Ciro Salvo's 50 Kalo in Naples' Mergellina edge of Chiaia ranks among the world's top three pizzerias on the 50 Top Pizza list, with a 72-hour fermentation dough at the counter.
Signature dishes: Pizza margherita, Pizza marinara con verdure
Must order: Margherita with San Marzano DOP and the marinara with Cetara anchovies and oregano.
Tip: Book on the website a fortnight ahead for dinner. Lunch is the calmer service; the long dough proof is the signature.
Address: Piazza Sannazaro 201/B, 80122 Napoli, Naples
Lino Scarallo's Palazzo Petrucci on Posillipo Hill in Naples holds one Michelin star and the seafront cliff terrace over the Bay, the city's most-told modern Campanian tasting room.
Signature: Lasagnetta di mozzarella di bufala, Risotto alla pescatora
Order: Lasagnetta di mozzarella di bufala and risotto alla pescatora with Bay views.
Tip: Book three weeks ahead via the website; the 145-euro tasting menu is the entry point. Terrace tables go first.
Umberto in Naples' Chiaia has run the family room since 1916, with the tubettoni do treddeta (3-fingered seafood pasta) and the spaghetti alle vongole anchoring the historic carte.
Signature: Spaghetti alle vongole, Tubettoni do treddeta, Pizza
Order: Tubettoni do treddeta (the house specialty since 1916) and spaghetti alle vongole veraci.
Tip: Open Mon-Sat 12:00 to 15:30 and 19:30 to 23:30; closed Sunday. Book a week ahead via the website for weekends.
Starita in Naples' Materdei has run the wood ovens since 1901, with the montanara fried pizza (Sophia Loren's choice on screen) the unmissable order alongside the canonical margherita.
Signature: Montanara fried pizza, Pizza margherita, Angioletti
Order: Montanara fried pizza, margherita and angioletti dough fritters to start.
Tip: Closed Monday lunch; otherwise open daily 12:00 to 24:00. No bookings; arrive 12:30 or 19:30 for the shortest queue.
Di Matteo on Via dei Tribunali in Naples has fried pizza, frittatine and crocchè from the streetside window since 1936; Bill Clinton's 1994 lunch stop sits in the legend.
Signature: Pizza margherita, Pizza fritta, Crocchè di patate
Order: The pizza fritta from the window, then pizza margherita inside and crocchè di patate.
Tip: Open daily 10:00 to 24:00. Cash preferred at the window; sit-down service runs upstairs.
Brandi off Via Toledo in Naples claims the 1889 invention of the pizza margherita by Raffaele Esposito for Queen Margherita of Savoy. The queen's thank-you letter still hangs in the dining room.
Signature: Pizza margherita, Pizza marinara
Order: Pizza margherita, the canonical version named for the queen in 1889.
Tip: Open daily 12:00 to 15:30 and 19:00 to 24:00. Book ahead for groups; the original Esposito plaque sits at the entrance.
Ciro Oliva's Concettina ai Tre Santi in Naples' Sanita is the modern pizza fine-dining room, with tasting menus of six small pizzas and a wine pairing in the historic 1951 family room.
Signature: Tasting pizza menu, Pizza margherita, Pizza marinara
Order: The five-pizza tasting menu and the modern margherita with three tomato cuts.
Tip: Book on the website three weeks ahead. The tasting menu runs 45 euros; the historic counter still serves the classic pizzas.
Lino Scarallo's Palazzo Petrucci on Posillipo Hill in Naples holds one Michelin star and the seafront cliff terrace over the Bay, the city's most-told modern Campanian tasting room.
Signature: Lasagnetta di mozzarella di bufala, Risotto alla pescatora
Order: Lasagnetta di mozzarella di bufala and risotto alla pescatora with Bay views.
Tip: Book three weeks ahead via the website; the 145-euro tasting menu is the entry point. Terrace tables go first.
Umberto in Naples' Chiaia has run the family room since 1916, with the tubettoni do treddeta (3-fingered seafood pasta) and the spaghetti alle vongole anchoring the historic carte.
Signature: Spaghetti alle vongole, Tubettoni do treddeta, Pizza
Order: Tubettoni do treddeta (the house specialty since 1916) and spaghetti alle vongole veraci.
Tip: Open Mon-Sat 12:00 to 15:30 and 19:30 to 23:30; closed Sunday. Book a week ahead via the website for weekends.
