The Best Street Food in Napoli

I have recently just returned from a fantastic trip to Napoli with friends, where I sampled some of the best food the city has to offer. I always get excited when I go to Napoli because I know I will indulge in a feast of flavours and the best pizza in the world. This trip was also a great opportunity to research the best street food in Napoli, which I am now sharing with you.

I’ve always considered Napoli as the rebel city of Italy, the misunderstood cheeky child who shines through its unique personality. Yes, Napoli is dirty, loud, and chaotic, with probably the worst traffic in the entire country. But Napoli is also alive, with locals taking over the streets in the warm summer evenings, drinking 2 euros Aperol from plastic glasses and eating pizza from greasy papers at midnight. The streets around Piazza Dante are buzzing with loud voices, laughter, and singing, whilst the aroma of freshly baked pizza fills the air.  

The Best Street Food in Napoli 

The street food in Napoli is at the core of the city’s heart. Simple dishes that were created to feed the poor are now stars of the local cuisine, sought after by hungry foodies, who come to Napoli to experience the best flavours of their lives. This article is a guided journey following my steps on the streets of Napoli, sampling the simple but flavoursome tastes of the city. Because if you’re wondering what makes the food in Napoli so good, the answer is pretty simple: it’s the local vegetables grown on volcanic soil, the simplicity of the recipes which let ingredients shine by themselves, the care the animals are looked after, and, the sun that caresses the land with its warm rays.

Pizza Napoletana 

The Neapolitan pizza is like nothing you have ever tasted before! Picture this: a slice of pizza with a thin but firm base, hot and fresh from the wood-fired oven, with its perfectly charred crust and bubbling mozzarella above the tangy San Marzano tomato sauce. Whilst at home you may order pizza with all sorts of toppings, in Napoli, a simple Margarita is enough to make you question all the bad pizzas you’ve had before.

What makes the pizza in Napoli so good is the dough and the high quality of the ingredients. The traditional Neapolitan pizza only has a handful of flavours but that is because they are so good that no others are needed. Firstly, the dough is always made by hand and it is left to prove for at least 16 hours. The pizza is cooked at a high temperature inside a wood-fire oven for only 90 seconds, to achieve that light, fluffy dough that will not feel heavy in your stomach. Because Napoletan pizza shouldn’t be heavy.

The base of a Neapolitan pizza is always soft, but not soggy, strong enough to keep its toppings without breaking. There are only two typical Neapolitan pizzas: Margarita and Marinara. Margarita is topped with mozzarella di bufalla or fior di latte, San Marzano tomatoes and basil. Marinara is topped with San Marzano tomatoes, slices of garlic, oregano and olive oil.

Whilst popular places like da Michele have long lines outside of the doors, you can always order a pizza to go and eat it on the curve, cutting the queue. This is why I have added the Neapolitan pizza to my list of street foods in Napoli.

Pizza Fritta 

I have to admit that Pizza Fritta didn’t appeal to me when I first heard about it. The thought of eating an entire deep-fried pizza scared my stomach. But, this traditional street food in Napoli is a quintessential experience in the city, so I had to order it. I wouldn’t have been able to write this article without it anyway. And what a surprise I had, at my first bite!

Imagine a golden, crispy dough pocket, fried to perfection and filled with different ingredients. I would have never imagined how fluffy and soft the friend dough would be. Mine was topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella, which made it a delight rather than the nightmare I was expecting.

Pizza al Portafoglio

Pizza al portafoglio is a funny one. Mostly because it translates as “wallet pizza”. And the name is not wrong, this pizza is served folded, inside a greasy piece of paper, and it’s a perfect late-night snack. I had pizza al portafoglio on my last day in Napoli, after a long day of exploring. My apartment was just around the corner from one of the most famous pizzerias in the city, Sorbillo, and I just had to try it myself.  

I opted for a salsiccia and friarielli al portafoglio, which is a staple of the city. This is a very traditional Neapolitan flavour combination, either for pizza or pasta. It consists of sausage and wild Italian broccoli – which you’ll have to trust me, tastes nothing like the boring green vegetable. The pizza was served hot and I had to eat it on the spot, in front of the small shop, alongside a bunch of hungry locals looking for their own pizza fix. It was delicious – slightly chewy texture of the dough, and delicious toppings.

Cuoppo 

A paper cone of fried fish is one of the most popular street foods in Napoli. You will find stands selling it everywhere, for a price of 8-10 euros. The cone includes an assortment of fried whitebait, calamari, prawns, and anchovies. Most of the places will let you customise your cone, based on your preference.

If you are vegetarian, don’t worry, there are paper cones filled with potato croquettes, rice balls, and even fried pizza. The options are limitless. The paper cones have a generous size, for convenient snacking on the streets of Naples whilst sightseeing.

Panino Napoletano (or Pagnottiello)

The panino Napoletano is a meal in itself. A very delicious meal, I might add! As with many other Italian dishes, this sandwich was born from using the end cuts of cheese and meats, when they weren’t enough to make a full dish out of them. There are several variations of this street food staple, but the most common include cheese, salami, and pancetta.

This authentic Neapolitan street food is a large piece of dough wrapped around cheese, salami, and pieces of pancetta. The dough is made with lard, which gives another layer of flavour to this panino when it melts during the baking process.

 This local sandwich tastes fantastic. There is so much cheese and pancetta inside it that is hard to finish it in one serving. I couldn’t.

Frittata di Pasta

center>

Frittata di pasta takes me back to my first trip to Napoli when I stayed with a friend who lived in the city. I remember her telling me that frittata is nothing more than a local comfort food made with the leftovers from dinner.

As with every dish that Italians make, frittata is delicious, even if it’s just fried leftover pasta, which is mixed with cheese and eggs before being fried on both sides. Think of it like creamy mac and cheese encrusted in a crunchy, deep-fried crust. It is best eaten hot, as the middle becomes gooey and cheesy. Yum!

Frittatina

Frittatina looks like nothing special but it hides an incredible flavour. I only bought a frittatina for the purpose of this review, so I can try and write about it. It is after all one of the most popular street foods in Napoli. I went for the cacio e pepe version, having tasted too much ragu in a short timeframe.

The moment I bit into the frittatina I knew it was going to be the culinary highlight of my trip. How can this smallish round fried pasta taste so incredible? The sharp pecorino cheese was spiced to perfection with fresh black pepper, encompassing the pasta which, to my surprise, was still cooked al dente.

Frittatina is somehow similar to the frittata, but not exactly the same. The interior is bound with a creamy bechamel sauce rather than eggs.

Palle di Riso

Sicily has the arancino whilst Rome has the supli. Well, Napoli has the palle di riso. 

Palle di Riso, or “rice balls,” are a beloved Neapolitan street food classic. Imagine tender, seasoned rice mixed with creamy cheese and savoury fillings like ragu or peas, rolled into bite-sized balls and fried to golden perfection. You can either enjoy them on their own or ask for a bit of Mariana sauce, to dip them into.

Personally, I can’t really tell the difference between an arancino and a pallo di riso, except for the size. But I don’t think it matters, as they are both delicious Italian treats to be enjoyed as a snack when you’re walking around the city.

Crocche di Patate

Crocche di Patate, or “potato croquettes,” are a beloved Neapolitan street food favourite. Imagine creamy mashed potatoes mixed with savoury ingredients like cheese, parsley, and sometimes prosciutto, shaped into a cylinder, breaded, and deep-fried.

Typically there are three types of cheese inside the crocche: pecorino, mozzarella, and parmigiano. The end result is an indulgent treat, with melted cheese that stretches at each bite.

Mozzarella 

I was never a big fan of Mozzarella, I always thought it was a bland cheese, only good for cooking. That was until I took a food tour in Napoli and experienced the fresh mozzarella. Did you know that mozzarella is usually made in the morning, and by evening, it is already past its lifetime? It is typically eaten fresh for lunch, and cooked with for dinner.

Taking a bite from a slice of Mozzarella di Bufala Campana is not an elegant experience. The freshest the cheese, the more milk will drip out from it on the plate, on the table, and probably on your shirt as well. Just be warned!

Mozzarella di bufala tastes milky and has a soft, almost elastic texture. A great place to try the real deal is Salumeria Rafele ‘O Lattaro, on Via Tribunale. This small deli sells all sorts of local cheese and cold cuts, but can also prepare a nice platter which you can eat right there, at one of the two tables in the shop.

Taralli

Taralli are savoury, crunchy snack rings that are popular throughout Italy, but particularly beloved in Naples. Made from a simple dough of flour, olive oil, and white wine, Taralli are seasoned with salt, pepper, and sometimes fennel seeds or chilli flakes for added flavour.

Taralli are commonly served alongside beer or wine, but you can also purchase them fresh from pastry shops to enjoy as a snack while exploring the city. With a texture similar to breadsticks, they are thicker and more robust in consistency.

Sfogliatella 

You can’t visit Napoli and not try a sfogliatella from Mary, on the corner of Galleria Umberto with via Toledo. You can’t miss it as there is always a queue and the sfogliatella is always warm because it is sold before having the time to cool down from the oven.

There are two types of sfogliatella, both having the same rich taste. The sfogliatella riccia has delicate, paper-thin layers of pastry dough, rolled into a shell-like shape and filled with a rich, creamy mixture of ricotta cheese, sugar, and citrus zest. Whilst I love the riccia because of all the mess it makes, I prefer the frolla version. It has the same flavours but more filling inside a soft, melt-in-your-mouth, shortcrust dough. I made sure to bring them back with me from my holiday, and I’m glad to say that they survived the flight!

Baba al Rhum 

Baba al rhum is my all-time favourite Neapolitan sweet street food. It is everything you would want from a dessert, in the inconspicuous shape of a sponge cake. Looking at it you might think that it’s very dense, but you would be wrong. Baba al Rhum is actually very light, with an airy texture, soaked in sugar syrup, rhum, or limoncello.

For more similar articles, check out my recommendations below:

• The best street food in Venice
• Things to do in Napoli in winter
• 2 days in Napoli itinerary

Like it? Pin it!

Disclaimer: Some of the links on this website are “affiliate links.” This means that if you click on the link and do a purchase, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost for you. This helps me keep my website running and continue to share my travelling knowledge with you. I thank you for booking your flights or hotels using the links on my website. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.