaro harbor, head to this former tobacco store. While your eyes feast on all the pretty boats, the Lungomare hotels, the Castel dell'Ovo, and Vesuvius, you can savor classic Neapolitan seafood spaghetti or an impepata di cozze (mussels with pepper and garlic). Or just opt for the special made with the fish of the day.
Via Luculliana 28, Naples, Campania, 80132, Italy
Known For
- Relatively inexpensive fare
- Port-side dining
- Family service
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$ | Mergellina |
In the Neapolitan smorfia, a list of numbers used to analyse dreams (and play the lottery), 50 means bread, and kalò is the Greek for good. And good dough is on the menu here, with this airy pizzeria gaining accolades since opening in traffic-busy Piazza Sannazaro in 2014—the New York Times hailed the pizza among the best in Italy. Along with all the favorites, third-generation pizzaiolo Ciro Salvo’s creations include a selection of vegetable pizzas with locally sourced toppings including cabbage, pumpkin, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives and capers. The wine list is worthy of the best restaurants.
Piazza Sannazzaro 201/b, Naples, Campania, 80122, Italy
Known For
- Vegetable pizza
- A local favorite
- International accolades
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$ | Toledo |
Just off Via Toledo, this simple restaurant with outside tables in summer serves good pizza and other southern Italian favorites. Try the gamberoni alla Posillipo (prawns in a seafood sauce made with cherry tomatoes) or the pignatiello di mare (octopus, calamari, prawns, and other seafood on fried bread).
Vico Tre Re a Toledo 6, Naples, Campania, 80132, Italy
Known For
- Choice of pasta or pizza
- Lively outside seating area
- Convivial atmosphere
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$ | Toledo |
A hidden gem in the Quartieri Spagnoli, A Pignata is a favorite with locals for its typical Neapolitan cooking. Each antipasto of land and sea is a meal in itself, but save space for the grilled calamari or baccalà alla Siciliana, made with potatoes, tomatoes, olives, and capers. Wash it all down with a bottle from their extensive wine list.
Vico Lungo del Gelso 110/112, Naples, Campania, 80134, Italy
Known For
- Sumptuous local dishes
- Relaxed atmosphere
- A favorite with locals
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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$ | Toledo |
Just off bustling Via Toledo on the basalti flagstones of a narrow Quartieri Spagnoli street, this small trattoria does superb-value, classic Neapolitan dishes. Take a seat at one of the small tables with checkered tablecloths and ask the amiable staff about the day's freshest seafood, meat, and vegetable dishes, while taking in the atmospheric surroundings.
Via Carlo De Cesare 14, Naples, Campania, 80132, Italy
Known For
- Homey place popular with locals
- Fresh seafood pasta dishes
- Veggie and gluten-free options
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues.
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$ | Vomero |
If you see a line of hungry-looking patrons between the Funicular stations of Toledo and Chiaia, you'll know you are close to Pizzeria Acunzo. To avoid anxious waits, many like to get here as soon as it opens at 7, just as the busier evening session starts. When ordering, note that few variations on the pizzas are permitted; but then owner Michele and his wife, Caterina, have been running the establishment since 1964 and have a tried-and-tested product, which is, as onetime diner Isabella Rossellini can confirm, fenomenale.
Via Cimarosa 60, Naples, Campania, 80129, Italy
Known For
- Signature pasta pizza pie
- Best pizza in Vomero
- New covered seating area outside
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed 1 wk Aug.
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$$$ | Chiaia |
Favored by meat eaters who can't abide another bite of bream, this dimly lit cozy dining den is known for dishes such as tender carpaccio with fresh artichoke hearts. There are also excellent house-made pasta selections, including orecchiette with chickpeas or alla barese (with chewy green turnips), but the highlights are the extravagant grilled meat plates. Finish up with a babà or slice of pastiera for desert.
Via Monte di Dio 78, Naples, Campania, 80132, Italy
Known For
- A choice of quality meat dishes
- Art Nouveau decorative flourishes
- Superb, friendly service befitting the name
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and late July–early Sept. No dinner Sun., Reservations essential
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$ | Centro Storico |
A vegetarian's paradise in a leafy courtyard, the menu here changes with every meal, depending on the season's produce. All ingredients are organic, as are the wines; try the grilled setan or the fried pumpkin in the late summer. The piatto unico (mixed plate) has up to seven different concoctions for those who want to try a little bit of everything.
Vico San Pietro a Majella 6, Naples, Campania, 80134, Italy
Known For
- Fine vegetarian fare
- Quiet courtyard location
- A respite from pasta and pizza
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$ | Centro Storico |
On a rather dark side street in the scruffier section of the Centro Storico, this place is well worth seeking out for its combination of old-style Neapolitan hospitality and attention to the quality of its food and wine. The place is run as a family affair, much like a typical Neapolitan household, and everyone who comes here seems to know each other. The pasta with chickpeas is a must, and baccalà fritto (fried salt cod) is a specialty. Backed up with a selection of wines from all over Italy, this place is a great value.
Via S. Nicola alla Carità 13–14, Naples, Campania, 80134, Italy
Known For
- Convivial atmosphere
- Neapolitan hospitality
- Vast wine list
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.
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$$ | Toledo |
Considered the birthplace of pizza Margherita, it's also one of the most picturesque restaurants in Italy. Set on a cobblestone alleyway just off chic Via Chiaia, with an elaborate presepe in the window, it welcomes you with an enchanting wood-beam salon festooned with 19th-century memorabilia, saint shrines, gilded mirrors, and bouquets of flowers, beyond which you can see the kitchen and the pizzaioli at work. However, most of Naples stays away from this place, as the pizzas are admittedly better elsewhere. But there's no denying the decor is delizioso and if tourists like Luciano Pavarotti, Chelsea Clinton, Bill Murray, and Gerard Depardieu have dined here, it can be worth the stop to see a slice of pizza history.
Salita Sant'Anna di Palazzo 1, Naples, Campania, 80132, Italy
Known For
- The birthplace of pizza
- Atmosphere is better than the food
- Historical
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$$ | Toledo |
Just off Via Toledo, Ciro has been an obligatory entry on any list of the best of Neapolitan cooking (as opposed to cuisine) since 1930, when Toscanini and Pirandello used to eat here. Popular with business travelers, artists, and journalists, Ciro is famous for a variety of favorites, with an emphasis on rustic food, from very fine pizzas and justly famed versions of pasta e fagioli to the classic sartù—rice loaf first concocted by Baroque-era nuns—and the splendid pignatiello e vavella, shellfish soup. The menu, which includes gluten-free items, almost looks too large for all its items to actually be good, but the owners must be doing something right, as the place is often packed with Neapolitan regulars. The waiters are darling wherever you sit, but try to get a table upstairs, which has a more pleasant atmosphere.
Via Santa Brigida 71, Naples, Campania, 80132, Italy
Known For
- Local favorite
- Gluten-free menu
- Friendly service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$ | Sanità |
In the 1954 film L'Oro di Napoli Sofia Loren sold fried pizza from a basso (a street-level room), something Concettina Flessigno Oliva had already been doing since three years earlier. Now one of Naples's most highly acclaimed pizzerias, her great-grandson's menu includes all the usual culprits as well as pizza wedges based on local in-season ingredients. Twenty-seven Pulcinella masks by renowned local artist Lello Esposito hang in the entrance, and a Nativity scene is perched over the proceedings in the long hall. If you add €2.50 to your bill you can partake in the tradition of pizza sospesa, a free meal for the next needy person to pass by. Gluten-free pizzas are also available.
Naples, Campania, 80137, Italy
Known For
- Great pizza
- A Neapolitan institution
- Waiting outside for a table
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.
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$ | Piazza Garibaldi |
You may recognize Da Michele from the movie Eat Pray Love, but for more than 140 years before Julia Roberts arrived, this place was a culinary reference point. Despite offering only two types of pizza—marinara (with tomato, garlic, and oregano) and margherita (with tomato, mozzarella, and basil)—plus a small selection of drinks, it still manages to draw long lines. The low prices may have something to do with it, but the pizza itself suffers no rivals, so even customers waiting in line are good-humored. The boisterous, joyous atmosphere wafts out with the smell of yeast and wood smoke onto the street; get a number at the door, and then hang outside until it's called.
Via Sersale 1/3, Naples, Campania, 80139, Italy
Known For
- Pizza purists' favorite
- Marinara and margherita only
- Long lines outside the humble, historic HQ
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and 2 wks in Aug.
