As I mentioned earlier, I booked our plane tickets to join a choir tour for a day too early, so we will have an afternoon/evening in Naples before we meet the group in Sorrento the next day.

I have researched the best pizza in Naples, but I know that we are going to be tired from our flight and in no mood/condition to wait in a long line for pizza. Is the pizza in Naples good enough that we can duck into pretty much any hole in the wall pizza place in the center of town and get above average pizza? Or do we really need to stick to the places that are "the best"?

Not looking for life changing, just good.

I would not over think it... For me, spontaneous self discovery is part of the enjoyment of travel. trust your own senses be your guide to discovery, not somebody else's list. Grab and go from a window may be better than sitting down somewhere anyway...

Close by, fast, and in Naples... Enjoy!

I was in heaven after trying the pizza at the first place listed below. Book ahead because it's full of tourists and locals. We loved it so much that we went twice!

TRATTORIA PIZZERIA LA LAZZARA, Naples - Porto - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Order Online Food Delivery - Tripadvisor

The real crux of Neapolitan pizza is great sauce made with San Marzano tomatoes, and a dough that has been painstakingly prepared - - for the exact and exacting standards you can see them at the website of the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana here (the AVPN also certifies Neapolitan-standard pizza around the world, and in Madison WI there are places I go that have their certification, and they are boss): https://www.pizzanapoletana.org/en/r...zza_napoletana

If you see the AVPN certificate in the window, wherever you are in Naples, then you can be assured that they make pizza according to that standard.

That said, a city like Naples, with that commanding standard already there, is likely to have a 'general standard' of cuisine that is above that you will find in, say, Duncan, Oklahoma, so you might have some kind of satisfaction most anywhere, including pizza to do at storefronts on the street. If they didn't make halfway acceptable fare, nobody would spend the couple Euro to pick one up in passing there, and they would go out of business. But the AVPN certificate is a good place to start.

Also: try always to go to places where there is activity, and high turnover. If one restaurant is full (of locals, that is), and the one next door is empty, it doesn't take Sherlock Holmsini to figure out which one to go to. If the restaurant is a morgue, take the hint.

I went out of my way to go to some of the recommended places years ago and just stopped by others to pick up a slice. Honestly, they were different, but all were very good. We had good pizza in all the smaller towns in the area too. Don’t stress. Just get what looks good.

There are probably plenty of places. In the center, at the southwest corner of Piazza Bellini, just off the square, is Port d'Alba, said to be the oldest pizzeria in Naples. To die for! Half-way through my second piece, I realized that I was shoveling it in as if I hadn't eaten in a month!

Thanks, everyone. I'm very much a planner, but I know what I feel like the day after an overnight flight. You have given great advice. Grazie.

All I know is that I would wait two hours, tired or not, for the pizza I had in Naples at 50 Kalo. It was the single best thing I’ve ever eaten. But luckily the lines do move fast if you choose someplace with a bit of a line.

We saw quite a few places in Naples where you could order pizza at a window and take it away. I think that would be ideal for your first night there unless you get a burst of energy.

I too follow the rule that a noisy place in Italy is an indication of good quality while a fat dog sleeping outside is an indication of a disaster

I use the same strategy when buying wine in Italian supermarkets: go for wine where there are already bottles missing. Trouble is that is most often the $4 wine.

I never use that technique

Lots of good options for pizza in Naples.
I prefer a sit-down dining over take-away though.
Authentic Naples pizza is delicious, but definitely "soupier" in the middle than we're used to in the US. Eating with your hands can be messier.
Plus, the atmosphere is part of the dining experience!

sit down pizza in Napoli, a famously "street-food" what....

If you should want something else cheap and delicious, there are several rotisserie chicken places in Naples. When we were too tired to spend time at a restaurant, wanted a picnic or just wanted to chill in our room, we picked up chicken, roast potatoes and vegetables. It was always great. There is one place that gets poor reviews, but plenty with great reviews. Just take a peek on line.

We are very fussy about our pizza as we grew up in NYC city/ NJ areas. We thought the pizza at i Decumani in Naples was the best we ever had! So, fabulous! Thin crust. Olive oil, everything about it was perfect! via dei Tribunali 58.

Gino Sorbillo is very popular and very near Piazza Bellini. This place, https://www.pizzeriadaattilio.com Is a short 10-15 minute walk from Piazza Bellini. The pizza is very good and if there is a wait it will be mostly locals.

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My pizza with bufala at Starita on Vei Materdei was the best I've ever had. A really, really luscious sauce and plenty of it. Everything perfect. My previous 'best' was the doppio bufala (a giant melty mess in the middle - - the bufala like butter) at La Antica Pizzeria Da Michele, but they don't serve that anymore, and my last visit to Da Michele was very disappointing: cheese (fior di latte) not even melted, really offhand service who then become your best friend when they give you detailed instructions on how to give them a tip. And nothing but tourists. Here's the Starita 'za:

Can you give us the name or location of your hotel? And the date you will be there?? Then maybe we could come up with great places most convenient for you. Keep in mind the city-wide frenzy surrounding Napoli, the footballl team....maybe you will be there on a game day!!!

DA MICHELE and STARITA have outposts in New York City..wonder if anyone here has tried them??? Surely nowhere near Naples quality, but maybe very good. We had pizza a few times at SORBILLO (which I thought divine); they, too, had a NYC outpost but it's no longer open.

Supposedly (and I say this kind of with tongue in cheek), the BEST pizza in Italy is NOT in Naples, but still in Campania, at PEPE IN GRANI in Caizzo, in Caserta province.
See link below, to article by the late Jonathan Gold:

https://www.foodandwine.com/travel/m...st-pizza-world