Where is the best pizza in Napoli?

There are lots of good pizzerie near the museum; also along the waterfront - look for a wood or coal burning oven. You don't need to stand in line for hours at the top two.

The original pizza place in Naples is "Da Michele" and they only serve 2 kinds of pizzas. The place gets mixed reviews and has long lines.

I would recommend Piazzeria Trianon which is across the street. We have had pizza there twice and think it is the best pizza we've ever had!

I know there are lots of amazing places for pizza in Naples, but I do absolutely adore Da Michele, in spite of the excellent advice already given. I did have to wait in line and I thought that was part of the fun!! Waiting with all the other locals and tourists was fascinating; they were so helpful! We got a number, and waited for our number to be called, but jumped the gun when we misunderstood when another number was called, in Italian! We had a good laugh -- along with everyone else in line....and then when our number finally was called, everyone cheered!! All this, and the pizza was outstanding. I had been wanting to enjoy pizza from Da Michele ever since reading Eat, Pray, Love - and it lived up to all my expectations. I highly recommend it! Enjoy!

I don't think you can go wrong anywhere. I'd opt for a place not brimming with tourists (or lines) and more of a local joint. Definitely stop by a bakery somewhere in the city and grab some sflogliatelle pastry.

Ah, yes, the sfogliatelle! Get the "ricci", phyllo-type pastry wrapped around a sweet ricotta filling.

Another vote for Piazzeria Trianon. The pizze were fabulous and we didn't have a line. However, it did seem to me that they led the tourists upstairs and more of the locals were downstairs.

Be prepared that the crust is soft, not crispy. You cannot pick it up and will see a lot of people roll it before eating it.

I love Sorbillo's.

Napoli Centrale Train station has delicious crispy crust pizza by the slice at its cafe/deli off the lobby! Several varieties, I loved the tomato/mushroom/cheese! Great coffee too!

I thought waiting in line at Da Michele was kind of a pain. I can say I ate at the historic pizzeria. Not really that big a deal. The pizza is good but If you just want Neopolitan pizza and are not checking off a bucket list item I would go elsewhere. But I didn't like Eat Pray Love so maybe I wasn't appropriately appreciative, even though I sat right next to Julia's picture. The archaeology museum is great and the spaccanapoli walk is interesting. We took the ferry from Sorrento. Good views from the water.

Thank you for these responses. I am going to write them all down and perhaps attempt comparisons if we end up in Napoli more than once. It's good to know there is decent pizza at the train station too!
Cynthia

Pizzeria Da Attilio brought tears to my eyes, it was so good, and the Margherita pizza was like 3 Euros. We tried many pizzas from various 'top ten' lists while we were in Naples, and that was the best by a pretty good margin. Off the beaten path, but a pretty easy walk from the archaeological museum.

Crispy crust pizza isn't original Napoli pizza though. It's the soft droughy crust, if you are wanting the "traditional".

Good to know. Yes, I want whatever is traditional.
Cynthia

That may be true, I don't know, I've Not heard of that, but original Neapolitan pizza was baked at 905 degrees Fahrenheit for 60 to 90 seconds, so it may have been quite soft and elastic!

I grew up on Neapolitan pizza that was soft with a bottom crispy crunchy crust. My father's Mom was Neapolitan. Only a few times in Italy I've had soft crust pizza that the vendor rolled and I couldn't stomach it.

I had the worst pizza of my life in Naples. I was starving at 5:30 so I stopped in a place that had a local or two. I asked for the fungi (mushroom). The crust was great but it was so greasy and TINNED MUSHROOMS!!! I haven't had a canned mushroom since I was a little girl and my mom used them in an attempt to make chinese food.

I will be there in three weeks and I am really looking forward to erasing that memory.

Every pizza I've had in Napoli had a nice, crisp bottom, complete with air bubbles and scorch marks. The top of the crust was softer than American style pizza. The best places let the dough rest for 2-3 days before making the pizza.

Neapolitan pizzas have strict requirements for certification including the exact ingredients, oven temps, and technique. You can get a Neapolitan pizza in the states that rivals any in Napoli - you just need to find one. If they follow all the specs, it should be of comparable quality and texture to a Napoli pizza (of course I'm sure the price in the US will be higher...just because they can)

http://americas.pizzanapoletana.org/wood_burning_oven.php

Here are their members in the US...you can find Rhode Island pizza joints here that conform to their standards. It will be interesting if you try one and then compare them to Napoli, and report back. I can vouch that the Neapolitan place near me in Arlington, VA is the real deal - cannot taste the difference between that pizza and what I had in Napoli (probably because it's run by Neapolitans as well).
http://americas.pizzanapoletana.org/members.php

Mentioned above was Pizzeria Trianon in Naples. We avoided the lines and hit the Trianon just outside Salerno's Old Town. Delicious!!

Since I started this thread, just wanted to add an update that we ended up at Pizzeria Da Attilio after spending time at the Archeological Museum and both the pizza and the museum were awesome. The restaurant was cozy and a welcome relief from the din of the streets and the staff seemed happy we were there. A sporting group of about a dozen local teens was having a celebratory lunch with their coaches and they were fun to be around too (youthful energy!). The pizza was quite inexpensive, mostly in the 6-8 euro range for a whole pie, and yes, it was traditional and soft in the center and I loved every bite.

Thank you again everyone for your input!
Cynthia

Cynthia, I looked on TripAdvisor and that pizza place looks wonderful! I looked at some photos and got a kick out of the star-shaped pizza - I've never seen anything like that before. Those Italian prices are definitely something to be jealous of - no Neapolitan pizza in the States costs so little (I just went to 2Amys this weekend in DC and got a pizza which was very good, but much pricier). Glad you enjoyed yourself in Naples!

PS. Was this largely a local place, or did you see any tourists? It's just the kind of small, homey place I really like.

Definitely Da Michele

Agnes, it definitely seemed like more of a local place, although since I saw it mentioned on this board and it's on TA there must be plenty of tourist traffic too. There were two rooms, a front room and a back room. We were in the back room and everyone else in there was speaking Italian--loudly and enthusiastically. My Italian is rudimentary at best and the waiter spoke English, although when my friend wanted a dark beer we could not seem to get the concept across, so we just shrugged and settled for light. I would definitely go back if I am ever in Naples again.

Cynthia,
I think you mentioned to me via PM that your friend was allergic to tomatoes, which I thought that may be a little tricky...so I'm wondering, what kind of pizza did she get? (and which kind did you get?) I'm partial to the typical margherita with simple ingredients.

We went to Pizzeria Brandi several years ago. A plaque outside the restaurant designates the pizzeria as the birthplace of pizza, specifically Pizza Margherita, named for the queen who visited the restaurant. The pizza had a soft crust, but it was fabulous. The service was very slow but worth the wait. We found it an easy walk from the cruise terminal.