The BEST VEGAN FOOD in Naples Italy | Explore The Best Picks
All right, let’s cut to the chase. You came to Napoli because you want to eat pizza in the birthplace of pizza itself. Not eating pizza in Napoli would be like visiting Rome without seeing the Colosseum. What’s the point? Unless you don’t like pizza—but who actually doesn’t like pizza? “I just don’t like pizza.” What?! Pizza is one the best vegan food in Naples Italy.
Before we eat the original baby—the Original Pizza Pie (not baby, the first one, you know what I mean)—let’s try another famous pizza in
So, let’s start with the best vegan food in Naples Italy.
Pizza Fritta or fried pizza
Now, this was actually the first pizza we ever tried in Italy—or Napoli—which we ate at a pizza joint, a pizzeria called Pizza Fritta 1947. 1947 Pizza Fritta Napoli. There we went, it only took me three tries!
This Pizza Fritta was very good. Its dough was nice and light and chewy, with a little bit of an airy space in between. The dough had a lovely, salted taste as well. As expected, the marinara sauce was like nothing we’ve ever tried before—deliciously rich and sweet. Not in a sugary-sweet way, but like a perfectly plucked, ripe tomato sweet.
Overall, this pizza, by Napoli standards, was an 8 out of 10, which is a really good first impression of pizza in Napoli—and in Italy in general.
Vanessa, what do you think of the fried pizza? “It’s amore! That’s amore!”
L’Antica Pizzeria
Now, the first pizzeria that’s on most people’s list is going to be L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele—or The Antique Pizza of Michele. Maybe that’s how it goes? Anyway, this place is one of the oldest in the city because it was founded all the way back in 1870.
So, we are here at L’Antica, the most famous Marinara Pizza. Widely regarded as one of the best pizzas in Naples, it’s also considered one of the best pizzas in the world. We’re super excited! This pizzeria is also globally famous due to the movie Eat Pray Love with Julia Roberts, where she ate her pizza in this very spot we’re talking about now.
As expected, the pizzas were fantastic—but again, by Napoli standards, which are above anything you could possibly have in any other part of the world, I would give these pizzas a 7 out of 10.
(A 5 is average, so a 7 is still very good, but not in the “exceptional to die for” range.) Really good, but we’re going to talk about some better pies on this list.
Gino e Toto Sorbillo
The next place on my list is going to be Gino e Toto Sorbillo—or Sorbillo for short. This pizzeria is located off the famous walking street Via dei Tribunali, and it rivals L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele in terms of fame and notoriety.
But to me, this place actually lives up to the hype.
In my opinion, their Marinara (or Narinara) pizza is a solid—not solid—flawless 10 out of 10. The accent of the fresh basil in the pizza, the sweet and rich marinara sauce that tastes like perfectly plucked tomatoes, the soft, melt-in-your-mouth crust with that nice salty taste, the perfect amount of olive oil, and the garlic adding that rich flavor—this pizza is perfection, everybody.
Margherita and Marinara pizza
This is, in my opinion, the one place you have to visit when eating pizza in Napoli. It was phenomenal—the best Margherita and Marinara pizza I’ve had in my life. So freaking good!
Conveniently located across the street from Sorbillo, there’s a pizzeria and restaurant called Mats—or Mass, or Maz (one of those pronunciations). This place is a perfect option in case Sorbillo is too busy. But it isn’t just an afterthought, like, “Oh, let’s just go there instead.” Their pizzas rival Sorbillo’s, in my opinion.
You have the option to sit inside or outside, which is a great way to people-watch and soak up the vibrant street atmosphere.
As we were walking down the street, trying to get some pizza at Sorbillo (which had a super long line), we decided to explore and find another option. Some really nice, friendly guys from Mats approached us, saying they would “pay us with pizza.” They already had my attention. They even said if we didn’t like the pizza, they’d pay for it! That’s a pretty strong show of confidence in their food, so we decided to give it a try.
Guys, I would rate their pizzas a solid 9 out of 10. Really good—one of my favorites I had in Napoli. However, it’s just missing a little bit of the extra something that Sorbillo provides, which keeps it from reaching that perfect 10.
Flawless pizza
It’s not quite the flawless pizza, but it’s still definitely one of my favorites that I had during my time in Italy.
Believe it or not, there’s more to Neapolitan cuisine than just pizza. Let’s talk about Ragù. And no, not the Ragù that’s mass-produced in plastic containers and used for any generic pasta in the U.S. If you tried to use that, Italians would probably hunt you down!
The real Ragù—prove me wrong—is something else entirely. This is the Ragù. The best place I would personally recommend is Tandem Ragù, which is actually a bit of an institution in Napoli.
The pasta they served us with their famous Ragù sauce was very, very good—really good. I would give it an 8 out of 10. Definitely delicious! We also tried a noodle dish (or pasta dish) with a different kind of sauce, but it was missing a little of the quality that I think the Ragù sauce itself provided. So, definitely go for the Ragù sauce in any way, shape, or form you can.
Cavoli Nostri
Probably—or possibly—my favorite restaurant in all of Napoli is Cavoli Nostri. Listen up, everybody, because this place is a must-visit.
The location is excellent as well because it’s right off the lungomare (the waterfront), which has some really great views of the Bay of Naples and, of course, Vesuvius looming in the background.
But what about the food? The food was excellent as well. Of course, their lasagna was another one of my favorite things I had throughout my time in Italy. They had a vegan ricotta that was very smooth and creamy—everything you’d want it to be. The red sauce was, again, made from perfect tomatoes that could only be grown in the volcanic soil of Mount Vesuvius—the perfect combination.
And the noodles were perfectly cooked: salty, rich, and with just a little bit of natural sweetness from the tomatoes. 10 out of 10. Easily one of my favorite things I’ve eaten in my life.
cocoa flavor and espresso flavor
If I had to be honest, their tiramisu was also my favorite tiramisu I had during my time in Italy. Oh, it was smooth, creamy, nice and rich again, and had the perfect amount of natural cocoa flavor and espresso flavor.
Tiramisu typically isn’t my favorite dessert, but this one was a dream. It was to die for. Because of that, I would give it a 9 out of 10. If it were a perfect chocolate cake, maybe it’d get a 10 out of 10, but tiramisu usually isn’t one I go for. But when in Italy… or when in Rome—you know the saying, right?
Yeah, that was disgusting. It’s phenomenal. Sorry, guys!
You can also try the classic Italian dish risotto, which is rice-based. I started to forget that Italians eat other things besides pizza and pasta, right? The risotto was good, but not as good as the others. I’d give it about a 7 out of 10.
Arancini
We also tried arancini, an appetizer that’s like a Sicilian-style fried ball with some goodies inside. It was pretty good, but maybe a little too healthy for me. I’d give it about a 6.5 out of 10. We also had some fried cauliflower as an appetizer (or a main), which was fine. It was good, but not as good as the others. I’d give that about a 6. But you have to go for the lasagna and, of course, the tiramisu, in my opinion.
Now that we’ve started introducing desserts into the equation, let’s talk about two that you can try that are authentically Neapolitan. At a restaurant called Sputure (which is a bit of a cafe and bakery), you can get two authentically Neapolitan desserts: one being sfogliatella (try saying that three times fast!) and babà.
Wonderless Woman Estates
All right, everybody, the Wonderless Woman Estates. This is how I would normally look for the camera. Screw it, anyway! These are sfogliatella (my pronunciation is terrible, I know). This is one of the most famous pastries in Napoli—probably up there with croissants, or cornetti as you call them in Italian.
I’m really excited to jump in and give it a try because this is a quintessential thing to try in Naples.
After my research: That’s really good. On the outside, it’s like a nice, short, flaky sort of thing, and it’s really moist on the inside, as you can see.
We also had to try another staple of Naples, which I don’t know if it originated here: babà, which is also a rum-soaked sponge cake. So, can I get drunk eating it? I don’t know… we shall see!
We shall see… Yeah, it smells like alcohol pretty badly, so it’ll be interesting to try. I definitely wanted to get a good idea of the pastry side of Naples, besides just the savory foods we’ve already covered. So, let’s dig in.
Oh my God, that’s no joke. I don’t know if Vanessa’s gonna like this one. But this is really freaking good. Definitely would be a great breakfast pastry because it’s sweet, but not too sweet. It has that nice, soft filling inside and a delicious, shortbread-like outside. I’d give that easily an 8.5 out of 10.
babà
Now, the babà… I don’t know if that’s really for me, to be honest. Or maybe it’s just this bakery—I’ve only had one place to try it, so that’s what I have to judge it on. It was a little too soggy for my liking. It felt like instead of just drizzling it with rum, it was absolutely soaked in rum—so very soggy, very soft, and the rum was a little too overpowering. I wouldn’t get that again personally. I’d give that maybe a 4 or 3 out of 10, to be completely honest.
You can also try some of their other beautifully presented and wonderfully packaged desserts to go or enjoy in the restaurant.
If you want to hang out and eat something a little bit savory, they also have some food. It was kind of like a sandwich, pretty good—above average, but nothing compared to the other Italian food I’ve had. I’d give it maybe a 6 out of 10: a little above average, and really good if you’re craving something else.
pastry
Another Italian classic baked good or pastry is the cornetti, or the Italian croissant. There we go—finally got the English right!
The place I went to get my vegan cornetto was actually located right off of Via Toledo and right next to a café called La Focacceria. It was really difficult to find the name of this café, but we got a nice cornetto and cappuccino—a perfect combination all together. I’d give this combo maybe a 7.5 out of 10.
Really good, just don’t have your coffee too late in the evening, or you won’t sleep a wink. The espressos and cappuccinos are strong.
Via de Tribulani
Another place with both really good food and a sweet option is Un Sarizo Integral Amico Bio (yes, that’s a really long name, I know!). Tucked away behind the magical Via de Tribulani, this place has a really charming setting with a bit of an outdoor, garden-style area, and then a wonderful Italian home that they’ve turned into a cozy dining space with beautiful tiles and that perfect Italian aesthetic.
More importantly, they have a really cute and friendly cat. Thank you, but I don’t have any food for you.
This is perfection. Well, I didn’t expect this, but they served seitan cutlets in a really nice wine and lemony sauce. Rich, divine, full of flavor, tasty, and moist with a chewy texture. I’d give those about an 8.5 out of 10—really, really good. Small portions, but rich in flavor.
chocolate sauce
Now, something else that was really good and rich in flavor was, of course, the soufflé cioccolato (chocolate soufflé). This thing was again very moist, very rich—ooey and gooey, oozing that delicious chocolate sauce on the inside, with a little bit of powdered sugar. This was a solid 9.5 out of 10.
Mozzelato
First, Mozzelato. They have a really good chocolate gelato that’s great to put in a cone and walk around the street with. Another great option on the same street, a little bit closer to Un Sarizo (you remember the rest of the name—don’t make me say it again, guys), is Gelato Shimia (or Skimia Factory), which offers a couple of vegan gelato options as well.
It’s really nice to eat these and walk down this wonderful street, do some people-watching, check out some stores, or maybe look for restaurants you want to eat at in the future—which we were always doing. Oh yeah, and how did the ice cream taste? The gelato, sorry—never going to confuse them again, Italians.
They were really good, really rich—almost like a cold, semi-frozen, thick custard or pudding. It melted in your mouth as soon as you bit into it. You can’t even bite into it; your teeth just lightly sink into it. It had a really rich, nice, natural chocolate taste. Really loved it. A really good treat and really cheap as well. Definitely would give these about an 8.5 out of 10 in my book.
vegan fare
And last but not least, Oficina Vegana is a great place for reasonably priced vegan fare. It may not be your typical Neapolitan dish, but the food is tasty, it’s filling, and it’s maybe a nice little break from the pastas, pizzas, ragu, and red sauce if you’re in Italy for a long period of time.
Their sandwiches are number one—about as big as your head—and I would give them about a 6.
5 out of 10 for taste—definitely above average. I like their sandwiches a bit more than Spucia a Bivi, but the place itself is really nice. The staff is very welcoming and friendly and has a personable café feel.
That being said, even though the food wasn’t as highly rated in my opinion as some of the Italian dishes you can only eat when they’re made in Italy, I would still really recommend it. It’s a great option if you want a change of pace or if you just want some filling, cheap, tasty vegan food in Italy.
So, those are the foods I ate during my time in Napoli. When in Naples, I’d really try to focus on Neapolitan cuisine because you’re only there for a set period of time—maybe even less than I was. So I definitely recommend checking out Neapolitan food while you’re in Naples.
Let me know what looks best to you. Have you eaten at any of these places before, or do you think you’ll like Neapolitan pizza as much as I did? Let me know in the comments below.
Thank you, and that wraps up our BEST VEGAN FOOD in Naples Italy | Discover the top Picks. Do you agree with the places we chose, or is there somewhere you visited that you feel should be on the list? leave us a comment.
You can find me on Instagram: @dreamytravelersofficial/.
