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It was my last day in Italy. I had just finished six days of riding my bike while following the Giro d’Italia, including riding parts of the actual race routes starting in Cosenza (yes, there will absolutely be a pizza review from there too). Our final ride day had taken us from Ortona to beyond Chieti, so by that point my legs were questioning my life choices.
At some point during the day, I asked my Facebook friends, “So, you have one night left in Italy…what do you do?”
I rhetorically answered my own question, “Took me a millisecond to decide! Take a five-hour train ride back to Napoli for PIZZA (Pizza Fritte) and fried dough with Nutella!”
BUT honestly…where else would I go? What else was I going to do? LET’S BE REASONABLE? Totally reasonable,
So there I was, back up in the Vomero District on Via Solimene — which also happens to be a family namesake — at **Sandropizzetta**
I’d actually been here before. Given that Napoli is the birthplace of pizza, and the number pizzerias nearly equals the population, I’ve only returned to two pizzeria Sorbillo because of Sorbillo’s location in Old Town, it’s a great place to bring Napoli Newbies.
AND THE OTHER….Sandropizzetta! Cathy, my cousins, and I first came here back in April 2022 after trekking up to Vomero searching for baby paraphernalia that mysteriously disappeared somewhere between California and Italy. Apparently luggage handlers aren’t big on pacifiers. You know that I must really like a place to return…I DID AND I DO!
Although Vomero is one of the bougie districts of Napoli, Sandropizzetta is not in the mainstream of traffic and is rather rustic (but has great Napoli Calcio (soccer) memorabilia!
Having already tried Sandropizzetta’s Margherita in that earlier visit, I asked the staff for their recommendation. We quickly landed on their Classic Pizza Fritte — basically a folded, stuffed pizza pocket like a calzone…except fried instead of baked. In other words, Naples looked at a calzone and said, “Napoli looked at the calzone and said, “Fry it…it makes potatoes better too.” Their Classic Pizza Fritte is stuffed with riggot, provola (provolone’s softer, milder cousin), Neapolitan salami, and tomato sauce.
The Tasting!
The dough was light, thin, crisp, and fried beautifully without feeling greasy or heavy. The fry flavor was definitely front and center, but underneath it, the fermentation tang still came through nicely.
The Dough
Oddly enough, after a while, the flavor started reminding me of a Pringles or Lay’s potato chip — and I mean that as a compliment. There was this salty, crispy, snack-food thing happening that really worked.
The Cheese
Normally I stick to the strict Dough, Sauce, Cheese order…like it’s some kind of culinary constitution. Not this time. You’ll see why in a minute.
The riggot and provola both brought solid flavor. The provola had a slightly smoky note, while the riggot leaned a little salty — although that may have partially come from the salami mingling with everything inside this pocket of fried happiness.
The Sauce
With Sandropizzetta pizza fritte, the sauce felt more like a suggestion than a requirement. It was there, but barely. It didn’t add much to the overall flavor profile. This was a loss for me…I missed that classic San Marzano kick.
The Toppings
Talking about toppings is also a bit of a diversion for me, since my go-to is a “plain” Margherita about 80% of the time. But that wasn’t an option with Sandropizzetta pizza fritte, so I actually had to pay attention to the toppings since they genuinely affected the taste.
First, the Neapolitan salami surprised me. Normally, salami in Naples gives me flavors closer to what Americans think of as pepperoni (which, ironically, in Italy “pepperoni” actually refers to peppers).
This one was shorter-aged and more restrained than the spicy diavola-style flavors I’ve come to expect from “real” Neapolitan salumi. Honestly, it reminded me more of mortadella (aka baloney) than pepperoni — mild, salty, savory, and enjoyable, but I did miss the spicy version.
The Value
Sandropizzetta‘s pizza fritte was €9 (about $10). A great price in the U.S., but on the higher side for Napoli. That said, with multiple cheeses and meat, the value was good — but not great.
BUT – to end the meal, they provided a plate of fried dough drizzled with Nutella! Now, we’re still good, but getting near Great!
The Rating
Good…but not great. Honestly, that’s more about me than the pizza itself.
I’ve learned that while I like fried dough, I still generally prefer a baked pizza — even though I grew up eating plenty of fried dough in my family. Not the fried, folded-over, stuffed savory kind, but flat fried dough with sweet toppings, usually sugar or honey.
Some childhood preferences simply just stick.
Would I Go Back?
That’s a strong yes for Sandropizzetta.
