WHERE TO EAT IN NAPLES, ITALY: A PIZZA & PASTRY GUIDE
Naples doesn't just claim to be the birthplace of pizza — it's also home to some of the most flavorful, indulgent pastries in all of Italy. Between slices and sfogliatelle, I ate my way through the city, and here's where I'd send you first.
Pizza
You simply cannot come to Napoli without trying true pizza napoletana. What sets it apart: a soft, pillowy crust with a charred, blistered edge from the wood-fired oven. And just enough sauce and cheese to let that crust be the best part. You'll find versions of it all over Italy, and even the world, that maintain the integrity of the preparation. But tasting the real thing in its birthplace is a different kind of essential. While you could go to the famous Pizzeria Da Michele or Gino Sorbillo, here are a few other spots that absolutely deserve a visit.
Antonio & Antonio - Try the classic Margherita with mozzarella, tomato sauce, basil, & a drizzle of olive oil.
Pizzeria Da Attilio - Try their specialty pizza with the star-shaped ricotta-filled crust and topped with mozzarella, tomato sauce, basil & sausage.
Pizza Madre Salvatore di Matteo - Try the Capricciosa, topped with mozzarella, prosciutto cotto (ham), artichokes, black olives & basil.
Pastries & Gelato
If you're a fellow dessert lover, Naples has all the sweet food you could want, in every flavor and texture. Creamy, chocolatey, fruity, soft and light, flaky and buttery. Some pastry chefs have even invented their own creations to sell alongside the classics. Here's what to try, and where.
Pasticceria Capparelli (images 1&2) - Babà al Rum, a sponge cake soaked in a sticky, citrus, rum-spiked syrup; and Sfogliatella, a shell-shaped pastry of crisp, thin layers with a citrus ricotta filling. (Sfogliatella is the pastry Naples is most known for — the name literally means "many layers," referring to its flaky, leaf-like shell.)
Armando Scaturchio (3) - Tupella, similar to sfogliatella, but the first inner layer is pure dark chocolate, with a filling that's half ricotta cream with chocolate chips and half babà.
Pasticceria Poppella (4) - Fiocco di Neve ("snowflake"), a pillowy soft brioche pastry filled with light ricotta cream and topped with powdered sugar.
La Sfogliatella Mary (5&6) - Zeppola, a fried, cream-filled pastry dough topped with powdered sugar and cherries.
Cuori di Sfogliatella (7) - This shop sells over 30 kinds of sfogliatella, both sweet and savory
Mennella Il Gelato (8) - The mulberry (gelsi) & apricot (albicocca) flavors are standouts.
Between the pizza and the pastry counters, you could eat your way through Naples for days and still not run out of things to try. Start with what's on this list, then let your own cravings take it from there.