Pizzeria Il Pizzaiuolo

Pizzeria Il Pizzaiuolo

The Pizzaiuolo is an excellent pizza parlor specialized in making Naples-style pizza. Located steps from the Sant'Ambrogio market on Via dei Macci, it is right across the street from the well-known Cibreo restaurant and trattoria in the Santa Croce area. It does not fear the competition across the way as it often has a small crowd waiting outside to get in every night of the week and all throughout the evening. Reservations are highly recommended.

Frescoes and photographs of old Naples adorn the walls of this small pizzeria. The tables are crowded together and, at the peak dinner hour, it is hard to even hear the person sitting across from you at your own table. Instead of an annoyance, this adds to the rowdy and very casual atmosphere. You just join in and add your voice to the din!

Naples-style pizza has a high border crust but the center is thin, a good balance. The pizzas, baked in a wood-burning oven, are just right: the dough is soft and delicious. High-quality ingredients such as fresh mozzarella, cut into large pieces and very evident on the top of the pizza, can be improved with the substitution of Mozzarella di Bufala. We also tried the fried pizza, which is basically a fried calzone with spinach, ham and ricotta. Everything we had was very good and tasty. In short: perfect.

Several of the antipasti, or starters, are also Neapolitan specialities. We recommend the plate with three types of mozzarella di bufala ("tris di bufala") or the mixed plate that offers several starters such as arancini, burrata and bruschetta ("primizie di casa nostra". The pizzas are definitely the main attraction, but there are also pasta and risotto dishes as well as meat and fish courses that we honestly have not tried yet. There are a little bit of everything to satisfy everyone's tastes. Even with a full stomach we decided to try out some of the desserts - the classic tiramisù, a neapolitan ricotta cake (pastiera napoletana) as well as a Sicilian cannoli and they were all pretty good (the tiramisù was so-so).

Ambience:
The trattoria is very small and generally crowded. It is most definitely very informal and a bit chaotic, so we don't recommend it for a romantic or elegant dinner but it is perfect for those other occassions when you find youself with friends and family. The staff was all very courteous and helpful.

Recommendations:
The pizzeria is always crowded every day of the week so if you really want to try this place out, we highly recommend you book your table ahead.

Il Pizzaiuolo is within the ZTL area (zone with limited traffic) and only 10 minutes walking distance from the Duomo. For those with cars, the nearest parking lots are those in Sant'Ambrogio and Piazza Beccaria, which are less than 5 minutes away.

Last time we visited
June 25, 2009 for lunch