Da Michele
It may feel a bit like eating from a production line these days (and the brand has now been syndicated around the world), but a pizza at Da Michele is still an essential Neapolitan experience. The pizza here is as frill-free as the décor (marble-topped tables, bare white walls and a large, wood-fired oven) and now comes in four versions; the classic Margherita and Marinara have been joined by a Marita (half of each) and Cosacca (with pecorino cheese). Standards may have slipped a bit, but at €6.50 per pizza and a mere €1 cover charge, it’s still great value. The drinks list, too, is minimal: water, beer, Fanta and Coke. Not a place for a romantic evening out, but that’s hardly the point.
Address: Via Cesare Sersale 1
Concettina ai Tre Santi
Be prepared to wait for a table at busy times at Ciro Oliva’s celebrated pizzeria, opened in the heart of the pulsing Rione Sanità by his great-grandmother, Concettina, in 1951. There is good reason for the queues as his pizzas are exceptional: light, puffy crusts topped with the best regional ingredients and cooked to perfection in the wood-fired oven. Bag a table on the back terrace, order a bottle of chilled local bubbly from the excellent wine list and a selection of fried antipasti and marinated veg while you choose between the likes of Sole della Sanità (yellow datterini, buffalo mozzarella, basil, and oregano) and Borgo Vergini (scarola, capers, olives, and provolone cheese). Ciro recently opened a pizzeria in Capri, located near the iconic Piazzetta.
Address: Via Arena della Sanità 7
Da Attilio alla Pignasecca
Third-generation owner Attilio Bachetti has been dubbed ‘the pizzaiolo’s pizzaiolo’ for his light, puffy bases and choice of some 40 pizzas made with top-notch, local ingredients. His no-fuss, family-run restaurant (a firm local favourite) has occupied two bright rooms near the bustling Pignasecca market since 1938. The pizza menu is divided between ‘Tradizione’ and ‘A Capa Nostra’ (roughly translated as ‘off the top of our heads’) and Senza Tempo’ (timeless) pizzas; I recommend one of the signature star-shaped ones with a ricotta cheese-stuffed crust. Appenini comes with mozzarella, sautéed courgettes and pancetta, porcini mushrooms and parmigiana. And if you can’t decide, order the Attilio, which has 9 separate slices, each with a different topping. At lunchtime, there are also other Neapolitan classics such as pasta with potatoes or pasta alla genovese.
Address: Via Pignasecca 17
