Naples for Food Lovers: Pizza, Street Food, Sfogliatella and the Wines of Campania

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Naples does not do restraint. It is loud, chaotic, generous and passionate, and nowhere is that more obvious than at the table. This is the city that gave the world pizza, the city where coffee is a ritual and pastry a religion, and where a fried snack bought from a hole in the wall can be one of the best things you eat all year. For food lovers, it is quite simply one of the greatest cities in Europe.

This guide tells you what to eat, how to eat pizza the Neapolitan way, where to find the best street food and pastries, which wines to drink, and which food tours and experiences are worth booking.

Pizza: the Neapolitan way

The art of the Neapolitan pizzaiuolo is recognised by UNESCO as part of humanity’s intangible cultural heritage, and in Naples pizza is treated with the seriousness other cities reserve for fine dining. A true Neapolitan pizza has a soft, puffy, leopard-spotted rim called the cornicione, a thin and slightly wet centre, and is baked in a wood-fired oven at very high heat for barely a minute. It is eaten with a knife and fork, or folded, never sliced into neat triangles.

There are really only two classics. The marinara has tomato, garlic, oregano and olive oil, no cheese. The margherita adds mozzarella and basil; according to legend it was named in 1889 after the Queen of Italy, whose colours, red, white and green, matched the flag. Many of the most famous pizzerias are in the historic centre, especially along Via dei Tribunali, and in the streets around the station. Expect queues, put your name on the list and wait; turnover is fast. Prices remain remarkably low.

Do not miss pizza fritta, a pocket of dough stuffed with ricotta, salami and tomato and deep fried, a poor man’s dish that is now a cult classic, or the pizza a portafoglio, a small pizza folded in four and eaten on the street.

Street food

Naples has some of the best street food in Italy, sold from friggitorie, fry shops that open onto the street:

• Cuoppo: a paper cone filled with fried seafood, or with zucchini flowers, battered vegetables and little dough balls.
• Frittatina di pasta: a deep-fried disc of pasta with béchamel, peas and ham.
• Crocchè: potato croquettes, often with a heart of mozzarella.
• Arancini (pall’e riso): fried rice balls with ragù or cheese.
• Taralli: crunchy rings of dough with lard, black pepper and almonds, perfect with a cold beer by the sea.

The Naples street food tour leads you to the best stalls with a local guide, and is the easiest way to taste a dozen specialities in one afternoon.

Coffee and pastry

Neapolitan espresso is short, strong and often served already sweetened, with a glass of water to drink first. The city is famous for the caffè sospeso, the tradition of paying for an extra coffee for someone who cannot afford one. Drink it standing at the bar, as locals do.

With it, try a sfogliatella: either riccia, with crisp, shell-like layers of pastry, or frolla, with a soft shortcrust, both filled with ricotta, semolina and candied citrus. The rum-soaked babà is the other great Neapolitan pastry, and at Easter every family makes pastiera, a tart of ricotta and wheat scented with orange blossom. The grand Gran Caffè Gambrinus on Piazza Trieste e Trento, with its Belle Époque rooms, is the most elegant place for a coffee and pastry.

The dishes of the Neapolitan table

• Ragù napoletano: a tomato sauce cooked for hours with large pieces of meat, the centrepiece of Sunday lunch.
• Genovese: despite the name, a Neapolitan sauce of onions slow-cooked with beef until sweet and creamy, served with ziti.
• Spaghetti alle vongole: clams, garlic, olive oil and parsley, best by the sea.
• Mozzarella di bufala: buffalo mozzarella from the plains around Caserta and Paestum, eaten fresh the day it is made.
• Parmigiana di melanzane: layers of fried aubergine, tomato and cheese baked until rich and golden.

The wines of Campania

Campania is one of Italy’s most exciting wine regions, with grapes found almost nowhere else. Aglianico makes the powerful, long-lived red Taurasi; Fiano di Avellino and Greco di Tufo are complex, mineral whites; Falanghina is fresh and easy; and on the slopes of Vesuvius, Lacryma Christi grows in volcanic soil. End a meal with an ice-cold limoncello from the Sorrento coast. For other Italian wines, see our guides to Italian wine regions and Sicilian wine.

Dining by the sea

For a special evening, head to the water. The Borgo Marinari, the little fishing harbour beneath the Castel dell’Ovo, is lined with seafood restaurants where you can dine among the moored boats with Vesuvius across the bay. Along the waterfront at Mergellina, kiosks sell taralli and cold drinks, and fishermen’s trattorias serve spaghetti with clams and fried anchovies. Further west, the hill of Posillipo has elegant villas and restaurants with terraces hanging over the sea, some of the most romantic tables in southern Italy; book a sunset slot and ask for a seat by the railing. On summer weekends, Neapolitans take to the water themselves, and lunch on a boat anchored off the Posillipo coast is the ultimate local luxury.

If you prefer elegant surroundings, several of the grand hotels on the seafront along Via Partenope have rooftop restaurants and bars with views over the bay to Capri. They are perfect for an aperitivo before heading back into the old town for pizza, which, in true Neapolitan spirit, is perfectly acceptable even after a fine-dining week.

Markets

The Pignasecca market in the Montesanto district is the city’s oldest and liveliest, with stalls of fish, vegetables, cheese and fried snacks. The Porta Nolana fish market near the station is a theatre of shouting fishmongers and glistening seafood. Both are best in the morning.

Beyond food: Naples underground and Caravaggio

Between meals, Naples has extraordinary things to see. The Galleria Borbonica guided tour takes you through a tunnel built for a Bourbon king, later used as an air-raid shelter. Art lovers can follow the Caravaggio guided tour, which includes his monumental Seven Works of Mercy, still in the church it was painted for. Our guide to Naples: the Veiled Christ, the underground and the archaeological museum covers the rest.

Naples food and experiences at a glance

Experience	What you get	Time	Book
Street food tour	Pizza fritta, cuoppo, pastries with a local	About 3 hours	Food tour
Historic centre walk	Spaccanapoli, churches, alleys	About 2 hours	Walking tour
Caravaggio tour	His Neapolitan masterpieces	About 2 hours	Guided tour
Galleria Borbonica	Underground tunnels and history	About 1.5 hours	Guided tour
Bike tour of the Phlegraean Fields	Volcanic landscapes and coast	Half day	Bike tour
Pompeii and Vesuvius	Ruins and volcano with transfers	Full day	Small-group tour
Amalfi Coast	Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi	Full day	Small-group tour
Capri by boat	Island tour from Naples	Full day	Boat tour

Practical tips

• Eat pizza at lunch. The famous pizzerias are calmer at midday than in the evening.
• Carry cash. Street stalls and small bars often prefer it.
• Coffee rules. Pay at the cashier first, then hand your receipt to the barista.
• Stay safe and relaxed. Naples is lively and busy; keep valuables close in crowded areas, as in any big city.
• Arrival. From the airport or station, a private transfer with Welcome Pickups avoids taxi confusion.

Naples is also the gateway to the coast: see Pompeii, Herculaneum and Vesuvius, the Amalfi Coast by boat and Capri by boat. Our Italy travel planner covers eSIMs and insurance.

FAQ

Where can I eat the best pizza in Naples?
The historic pizzerias on and around Via dei Tribunali and near the station are the classic choice, but excellent pizza is found all over the city. Follow the queues of locals.

What is the difference between Neapolitan and Roman pizza?
Neapolitan pizza is soft and puffy with a tall rim; Roman pizza is thin and crispy.

What should I try for breakfast in Naples?
An espresso and a sfogliatella, or a babà if you have a sweet tooth.

Is street food in Naples safe?
Yes. Fried food from busy friggitorie is freshly made and turned over quickly.

What wine goes with pizza?
Locals often drink beer, but a chilled Falanghina or a light red such as Gragnano, a sparkling local wine, is perfect.

Hungry in Rome? See our guide to what to eat in Rome.

Hungry in Venice? See our guide to what to eat in Venice.

Hungry in Sicily? See our guide to Sicilian food.