Aragawa in Naples' Vomero edge holds one Michelin star for an Italian-Japanese fusion tasting menu by Pasquale Palamaro, with Kobe beef, modern crudo and Campanian seasonal vegetables.
Signature dishes: Tasting menu, Kobe beef tartare, Risotto
Must order: The tasting menu with the Kobe tartare and the cured fish course.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. Book three weeks ahead via Resy or the restaurant phone line.
Address: Via Filippo Cammarano 30, 80129 Napoli, Naples
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: Pizza margherita, Pizza marinara con verdure
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.
Da Michele in Naples' Forcella has baked margherita and marinara since 1870, the city's defining pizza counter. The Eat Pray Love queue still wraps the block at 13:00.
Signature: Pizza margherita, Pizza marinara
Order: Pizza margherita and pizza marinara, the only two on the carte for 150 years.
Tip: Take a numbered ticket from the door and wait outside. The classic margherita is 5 euros 50; cash preferred.
Gino Sorbillo's headquarters on Via dei Tribunali in Naples is the third-generation family pizzeria, with 21 siblings carrying the dough across four city counters since 1935.
Signature: Pizza margherita, Pizza marinara, Pizza fritta
Order: The margherita with San Marzano DOP and the seasonal special with friarielli.
Tip: No bookings; arrive 12:30 or 19:00 for the shortest queue. The pizza fritta at Lievito Madre two doors down handles overflow.
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: Pizza margherita, Pizza marinara con verdure
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.
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.
