naples: pizza pizza pizza
Naples is widely-accepted as the home of pizza, which was purportedly invented here. Walk down any random street, and you will see at least one pizzeria. Even small cafes or bars have display cases with small margherita pizzas going for 1€. I can imagine every tourist eats at least one pizza during their time in Naples. Us? We ate four pizzas in five days...
As one would expect, there are several pizzerias in the city that claim to be the 'best' or the most authentic.
Di Matteo
This place started in 1936 and shot to (even more) fame after Bill Clinton ate there. The menu was fairly extensive and also included some of the deep-fried street food nibbles that they sell at the shop entrance. We ate there very early (like 6pm) to avoid the crowds, because the place is small and there aren't many tables. They are famous for their fried pizza, which is kind of like a deep-fried calzone with melty cheese coming out when you cut into it. Very bad for your arteries, but very tasty.
Fried pizza at Di Matteo.
Gino Sorbillo
Located just down the street from Di Matteo, Sorbillo's is widely-acknowledged to be one of the best pizzerias in town. A crowd starts forming on the street even before the restaurant opens, so it is constantly full, but I think they turn tables really quickly because service is fast. We were in and out in forty-five minutes tops. The restaurant prides itself on organic, fresh and locally-sourced ingredients, and the menu has interesting options (e.g. artichokes) that are worth further exploration. I had a pizza called with pepperoni and chili flakes, and the spicy bits were a nice change from the usual margherita. Bao didn't fancy the mozzarella they used here - she said it smelled like egg and she barely ate her dinner. (Although I think it was just pizza fatigue speaking!)
Pizzas at Sorbillo's.
Da Michele
Opened in 1870, and made famous by the movie 'Eat Pray Love' (although we only heard about this place because of Anthony Bourdain, and not the movie), this pizzeria only offers two types of pizza, in two sizes. J really likes this sort of menu because to him, it means they are focused on their 'core competencies'. Anyway, we ordered one of each - margherita and marinara - and went for it. We ate here on our last day in Naples, and despite pizza fatigue and general boredom with Italian cuisine, I think I enjoyed the pizza here the most. I found the base less soggy than Sorbillo's (although some may claim that it's not as thin) and the flavour was lighter without being so bland. The Bun liked this pizza the best, too.
J and The Bun at Da Michele.
And the fourth? That one was a sad slice of generic margherita that we had at the cafeteria in Pompeii. There were no other F&B options and the children were beginning to meltdown from hunger. I had a sandwich and didn't try the pizza, but it was nothing to shout about for sure.
To balance out all those pizzas, we also had some excellent seafood, something we're always happy to indulge in since Switzerland is landlocked and seafood is expensive. Next post for that!
As one would expect, there are several pizzerias in the city that claim to be the 'best' or the most authentic.
Di Matteo
This place started in 1936 and shot to (even more) fame after Bill Clinton ate there. The menu was fairly extensive and also included some of the deep-fried street food nibbles that they sell at the shop entrance. We ate there very early (like 6pm) to avoid the crowds, because the place is small and there aren't many tables. They are famous for their fried pizza, which is kind of like a deep-fried calzone with melty cheese coming out when you cut into it. Very bad for your arteries, but very tasty.
Fried pizza at Di Matteo.
Gino Sorbillo
Located just down the street from Di Matteo, Sorbillo's is widely-acknowledged to be one of the best pizzerias in town. A crowd starts forming on the street even before the restaurant opens, so it is constantly full, but I think they turn tables really quickly because service is fast. We were in and out in forty-five minutes tops. The restaurant prides itself on organic, fresh and locally-sourced ingredients, and the menu has interesting options (e.g. artichokes) that are worth further exploration. I had a pizza called with pepperoni and chili flakes, and the spicy bits were a nice change from the usual margherita. Bao didn't fancy the mozzarella they used here - she said it smelled like egg and she barely ate her dinner. (Although I think it was just pizza fatigue speaking!)
Pizzas at Sorbillo's.
Da Michele
Opened in 1870, and made famous by the movie 'Eat Pray Love' (although we only heard about this place because of Anthony Bourdain, and not the movie), this pizzeria only offers two types of pizza, in two sizes. J really likes this sort of menu because to him, it means they are focused on their 'core competencies'. Anyway, we ordered one of each - margherita and marinara - and went for it. We ate here on our last day in Naples, and despite pizza fatigue and general boredom with Italian cuisine, I think I enjoyed the pizza here the most. I found the base less soggy than Sorbillo's (although some may claim that it's not as thin) and the flavour was lighter without being so bland. The Bun liked this pizza the best, too.
J and The Bun at Da Michele.
And the fourth? That one was a sad slice of generic margherita that we had at the cafeteria in Pompeii. There were no other F&B options and the children were beginning to meltdown from hunger. I had a sandwich and didn't try the pizza, but it was nothing to shout about for sure.
To balance out all those pizzas, we also had some excellent seafood, something we're always happy to indulge in since Switzerland is landlocked and seafood is expensive. Next post for that!