Sfogliatella riccia is a shell-shaped pastry of thin, crinkled lard-brushed dough coiled around a filling of semolina, ricotta, candied citrus and cinnamon, baked until shattering-crisp on the outside and custardy within.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
Sfogliatella was created by the nuns of the Santa Rosa convent in Conca dei Marini on the Amalfi Coast around 1700; the recipe reached Naples in the 1800s when pastry cook Pasquale Pintauro adapted it for his Via Toledo shop, and the Neapolitan version became the city's definitive pastry.
Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Eggs
Tip from the editors. The pastry must be eaten within 2 hours of baking; refrigerating softens the crust irreversibly. If you cannot eat them all, freeze unbaked.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Attanasio near Naples Central Station fries sfogliatelle since 1930 at 2 euros, the city's cheapest and best standing breakfast and the closest good pasticceria to the train platforms.
Order: Sfogliatella riccia freshly fried, eaten standing at the counter.
Tip: Closed Monday. Cash only at the counter. The queue moves fast; sfogliatella riccia sells hot from 06:30.
Scaturchio in Naples' Piazza San Domenico Maggiore opens its evening aperitivo from 18:00 to 21:00, with the ministeriale (chocolate-rum disc) and babà au rhum available at the counter until closing.
Try: Ministeriale, babà au rhum, espresso
Tip: Open daily 07:00 to 21:00. The aperitivo set runs 8 euros with a spritz and pasticcini from 18:00.
Mary in Naples' Galleria Umberto I is the standing counter inside the 1887 arcade, with the sfogliatella riccia baked all day, sold piping hot to the Via Toledo passing crowd.
Try: Sfogliatella riccia hot
Tip: Open daily 07:00 to 20:00 inside the Galleria. Sfogliatella runs 2 euros; the riccia is the local-buy.
Gran Caffe Gambrinus on Piazza Trieste e Trento in Naples (1860) is the city's defining morning ritual, with the counter espresso and hot sfogliatella the Neapolitan brunch before brunch was a concept.
Order: Sfogliatella riccia hot from the counter, cioccolata calda in winter.
Tip: Standing at the counter is one-third the price of the seated terrace. Arrive by 09:30 on weekends before the tour groups.
More cities are in research. Want sfogliatella riccia covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.