Bustling Naples in southern Italy is an absolute foodie’s dream. Around every corner, there’s something guaranteed to make you stop in your tracks and start drooling – from world-famous pizza and rich, comforting pasta dishes to gloriously deep-fried street snacks and sugar-dusted sweet treats.

Food is such a core part of Neapolitan identity; you will quickly notice that the locals seem to be constantly snacking and grazing. Even the air feels edible. The scent of wood-fired ovens drifts through the streets, mingling with the sugary perfume spilling out of neighbourhood pasticcerias.

While many people only think of pizza when they think of Naples, this fantastic city – and the Campania region as a whole – is home to some of Italy’s most flavourful dishes. What’s more, food in Naples is incredibly affordable. Pizzas often cost less than €10, while street food snacks usually come in at around €2. This means you can eat to your heart’s content without blowing your budget.

In this post, I’m sharing 14 must-try Neapolitan specialties to seek out on your next trip – which prove that Naples is about so much more than just pizza. That said, you absolutely should eat as much Neapolitan pizza as humanly possible while you’re there. It is truly amazing and absolutely lives up to the hype. I’ll also give you some ideas of where to find these fantastic Neapolitan dishes, based on my favourite local restaurants.

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14 Must-Try Dishes in Naples

Pizza napoletana

We’ll start with perhaps the biggest draw to Naples – the world’s best pizza. That’s right, the world’s very best! I’ve done extensive research and have sampled excellent pizza all around the globe, but none come close to the real deal.

Neapolitan pizza is borderline perfection, owing to the spectacular regional ingredients used, such as San Marzano tomatoes and Mozzarella di Bufala, as well as the strict cooking rules. To be a “true” Pizza Napoletana, pizzerias must use a wood-fired oven that has reached a temperature between 430-480°C, and cook the pizza for 60-90 seconds. These high standards ensure that you are served a pizza with a thin base, and a beautifully airy, chewy, and puffy crust with a slightly charred edge. 

The two most common types in Naples are Pizza Margherita (the perfect union of tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil and extra-virgin olive oil) and Pizza Marinara (topped with tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and extra-virgin olive oil, but no cheese). 

L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele and Sorbillo are arguably the most famous pizzerias in Naples, but while they make seriously good pizza, these icons have become victims of their own success with enormous queues stretching down the street. Other pizzerias I can wholeheartedly recommend (without the crazy queues) include Starita (get the mortadella and pistachio with smoked provola – one of the best pizzas I have ever had), Pizzeria Da Attilio, and Diego Vitagliano (recently voted the best in Italy!).

Cuoppo napoletano

Neapolitans love deep-fried snacks, and one of the city’s most well-known is Cuoppo. Consisting of a paper cone filled to the brim with various deep-fried goodies like prawns, anchovies, potato croquettes, vegetables, small arancini (deep-fried rice balls), and even meatballs, this tasty snack is a must-try.

It can be found throughout the city’s narrow alleyways at small street food stalls or from pizzerias like Antica Pizzeria Di Matteo. I’m personally a big fan of Cuoppo di mare (fried seafood cones) – for a particularly good one, head to Pescaria Azzurra.

Snacking on one of these cones of goodness during an evening stroll along the coastline, with mighty Mount Vesuvius in the background, feels about as Neapolitan as it gets.

Spaghetti alle vongole

Campania boasts many mouthwatering pasta dishes, but one of my favourites is spaghetti alle vongole. This Neapolitan speciality of spaghetti (or other long pasta) with clams, garlic, parsley, olive oil, white wine, and a touch of chilli flakes is a taste of the Mediterranean in every bite!

Spaghetti alle vongole is light, fresh, and the perfect choice for a hot summer day. Better still, it is incredibly easy to make, so you can continue to enjoy it when you’re back home!

Ragù napolitano

This utterly delicious tomato-based meat sauce is made by gently simmering different cuts of meat (like beef, sausages, pork ribs, and pancetta) with celery, carrots, garlic, and red wine. It is usually cooked for 6-8 hours, resulting in a rich, deeply flavourful, and satisfying sauce. It is traditionally served with tubed pasta like ziti or rigatoni. 

I tried a fantastic version at La Locanda Gesù Vecchio, which included a generous dollop of creamy ricotta on top.

Pizza fritta

If Pizza Napoletana sounds too healthy for you, then why not try a pizza fritta? As the name suggests, it’s a deep-fried pizza. Don’t worry, calories don’t exist when you’re on holiday (right?). 

The classic pizza fritta looks like an inflated pillow, often filled with ingredients like creamy ricotta, tomatoes, mortadella, and salami. You can find great pizza fritta at 1947 Pizza Fritta Napoli and Zia Esterina Sorbillo, as well as any number of street food stalls. It’s fun ordering from a street vendor as you will see them freshly preparing and deep frying them in a big, bubbling vat of oil. Just don’t stand too close!

Montanara

For an interesting variant on pizza fritta, look out for Montanara on pizzeria menus. These are small deep-fried open-faced pizzas, traditionally topped with tomato sauce, grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and fresh basil leaves.

Originating from the mountain regions around Naples, this dish (which translates as “mountain-style”) offers a satisfyingly crunchy exterior and fluffy interior, and is often served as an antipasto.

Sfogliatelle ricce

Neapolitans have mastered not only savoury dishes but also sweet treats. One of the most iconic you’ll find here is sfogliatella ricce, a flaky, wonderfully crispy, shell-shaped pastry filled with ricotta, vanilla, finely chopped candied orange peel, and spices including cardamom and cinnamon.

Sfogliatelle can be found at pretty much every pasticceria in the city, but the most well-known place to try them is Sfogliatelle Attanasio near Piazza Garibaldi. They’re usually enjoyed warm at breakfast with a strong espresso, though they’re irresistible at any time of day.

Babà al rum

Despite originating from Poland, these mushroom-shaped, brioche-like cakes drenched in rum syrup are synonymous with Naples. Often topped with some whipped cream or custard, this beloved treat is wonderfully moreish and seriously boozy. A fun place to try them is Pasticceria Giovanni Scaturchio, where they are shaped like Mount Vesuvius!

If you can’t get enough of these while in Naples, you can buy jars filled with small babà as a nice treat to take home with you. You can get these in the classic rum flavour, as well as those swimming in Limoncello or Liquore Strega (a strong herbal digestivo)

Pasta alla luciana

This Neapolitan specialty features tender baby octopus, slowly simmered in a rich, slightly briny tomato sauce with black olives and capers, and is traditionally paired with spaghetti or linguine. It is the perfect meal to enjoy by the coast, with a beautiful Italian white wine. Be sure to save some crusty bread for the leftover sauce. Italians call this ritual la scarpetta (‘the little shoe’) – a playful name for the act of dragging bread across the plate to capture every last drop of flavour.

Polpo alla luciana can also be served atop thick toasted bread as an antipasto – a welcome alternative if you ever grow tired of pasta (though that’s hard to imagine!).

Pasta alla genovese

Despite its name, this pasta dish originates from Naples rather than Genoa. It’s a rich, slow-cooked ragù made with beef and copious amounts of onions. In fact, the ratio of onions to meat is typically 2:1 by weight.

While this may sound like a lot, the onions are slowly braised with the beef for hours, giving them a sweet, caramelized flavour similar to French onion soup. This results in a creamy sauce with chunks of beautifully tender beef that is traditionally served with ziti, a tubular pasta. You’ll find pasta alla genovese in pretty much every trattoria in the city.

Mozzarella in carrozza

Literally translated as “mozzarella in a carriage”, this deep-fried snack is another of Naples’ delightfully indulgent street foods. Mozzarella is sandwiched between two slices of white bread, dipped into egg and flour, then deep-fried. When done correctly, you will be treated to a crispy, golden sandwich that, when pulled apart, reveals stretchy, melted mozzarella. It’s classic cucina povera (poor cuisine) – hearty, simple and delicious!

Frittatine di pasta napoletane

Pasta is of course great, but like many things in life, it’s sometimes even better deep-fried. Enter Frittatine di Pasta. These golden, deep-fried pasta fritters – often filled with creamy béchamel, peas, ham, and cheese – are irresistibly moreish and a hallmark of Naples’ street food scene.

From street stalls, these can sometimes be a little dry, as they may have been sitting out for a while. To avoid disappointment, get them when they are nice and fresh. For top quality and interesting flavour combinations, make a beeline for Isabella De Cham Pizza Fritta.

Taralli napoletani

These ring-shaped, biscuit-like snacks are hugely popular with Neapolitans, especially when accompanied by a cold beer or Aperol Spritz. They’re savoury, crunchy, and incredibly addictive.

Taralli come in many flavours, but the classic version – taralli sugna e pepe (or ’nzogna e pepe) -is made with almonds, lard, black pepper, and flour. Don’t be put off by the ingredients; they taste way better than they sound!

You’ll spot taralli vendors all over the city, but Spaccanapoli is a great place to start, with Taralleria Napoletana being one of the most popular stops.

Mozzarella di bufala

Ok, so this isn’t exactly a meal, but a trip to Naples without sampling some high-quality buffalo mozzarella is a missed opportunity. For some of the best I’ve ever had, head on over to Lazzarella del Porto near Duomo Metro. This small deli sells unbelievably fresh mozzarella di bufala. Simply buy a whole ball of it, sit outside, and tear into it. Make sure you drink the leftover milky liquid in the bag too – this is a sign of freshness and quality.

If eating a big blob of gooey mozzarella with your hands sounds a little too messy, don’t worry – you can also order sandwiches here, or opt for a beautifully arranged meat and cheese platter for something a little more civilised.

Top Food Tours in Naples

Personally, I am perfectly happy wandering around Naples snacking on whatever catches my eye. But if you’d prefer some guidance, a street food walking tour is a fantastic option. Guided Street Food Tour with Tastings, Street Food Walking Tour with Local Guide and Naples Food Tour with Davide all come highly recommended and offer a delicious introduction to Neapolitan food culture.

So there you have it – just a small taste of what Naples’ food scene has to offer. Just to be clear, this is just a small sampling of what you can find here. Yes, you could spend your entire trip living off pizza alone (and you’d be very happy doing so), but you’d be missing out on a whole world of other Neapolitan classics that deserve a spot on your plate.

Planning a trip to Naples? Check out my 3-Day Naples itinerary and my Ultimate Naples Travel Guide for First-Time Visitors – both are full of tips and suggestions to make the most of your visit.

Ciao for now

Izzie, the Curious Sparrow