Napoli – Food & Travel Diary

Stop two of our Italy adventure brought us to Napoli, creators of my favourite food…Pizza. We only spent two days here so we tried to fit in as many places that we could. Napoli as a city is pretty crazy, the drivers on the road are ruthless, trying to cross the street felt like a life threatening decision, the place is pretty dirty and the people aren’t the most welcoming BUT it sets it apart from other places in Italy and overall it has its own unique vibe with the best food hands down.

Rooftop heaven..the view whilst walking down from our hostel to the main part of the city, we would get the funicular every day down the cliff.

A bakery/delicatessen down one of the cobbled streets selling big round donut looking crispy bread.

On the day we arrived we sat in one of the main piazza squares and got some lunch..Unfortunately I didn’t take any details on where we were exactly, or what the place was called.

Me and Ana shared the antipasto platter which was filled with cheese and cured meats, it was too hot for me to have pizza at lunch.

Isi got her margarita pizza…the great thing about Italy is that the pizza is so cheap compared to back home. This pizza cost 3 euro, while the same thing would cost about $18 in Sydney.

Jes went with the octopus salad which was actually pickled octopus…she is the healthy one!

Some of the beautiful old architecture down in the centre of town.

Castel Nuovo built during the time of Charles I, the first king of Napoli. Its nice to walk down near the castle at night, they block the road off and all of the bars are packed with Napoli youngsters.

Along the bay at night…very pretty!

Gino Sorbillo – Via dei Tribunali

Welcome to Pizzeria Gino Sorbillo, known to have the best pizza in Napoli with crowds out the front to prove it. We got here on a Friday night at 10pm and had about a 1.5 hour wait to get a a table…it was definitely worth it!

Whilst you wait outside the pizzeria with all the other pizza wanters there is a little bar to the right for some pre-dinner beverages. Grab a beer/wine and enjoy the street side ambience.

Pizza for the masses…these people were are all before us =P

Between us four girls we decided to get three pizzas and share. They had some amazing looking arancini as well on the specials menu, but unfortunately they ran out before we could order. The first choice was cheese mushroom and basil. Napoli pizza = thin base, crisp edges from the wood fire oven and fresh produce for the minimalistic toppings.

The second pizza was also vegetarian with cherry tomatoes, eggplant and cheese. Im not sure if it was the type of cheese used on this one but it was extremely creamy in comparison to the others we ordered.

Number three was the ham, mushroom and cheese…Of course we also asked for some chilli oil for those of us who like a bit of spice on everything.

I have heard that the earlier/later you go to Gino Sorbillo’s the easier it is to get a table. You may also get it confused with the other Sorbillo pizza which is only a few doors down so check the address below carefully. I’m pretty sure that the same family owns both, so I guess you cant go too wrong if you rock up at the other one instead. Happy pizza eating!!!

Gino Sorbillo 

Via Tribunali 32, Napoli, Italy, 80138

Web: http://www.accademiadellapizza.it/en/

Ph: +39 081 446 643

Whilst walking I had to try one of the piccolo cannoli’s…crispy outer pastry shell filled with sweet ricotta and garnished with some candied orange…Scrumptious!

Isabelle grabbed this cute mini Sfogliatelle pastry one day when we stopped off for a drink.

Lemon granita to help with the heat

Cafe crema….Italian version of the ice coffee and Jes’s favourite! These are made in the same machines that make slushies and are a combination of coffee with ice cream.

We did a day trip to Pompeii and after our tour were quite amazed at the size of the lemons being used for the granitas and the limoncello.

Ristorante da Dora - Via Ferdinando Palasciano

Thanks to our good friend Dim in Sydney we were able to get ourselves a table at Dora on our Saturday night in Napoli. Knowing that we would be feasting on fresh seafood we arrived with empty stomachs and ready for a feast.

The girls made a new friend outside the restaurant whilst we waited for our table to be set. Da Dora is a family run seafood restaurant situated up a small alley from the water and slightly off the walking path of most tourists. The place is known to serve the best fish in the city and if you do have any troubles finding it, just grab a local and ask them for directions.

Inside the walls are adorned in nautical ornaments, pictures of Napoli and of photos of the famous who have eaten at the restaurant such as Giorgio Armani.

No meal in Europe can start without a serving of bread…

Saute di vongole….done in white wine, parsley and garlic.

Traditional caprese salad, fat slices of ripe red tomatoes, basil, creamy mozzarella and a decent pour of olive oil.

Me and Jes ordered the Linguine Da Dora for our mains….al dente linguine cooked with lobster, shellfish, clams and tomatoes…So fresh and so tasty!

Isabelle ordered the spaghetti with mussels, tossed through with oil and parsley.

Me receiving my bib before digging into me linguine from waiter Armando….wise move!

Ana ordered the mixed seafood plate which was the same as our linguine minus the pasta. Plenty of fresh seafood to keep us all occupied!

Of course we couldn’t resist the desserts coming out of the kitchen so we ordered an assortment. The chocolate covered profiteroles were filled with cream and oh so rich but so good. The pastries at the back were similar to the profiteroles but were filled with a vanilla custard and topped with berries.

And to keep me happy, I ordered the fresh figs because I just couldn’t resist their tasty charm.

Leaving the restaurant we literally rolled out the door and down the lane, but the extremely-full feeling was well worth it. Overall I think we ended up paying about 40 euro each and that included a bottle of white wine. Pretty good considering the amount we ate and the quality of food. I will definitely be returning on my next trip through Napoli.

Ristorante Da Dora 

Via Ferdinando Palasciano 30 (Off Riviera de Chiaia)

Mergellina, Napoli, Italy

Ph: +39 081 680 519

I am currently eating my way through London at the moment….and with only 3 weeks of our trip left we are fast approaching our journey home. At least the weather in Sydney seems to be taking a turn for the better….bring on sunshine, tans and summer nights once we are back!

Ciao amici xxx