For the past three years, the best pizza in the world hasn’t come from Naples, but from the town of Caserta, about 20 miles north, where Francesco Martucci’s I Masanielli – on an unprepossessing main road just outside the town centre – has hung on to top billing in the listings of authoritative guide 50 Top Pizza, run by influential wine and food journalist Luciano Pignataro.
But if you’re in the birthplace of pizza, how do you choose from the thousands that ply their trade in that city?
You can look for plaques on restaurants stating their membership of either the Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani (APN) or the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN). But there are hundreds of those and, especially since Neapolitan pizza was Unesco-listed in 2017, many pizzerias have, in my opinion, let standards fall and become turistico.
The important thing is that the person whose name is on the shop front is the one in the kitchen tossing the dough. If they put their face, name and hands to it, every pizza is a masterpiece.
My tick list for a good pizza starts with its looks. The crust must be round, regular and at least 2cm high, with little well-browned bubbles all over, and the centre must be soft, not crispy. Sliced into, the dough must have a nice, open structure, showing that it was well proved. And the base must be speckled brown but not burnt, and without the yellow sheen you see when too much flour is used in the rolling out (making it taste bitter). The top must be a harmonious mix of red tomato sauce, pure white mozzarella and vivid green basil leaves in the case of the classic margherita.
Here are 10 Neapolitan pizzerias that, for me, merit the name.
Lombardi 1892, old town
The Lombardi family have been making pizzas here for four generations, since 1892, when Errico opened the restaurant. Today it’s run by his great-grandchildren, cousins Enrico and Carlo Alberto, who take turns at the counter – no one else is allowed near. The secrets of the family profession, handed down from father to son, can be tasted in the quality of their pizza – carefully chosen ingredients and dough made in the age-old manner, with a few innovations to make them lighter and tastier. The handsome old building, with a tiled, wood-burning oven built in 1947, and an attractive, marble-clad front adorned with four griffin sculptures, turns out thousands of pizzas daily for the many faithful customers.
Via Foria 12-14, pizzerialombardi.it, open Tues-Thurs noon-3.30pm and 7pm-midnight, Fri-Sun noon-3.30pm and 7pm-1am
Gorizia 1916, Vomero
Near this upmarket district’s central Piazza Vanvitelli, this historic pizzeria has long been close to the hearts of Vomero residents. It was founded by Salvatore Grasso in 1916 and is now run by his grandchildren, who oversee the work of their staff with great attention. The margherita here is textbook – all the rules are respected and the exquisite aromas of the cheese and basil seem to give a flavour of times past, as do the waiters in bow ties and the early 20th-century architecture.
Via Gian Lorenzo Bernini 29-31, gorizia1916.com. Open daily 11am-4.15pm and 6.30pm-1am
Starita, Materdei
Don Antonio’s pizzeria is an institution in the narrow streets of the Materdei district. It began in 1901 as a wine cellar and kitchen, becoming a pizzeria and friggitoria (purveyor of fried foods) in 1948. It featured in the 1954 film The Gold of Naples, with Sophia Loren as a young pizza maker. Today, Antonio directs proceedings, with his children and longstanding employees. In his hands frying becomes a work of art: one speciality of his that many have tried to copy is fried-then-baked pizza. Starita has everything for the full Neapolitan experience: historic premises, working-class area, a master of tradition in the kitchen and long queues of patrons waiting for the curtain to go up on real pizza.
Via Materdei 27/28, pizzeriestarita.it, open Tues-Sun noon-3.30pm and 7pm-midnight
Pizzeria da Attilio, Montesanto
This pizzeria is in the middle of Pignasecca market, where thousands of Neapolitans come every day to inspect the fruit, veg and fish stalls. Attilio’s parents founded the place in 1938 and his mother, Maria Francesca, was for years the pillar of the restaurant, known for her delicious fresh pasta and desserts, which are still available. But the real surprises are of Attilio’s own making. Impeccable traditional pizzas – marinara, cosacca (with pecorino instead of mozzarella) and margherita – make him one of the masters of the art of good dough. His amazing creativity can be seen in an eight-pointed-star pizza with stuffed crust, bacetti (rolls of dough filled with cheese, herbs and nutmeg) and the many other specialities that have made this tiny place a massive success.
Via Pignasecca, 17, pizzeriadaattilio.com, open Mon-Sat noon-4pm and 7pm-midnight
Pizzeria Tutino, Porta Nolana
Very close to the main train station, off a road leading to Porta Nolana and its ancient street market, Tutino has personified generous Neapolitan-ness since 1960. It’s hard to find anywhere else that sticks so faithfully to the traditional pizza a portafoglio. Literally “wallet pizza”, it’s a small version, served folded up in paper to take away. Founder Nonno Giuseppe has passed the art on to his children and grandchildren. Today, Lino, Michele and Sandro, helped by various young relatives, make their tasty pizzas with no frills but no stinting on ingredients. With the still-sizzling pizza in your hands, you’re advised to wander down through the city gate and “give thanks” at the 13th-century Santa Maria del Carmine church.
Via Cesare Carmignano 79, on Facebook, open Mon-Fri 8am-10pm, 8am-midnight Saturday
Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba 1738
A claim to have been founded in 1738 makes this the city’s oldest pizzeria. Truth and legend are intertwined in its long history, and many famous people are said to have eaten here. And this is all quite easy to believe, given its position under one of the old town’s most impressive gates, Port’Alba. The restaurant has been run by the Luciano family since 1940, with Gennaro currently at the helm. He’s a true master at the pizza bench, with real respect for tradition. His “flavours of Amalfi” pizza, with anchovies, yellow tomatoes, lemon and basil, is not to be missed. And, like Tutino, he is famous for “wallet pizza”. Generations of Neapolitans remember eating his little margherita, folded in four and wrapped in brown paper.
Via Port’Alba 18, anticapizzeriaportalba.com, open Weds-Mon, noon-midnight
Pizzeria Fratelli Cafasso
A stone’s throw from Diego Armando Maradona stadium, in the middle of the Fuorigrotta district in western Naples, Cafasso is the perfect place for post-match celebrations. It was founded in 1953 by Don Peppino and his wife Elena, and now the fourth generation, brothers Antonio and Ugo, run the pizza bench and front of house respectively. It’s a simple and atmospheric place, where close attention is paid to the mix of flours that create a light and flavourful dough. The secret of its success is that the original “Cafassi brothers” recipe has never been changed.
Via Giulio Cesare 156, on Facebook, open Mon-Sat noon- 3.30pm and 7.30pm-11pm
Pizzeria De’Figliole, old town
There’s a pizza even older than the wood-oven baked variety, and that’s the fried pizza. It’s two discs of dough with a rich filling of pork scraps and ricotta. It’s then deep-fried for just a few seconds. This is the speciality – indeed, the only offering – at pizzeria De’Figliole. The venerable Immacolata and her family carry on a tradition started in 1860. Women have always been in charge here, and fried pizza was traditionally the food that poor Neapolitan housewives used to fill the bellies of their children.
Via Giudecca Vecchia 39, on Facebook, open Mon-Thurs 10am-10.30pm, Friday 10am-11pm, Saturday 10am-midnight
Pizzaria La Notizia, Posillipo/Vomero
Good pizza can make a street famous, especially if there are two fine pizzerias on it. On the side of Posillipo hill, Via Caravaggio snakes up from the Lauro district, and the great baroque artist – who frequented a few taverns himself – would no doubt be proud to see the two La Notizia pizzerias on the street that bears his name. That founder and master pizzaiolo Enzo Coccia makes his margheritas with seven types of tomato, and his filled pizza with pork scraps cooked in extra-virgin olive oil, shows the passion he brings to his work. The original restaurant, at no 53, is all about staying faithful to tradition, while the second, opened in 2010 at no 94, has a more experimental take. Whichever one you try, if you go at the weekend there will be a long queue, but it’s so worth the wait.
Via Michelangelo da Caravaggio 53, and Via Michelangelo da Caravaggio 94, pizzarialanotizia.com, open Tues-Sun 7pm-midnight
Pizzeria Di Matteo, old town
When Dean Martin sang, “When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie,” in the 1950s, Salvatore Di Matteo’s pizzeria had already been running for 20 years. The arrival of the US Navy during the war saw his pizza bases get a bit bigger, and beer appearig alongside wine on the drinks menu. Di Matteo’s success has always been down to good quality at good prices. In a great location on the decumano maggiore (one of the city’s three main Greek/Roman thoroughfares), the pizzeria has a hatch (pictured) on the street, selling pizza and the fried snacks Neapolitans love to eat along with it, but the true experience is had inside, in one of several noisy, friendly dining rooms. Service has to be quick, especially at lunchtime, because of the sheer numbers dropping by. Among their numbers in 1994, when Naples was hosting the G7 summit, was president Bill Clinton: it’s said that he asked for a Coca-Cola, but found a “wallet” pizza thrust into his hands instead.
Via dei Tribunali, 94, pizzeriadimatteo.it, open Mon-Sat, 10.30am-3.30pm and 7.30pm-11pm
Domenico Mazzella is a Naples-born art historian and conservator, and the author of Le Vie della Pizza (Jupiter Edizioni, €10)
