10 Foods I Tried in Naples and LOVED

Everyone goes to Naples for the pizza.

I did too. Then I spent four days eating my way through the city.

Here’s the problem with most Naples food lists: they’re 90% pizza and a polite nod to sfogliatella at the end.

You end up eating three margheritas in two days and missing the fried stuff, the street snacks and the pastries that locals are actually queuing for.

I ate my way through the city properly, including a street food tour that took me straight to the places I’d never have found on my own.

So if you’ve got a few days here and you want to eat like you know what you’re doing, these are the 10 things I’d send any friend towards, worth building into whatever 3 days in Naples itinerary you’re following.

1. Pizza (duh)

When I tell you I had pizza every single day in Naples, I’m not lying.

Pizza margherita was invented in this city, apparently for a visiting queen.

You cut it with a knife and fork here, fold the slice over, and eat it that way, that’s the local method and I copied it every single time.

My favourite came from Pizzeria Trianon, where I skipped the plain margherita and ordered one with olives, anchovies, tomato and garlic instead, simple, salty, and genuinely amazing.

I’ll be straight with you: I didn’t have a single bad pizza in Naples. Not one. If you only trust one thing on this list, trust that.

P.S. I skipped the pizzeria made famous by Eat Pray Love on purpose. More than one local told me it’s gone downhill since it got commercialised.

2. Fried pizza

Yes, it sounds weird but trust me, it’s amazing.

Fried pizza exists because ordinary Neapolitans couldn’t always afford an oven, so they fried the dough instead of baking it, smart, honestly.

I tried it on my first night, half delirious after a full day travelling from Albania through Greece and into Naples, and it was incredible. I was in actual food heaven.

One thing to know: the crust here is soft and delicate, not crispy, so the topping will slide straight off if you pick it up. Knife and fork, every time.

3. Buffalo mozzarella

Also invented in this region, and once you’ve had it here, fresh, with rocket and tomato as a starter on my food tour, it’s genuinely hard to go back to what you get at home.

I wished more than once that I could just pack some in my suitcase, but unfortunately New Zealand customs would definitely NOT allow that.

4. Frittata di pasta

Our food tour guide Aldo put this one in front of us and told us straight: it’s leftover pasta, fried into a fritter, and it’s not heavy.

He was right, somehow.

It’s light, flavourful, and I’d genuinely order it again as a snack between bigger meals.

If you’re looking for something light and affordable then definitely try this!

5. Seafood in a cone

As a seafood junkie I LOVED this.

It’s pretty simple, it’s a mixed bag of seafood in a cone.

The fried seafood cone I had was an 8 out of 10, fresh, right by the sea, properly Neapolitan (handy to know if you’re staying near the waterfront, which I cover in where I’d stay in Naples).

Buying fried seafood served to you in a paper cone off the street is a genuine Naples thing, and I have to be honest: I could eat one of these every day, and if wandering the street stalls after dark makes you nervous, I promise Naples is safer than the reputation suggests.

Inside was shrimp, octopus and squid.

6. Sfogliatella

This is the traditional Naples breakfast pastry, and my brain never once managed to hold onto the actual name of it, my own notes have me calling it “spanner” more than once.

The legend traces back to a convent of nuns in the 1700s, who mixed ricotta with lemon peel, orange peel, vanilla and cinnamon, then wrapped the whole thing in dozens of paper-thin layers.

Beautifully flaky and almost melts in your mouth it’s so fresh.

I had mine with an espresso on my food tour, and it might have quietly ruined every other pastry for me.

Grab one before you set out for the day, it’s the perfect fuel for the 13 things to do in Naples that’ll have you walking for hours.

7. Melon gelato

You cannot come to Italy and NOT try gelato.

I tried many different flavours but my favourite was melon.

Refreshing, not too sweet, exactly what you want after walking around Naples in August heat, which is peak season, and I’ve got thoughts on the best time to visit Naples if you’d rather dodge that heat.

I’d order it again without a second thought.

8. Limoncello

I did a limoncello tasting in Sorrento at Limonoro, which has been open since 1905, and it was amazing, the same tasting I’ve written up in my Amalfi Coast, Sorrento & Pompeii day trip review!

We tried four: a strong one at 35%, a milkier one around 16 to 17%, a pistachio version I did not like, and a melon one that was, hands down, the winner. Genuinely incredible.

I walked out with 3 bottles of limoncello I definitely did not need and with no idea how I’m going to transport this back home.

9. Neapolitan pasta with San Marzano tomatoes

Neapolitan pasta is simple spaghetti (al dente) with San Marzano tomatoes grown near Vesuvius with a sprig of basil and olive oil, and that’s the whole dish, and it was one of the best things I ate all week.

The volcanic soil apparently makes the tomatoes ridiculously sweet.

Super, super sweet, exactly as advertised.

I’m pretty lucky because in Albania we have incredible tomatoes but these ones were on a different level!

This is also where I learned the art of scarpetta, using a piece of bread to wipe up the last of the sauce off your plate.

10. Espresso

Naples takes its coffee seriously, even by Italian standards.

As Aldo, our food tour guide, put it: “we are very much coffee snobs here.”

My favourite cup came from Sette Caffè, a hidden gem tucked away from the busy streets with barely another tourist in sight, where I paid €2.80 for a double espresso and a water and just sat looking at a statue for twenty minutes doing absolutely nothing else.

Underrated place. Highly recommend.

The Mediterranean diet, as an actual defined concept, was born in this exact region of southern Italy, and our guide Aldo broke it down for us mid-tour: tomatoes, basil, garlic, and good olive oil, that’s it.

He’s convinced the olive oil is why he still looks good. Honestly, after the week I had here, I’m not going to argue with him.

I actually moved back to New Zealand for 6 months and my skin became so unhealthy, but as soon as I came back to Albania and started eating Mediterranean again my skin cleared up completely.

It’s recognised by UNESCO as part of the world’s Intangible Cultural Heritage, which says a lot about how much thought goes into food here that looks so simple on the surface, and it’s a big part of my answer whenever people ask me is Naples worth visiting.

Food isn’t the only thing worth digging into here, literally, I also went underground for my Napoli Sotterranea review of the tunnels beneath the city.

If this list has you hungry for more, my where to eat in Naples guide covers the actual restaurants behind a lot of these dishes.