Food in Naples: 10 Quintessentially Neapolitan Dishes and Where To Eat Them

It would be a tragedy to visit Naples and skip the city’s invincible specialty, pizza Napoletana, a thin-crust specialty typically topped with basil, mozzarella, and tomatoes. Once you’ve had this classic version, you can tour the city’s historic center for more pizza (and other street foods), or try other master pizza houses. A local favorite is Starita a Materdei, where the essential pizzas are still under €10; while their marinara (no cheese) is king, they also serve a marvelous variation called fiorilli e zucchine (squash blossoms and zucchini). Alternatively, if you’re looking for the city’s new-wave pizzerias, (which specialize in new takes on old classics), head to 50 Kalò, located near the Mergellina train station.

Where to try Neopolitan pizza in Naples: While many pizza parlors make excellent versions, you should start with a Margherita from L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele, a no-frills institution on Via Cesare Sersale. (If the lines at da Michele are too long to bear, muscle your way to the counter and order your meal to go. The staff will bring your pizza outside in no time.)

When in Naples, travelers face two crucial questions: The first is, “Where do I find the best sfogliatella?” The queen of Neapolitan pastries, this shell-shaped flavor bomb has been served in Naples for centuries, perhaps since 1700. The second is, “Should I try the frolla or the riccia (the version filled with almond paste or the one with citrus-flavored ricotta cheese)?” The frolla is softer and doughier, while the riccia has the characteristic texture resembling layers of flaking leaves—sfogliare means to “leaf through” or “peel.”

Where to try sfogliatella in Naples: You can try one (or several) at Pasticceria Giovanni Scaturchio, one of the best pastry shops in the city. Another option is Pintauro, the spot where the pastry was invented; the staff serves the goods hot, topped with powdered sugar.

What sets mozzarella di bufala apart from its cheese brethren, regular mozzarella, also called fior di latte? It is made from the fattier milk of water buffalo and has a subtle sour taste that the smoother mozzarella lacks. It's also not the typical mozz you find outside of Italy; the best mozzarella di bufala have silky outer skin and soft, spongy insides with a tangy flavor that defies description.

Where to try mozzarella di bufala in Naples: In Naples, the best way to find the stuff is to ask for a fresh sample from a restaurant or visit a dedicated cheese shop like Sogni di Latte, which is located in the Vomero neighborhood. Then, if you want to learn more, you can find farm tour and tasting experiences across Campania—some of the most beloved mozzarella producers, or caseifici, are in Salerno and Paestum.

There’s nothing more Neapolitan than pizza, but fried pizza is a close second. This pizza is made from the same prized dough as its cousin, but it is fried in oil rather than roasted in a wood-fired oven. Legend has it that pizza fritta is a prime example of cucina povera—the peasant practice of preparing food with affordable, readily available ingredients—and it was perfected when fighting during World War II destroyed all the city’s wood-fired ovens.

These pizzas have no toppings; instead, they’re stuffed. And in true cucina povera fashion, the most traditional stuffings are made from by-products: ricotta cheese is made of leftover whey from mozzarella production, and ciccioli (pork rinds) are spun from the discards of lard-making.

Where to try pizza fritta in Naples: Visit the Antica Pizza Fritta da Zia Esterina Sorbillo and pick up a “slice” with salami and ricotta or tomatoes and provolone cheese, or try the gems at Isabella de Cham in the Sanità neighborhood.

In Tuscany, they’re called rapini. In Apulia (Puglia), they’re cime di rapa. But in Naples, these bitter leafy greens with edible stalks, leaves, and florets are called friarielli. And while this brassica (a genus of plants in the mustard and cabbage family) is similar to broccoli rabe, locals will tell you that the version found in Naples is a sub-variety that only grows in Campania.

Chefs traditionally blanch the vegetables to smooth out the bitterness and prepare them as side dishes (contorni in Italian) with sausage, but they’re also used on pizza and in risotto, or simply prepared on their own.

Where to try friarielli and sausage in Naples: You can pick up a casual plate at Rosticceria Vaco e Press in Piazza Dante, but the best place to try them is at the Osteria della Mattonella, a family-run trattoria between the Quartieri Spagnoli and Monte di Dio.

There are no bad options in the city when it comes to pasta, but make sure not to miss out on the one style of sauce most often found simmering away in every nonna’s kitchen during family gatherings: Genovese sauce. No relation to Genoa, or to pesto (despite its similar name), this sauce is a slow-cooked wonder made with a ton of onions, carrots, and beef, and it’s most often served over ziti or other short pastas.

Lots and lots of restaurants serve ziti alla Genovese (or pasta topped with Neapolitan ragu, a similar dish that includes tomatoes). A good rule of thumb if you’re looking for the best versions is to avoid tourist traps; they don’t take the time to simmer the onions properly, as this process can take hours.

Where to try pasta alla Genovese in Naples: For a tried-and-true version, order a plate at Mimi alla Ferrovia, which is steps from the central train station, or at the Locanda del Cerriglio, a trattoria hidden at the southern end of the historic center.

There are two kinds of Neapolitan cuoppi, small paper cones filled with fried street food: The first is a seafood cuoppo, which typically includes fried anchovies, calamari, baccalà (salted cod), and/or zeppoline (small fried dough balls prepared with other kinds of seafood). The second, called cuoppo di terra (cuoppo of earth), offers crocchè (fried mashed potatoes with mozzarella), arancini (fried risotto balls), and other “earth-based” (read: not seafood) goodies. Fancier eateries sometimes also throw in fried zucchini blossoms called sciurilli and dried slices of polenta called scagliozzi. Customers usually buy a few small cones at once to try different items.

Where to try fritti in Naples: Grab a handful at Pizzeria Gorizia 1916, then burn off the calories by walking down the scenic Via Pedamentina.

Outside Italy, parmigiana is sometimes prepared with chicken or veal. But in southern Italy, where it was created, and especially in Naples, parmigiana is prepared strictly with vegetables, primarily eggplants and sometimes artichokes or zucchini (plus tomatoes and mozzarella). The difficult part of preparing this dish is frying and baking the slices of eggplant perfectly, so they soften and become more sweet than bitter—something the local chefs have mastered.

Where to try parmigiana di melanzane in Naples: Load up on parmigiana di melanzane at the Salumeria Malinconico dal 1890, a historic deli that also serves great sandwiches.

Ask Neapolitans what makes the local espresso special, and they'll say the difference comes down to love and the local water. Perhaps this is true, but the answer sounds more like magical realism than a rational explanation. That said, the local espresso is particularly good, managing to be both smooth and bold at the same time. When ordering, first pay at the cassa (cashier), then take your receipt to the barista at the coffee counter and say, un caffè, per favore. To blend in, drink at the bar, clear your palette with a glass of water, and stir your coffee from top to bottom rather than in circles.

Where to try caffè espresso in Naples: Start your Naples mornings with an espresso (simply “caffè” in Italian) at the Gran Caffè Gambrinus just off Piazza del Plebiscito. Gambrinus can feel touristy, but the café is among the most historic in Naples and remains popular with locals.

If you’re an adventurous eater and really want to honor local cucina povera traditions, make sure to try Neapolitan tripe and offal dishes. These dishes are not for picky eaters, but if you like offal, start with the insalata di trippa (tripe salad) and make sure to have the ’o pere e ‘o musso (foot and snout) with lemon juice, then top it all off with zuppa forte (offal stew).

Where to try tripe and offal in Naples: Head to Le Zendraglie, perhaps the last remaining traditional tripperia restaurant in Naples, which gets its name from the women who once scrapped for leftover meat from the royal kitchens. (These ladies were called le zendraglie, Neapolitan dialect for les entrailles, which is the French for entrails.)