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BBC News
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
A pizza chef's guide to the best pizza in Naples
The Neapolitan-born expert pizza maker believes that to understand pizza, you need to eat it in the place it was invented. Here are his favourite places to eat pizza in Naples. Neapolitan-born master pizzaiolo (pizzamaker) Daniele Uditi has lived in the US for more than 15 years. But, "it doesn't matter where in the world I am, I will always be from Naples," he tells the BBC. Like Uditi, pizza was born in the famously chaotic seaside Italian city; its invention widely credited to chef Raffaele Esposito who is believed to have created the white, red and green dish in tribute to the colours of the newly unified nation's flag. Uditi, who served as a judge in Hulu's 2022 pizza competition show, Best in Dough, notes that though pizza is beloved – and found in many forms – worldwide, he believes you've never truly had it until you've had it in its birthplace. "To understand [pizza], you go to Naples, and you eat pizza the way it's supposed to be, al portafoglio," says Uditi, referring to Neapolitan street pizza that is folded twice on its sides "wallet-style". "Eating a pizza in the place that it was invented with all the sounds of the city, seeing another Neapolitan eat it while on the phone and walking with an overflowing pizza in the box because it stretched too big." Can pizza be too big? "It's not perfect," admits Uditi. "Neapolitan pizza is an artisanal product, so sometimes you don't find the perfect circle. I think it's a perfect representation of the city. Naples is not a perfect circle. Naples has good things and defects, but when you take a bite, everything makes total sense." Here are Uditi's top six pizzas in Naples. 1. Best all-around: Pizzeria La Notizia Enzo Coccia 53 High up in Naples's leafy, green Capodimonte quarter, Pizzeria La Notizia 53, helmed by chef Enzo Coccia, is a magnet for visitors from every walk of life, says Uditi. "You can find a university professor, a lawyer, or you can find a student, you can find a couple they just want to enjoy themselves." Despite Coccia's reputation for inventive pizzas like one of his recent springtime offerings, topped with courgette, tomatoes and thyme, Uditi says the humble pizzeria's biggest draw is undoubtedly their classic Margherita. "You go there for the Margherita," he says. "The Margherita is special, because he has the perfect balance between the three ingredients… Everything comes together, nothing overpowering." Website: Via Michelangelo da Caravaggio, 53, 80126 Naples NAPhone: 081 714 2155Instagram: @enzococcia_lanotizia 2. Best montanara: Antonio Starita Antonio Starita, a historic pizzeria just outside the gritty Rione di Sanità neighbourhood, is what Uditi calls: "another staple in Naples". But not just for its pizza – for its montanara. Montanara – deep-fried dough topped with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil – is a beloved Neapolitan street food. Uditi loves Starita's: "the way he fries the dough, it's never oily. It's super light. And the sauce is cooked just right. On the montanara, the sauce has to be pre-cooked, right? So it's almost like a sugo [long-simmered sauce]." "Also, the pizza he does is spectacular," adds Uditi. "And he's just a character. [When I was a kid], I used to see him behind the counter… he was one of the people that inspired me to be a pizza chef. He doesn't talk that much. He speaks through his product." Uditi's hack for beating the beloved spot's oftentimes-long queues: "Go off hours. Don't go straight when they open up, because you're for sure not gonna find a spot. I'll go around early afternoon or late at night when they're almost about to close." Website: Via Materdei, 27/28, 80136 Naples NAPhone: 081 544 1485Instagram: @antoniostarita 3. Best for new takes on classics: Pizzeria Concettina ai Tre Santi Heading deeper into Rione Sanità, Uditi enthusiastically recommends the generational Pizzeria Concettina ai Tre Santi; now run by the original owner, Concettina's, grandson, Ciro Oliva: "Ciro Oliva is one of the youngest pizza chefs in Naples, but he acts like a seasoned one. You can tell that Neapolitan traditions are safe in the hands of this guy, because he's gonna take care of it, but also never make it boring." Apart from the classics, the upscale pizzeria serves highly inventive pizzas like the Fondazione San Gennaro – a mammoth pie topped with salami, smoked provola cheese and crumbled tarallo 'nzogna e pepe (traditional Neapolitan lard-enriched, almond-studded crackers). "He was the first one to think about not just the pizza itself, but [giving] you texture," explains Uditi. "Pizza can be a soft experience, right? He said, 'I'm gonna disrupt that a little bit. Why don't we put tarallo 'nzogna e pepe on pizza?' It worked." Website: Via Arena della Sanità, 7 Bis, 80137 Naples NAPhone: 081 290037Instagram: @concettina3santi 4. Best female-run: Isabella de Cham Just 100m from Concettina ai Tre Santi is Isabella de Cham, renowned for its pizza fritta – a deep-fried calzone, traditionally stuffed with ricotta, cicoli (pork cracklings) and black pepper – and her daring degustazione (tasting menu) of deep-fried appetizers. "Everything you eat there is just unbelievable," says Uditi of the chic-yet-cosy eatery. "I like the fact that Isabella is a woman. Pizza fritta used to be made [only] by women; they would make it and sell it on the street. We need more women in this job; we need some gentle hands, some different approaches. That's what I find in Isabella de Cham's approach to pizza fritta. [She] makes one of the lightest that you'll ever have in your life. It's unbelievable. And then she always comes up with new flavours. I tell her to make me a classic pizza with cicoli, ricotta and pepper but then she comes out and, 'No, Daniele, you have to taste this.' And everything comes together so good that you wouldn't believe that you are eating a tasting menu of fried food and feeling so light." Website: Via Arena della Sanità, 27, 80137 Naples NAPhone: 081 1863 9669Instagram: @isabelladechampizzafritta 5. Best for gourmet pizza: Diego Vitagliano "Diego Vitagliano would be the fine dining approach to the cuisine," says Uditi. "But also the way he thinks about the dough." Diego Vitagliano's pizzeria, found in Naples's romantic Santa Lucia neighbourhood with outposts in Bagnoli and Pozzuoli, embraces new textures with a nod to tradition, often topping pizzas with ingredients found in classic Neapolitan dishes like pasta e patate (pasta, provolone and potato stew). "It's just about him telling the history of Neapolitan cuisine by using the pizza as a vehicle," says Uditi. "For me, that's the genius there." But, notes Uditi, "His classic Margherita will be one of the highlights of his menu. Sometimes people forget. They go there and say, 'Yeah, I want to try these new things'. And then he does it on purpose. In the degustazione, he [brings out the] Margherita last, because he wants to remind you, 'Yeah, this is fun, but this is what you came for'." Website: Via Santa Lucia, 78 - 80 - 82, 80132 Napoli NA, ItalyPhone: 081 1858 1919Instagram: @diegovitagliano_pizzerie 6. Best for a day trip: I Masanielli Though pizza was invented in Naples, the city's dintorni (outskirts) are also well-distinguished in the art of artisanal pizza making. Take a day trip to the town of Caserta – home to the stunning Reggia di Caserta and Uditi's top overall pizza pick; I Masanielli, chef Francesco Martucci's gourmet pizzeria. "Francesco Martucci is a nutcase!" says Uditi. "I used to go to school in Caserta and [I would eat his pizza after class]. I grew up with his pizza and now I'm a pizza chef as well." Though the nostalgia factor is strong for Uditi, he is also an enthusiastic fan of Martucci's gourmet offerings. "Sometimes he takes one ingredient and just that ingredient will be the highlight of the pizza," says Uditi. "For his 'five onion pizza', you have a pizza with onions treated in five different ways. It's one of the most delicious bites that you're gonna have in your life… [and] He was the first one to introduce three ways of cooking dough; steamed, fried and then baked. And then he used to make this pizza with scallops and, like, sea moss powder on the top. And pollen." "On a pizza!" marvels Uditi. "On a freaking pizza!" Website: Viale Giulio Douhet, 11, 81100 Caserta CEPhone: 0823 741284Instagram: @imasanielli BBC Travel's The SpeciaList is a series of guides to popular and emerging destinations around the world, as seen through the eyes of local experts and tastemakers. -- For more Travel stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
CNET
25-06-2025
- General
- CNET
An Expert Chef Shares the 7 Secrets to the Perfect Pizza Dough
If you're trying to perfect your at-home pizza dough, we're here to help you nail the Italian delicacy. Although it does require quite a bit of manual labor for mere minutes of post-preparation enjoyment, there are some tips and tricks all home cooks can follow to seriously improve their homemade pizzas. Mike Alaridi, executive chef of Virgin Hotels Chicago (who happens to make a damn-good pizza), advises amateur chefs to "keep it simple and enjoy the process." Making pizza dough from scratch might be easy for a seasoned pizza chef, but Alaridi assures us that any novice pizzaiolo/a who may be struggling to achieve golden crust perfection can and will master the art of dough-making if they follow these seven easy steps. 1. Use high-quality flour No matter the recipe, you'll want to ensure that the most important ingredient -- the flour -- is double zero, a.k.a. "00" or "doppio zero." It's ideal for pizza and made from the soft, white endosperm of a wheat kernel (sans bran and germ), which is high in protein and starch. "This [also] helps develop the gluten," says Alaridi. Gluten creates the elasticity of the dough that yields its craveworthy structure.2. Dissolve salt and yeast beforehand These are not ingredients to mix into the dough separately or at different moments. You'll want to guarantee even distribution for a crust that rises consistently. Remember to use warm water (between 100 and 110 degrees' for active dry yeast) to activate the yeast. If it's too hot, you'll kill it. 3. Aim for a wetter dough "A wetter dough, around 60-75% hydration, can result in an airier crust," says Alaridi. To achieve this texture, simply add more water in small volumes. And if you're good at math, break out the kitchen scale and use the formula "weight of water/weight of flour x 100" to calculate the precise hydration percentage. Tossing pizza dough may look like fun and games but it has a culinary purpose too. MaximFesenko/Getty 4. Knead the dough by using the stretch-and-fold technique This helps to develop the aforementioned gluten. Flour your surface, grab a section of dough and gently pull the dough upwards. Bring this stretched section back towards you, folding it into the center. Rotate the dough and repeat this process until you've hit it from all angles. Once finished, allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes before dividing it into balls. This will allow for the gluten to relax and the dough to rise.5. Allow for fermentation Pizza dough shouldn't be cooked right away. At bare minimum, allow at least 12 hours of fermentation before use. For many chefs, including Alaridi, cold fermentation is always the preferred method. "Leave it in the fridge for 24-72 hours to enhance flavor and texture," he recommends. 6. Be mindful of toppings and temperature Avoid overloading the dough, as too many toppings can weigh it down and make it soggy. "Try to use your hands to open and shape the dough (rather than using a rolling pin) for a more authentic texture," says Alaridi, who also reminds amateur cooks to only use refrigerated dough balls once they've returned to room temperature. Westend61/Getty Images 7. Don't be afraid to experiment Failure is typically not an outcome when it comes to introducing new pizza flavors. (Except when you add pineapple. Kidding…kind of.). Zhuzh up your favorite recipe by incorporating unique ingredients into your dough, like Alaridi's personal favorites of fresh herbs and different types of yeasts (such as rapid-rise yeast or pizza crust yeast). An inspired chef is often a satiated chef. Have fun -- it's pizza!
BreakingNews.ie
05-06-2025
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Dublin restaurant awarded best pizza in Ireland for third year running
Little Pyg, based in the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre in Dublin, has been crowned Ireland's top pizza for the third year in a row at the Top 50 Pizza Europe Awards in Madrid. The awards, held on Wednesday, June 4th, also ranked Little Pyg as the 16th best pizza in Europe, meaning it qualifies for the World Pizza Championship in Naples in September. Advertisement The awards are widely considered the gold standard in European pizza excellence, and are curated by Italian food critics Barbara Guerra, Luciano Pignataro and Albert Sapere. Over 2,000 anonymous inspectors assess restaurants across the continent to pick the winners. The Top 50 Pizza Awards were launched in Italy in 2017 and have grown every year since. Each year, the organisation's team of inspectors visit thousands of venues anonymously, assessing everything from dough quality and ingredient sourcing to service, innovation and overall experience. Advertisement The final rankings are then revealed at a live awards ceremony, bringing together all those who qualified. Little Pyg is the only Irish restaurant to earn a place on the list three years in a row. Speaking from Madrid, owner Paul McGlade Jnr said that he is very proud of Federico Rapali, Little Pyg's head chef, who McGlade says is 'regarded as one of the best pizzaiolos in the world,' and of the entire team at Little Pyg. 'This recognition means everything. It is a reflection of relentless passion, long hours and the belief that great pizza can bring people together. What started as a dream has grown into something far greater than I ever imagined. Here's to tradition, innovation, and never settling for anything less than excellence,' Rapali said.
