Pizzeria Brandi

Reviews

• Joy B.

  star star star star star 11 June 2026

  Whatever the city of Naples may lack in common decency it makes up for in its food. My hometown produces what I think is the world's greatest pizza, and Pizzeria Brandi claims to have invented the most iconic of all Neapolitan pizzas--the margherita--over 100 years ago.
  
  As legend has it, in 1889 the pizzaiolo here was summoned to make a special meal for Italy's royal family. One of the items was a hot bread with vegetables, striking in its simplicity and featuring the colors of the Italian flag in its ingredients. Queen Margherita, wife of King Umberto I, is said to have been impressed with the combination of tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil and thus was born the margherita pizza. Realizing this could be a hit, the recipe was quickly copied across the city and turned into an Italian staple, one that is world-famous today.
  
  Like any good Italian, I claim carbo-loading as one of my talents. If I'm going down, it'll be with a pizza in one hand and a pig trough of gnocchi in the other. Yes, I have problems. The pizza would be from this place, perfectly blistered from an oven nearly as old as time. The pizza is hand-stretched and fits the size of a large plate, served uncut and bubbling hot right out of the oven. Neapolitan pizza is often swimming and 'wet' due to the liquidy nature of the San Marzano tomatoes and the buffalo mozzarella, which is creamier than mozzarella made from cow's milk (called 'fior di latte' in Italy). One or two leafs of basil top it off creating what I consider to be pizza perfection. The taste is like no other with a charred flavor from the crust, sweetness from the tomatoes, and tang from the fresh buffalo mozzarella.
  
  Any American visitor will be surprised by the price point of pizza in Naples. A fabulous pizza is CHEAP, ringing up at roughly $5 and not the $10 - $20 you'd pay for something decent (but still never as satisfying) in the USA. Brandi is one of the more expensive places in town, with the pizza costing $7 on average for a dining-in experience. To-go the pies drop down to the $5 price point that is more common across the city.
  
  Pizza is also a street food in Italy, often sold at walk-up establishments with wood-fired ovens in very small spaces. You can buy either slices or whole pies for a few euros from these vendors, served piping hot and ready to eat. Brandi has a to-go counter for exactly this type of experience. Any Neapolitan pizza should be eaten folded on-the-go (like a wallet, or al portafoglio) to keep the boiling hot cheese and sauce from scalding your face or fingers.
  
  If you dine in, you'll notice the restaurant is large, encompassing all of two floors with the famed pizza oven outside and across the street. If you sit at one of the outdoor tables you'll be subjected to and usually amused by the character of the city which can include locals yelling at and hitting each other, crazy Italian drivers running pedestrians down on sidewalks, street musicians peddling tourists for money, passers-by stuffing their faces with food, or thieves running from the scene of a crime. All in a day's work. You won't find a city with more color or humor anywhere else in the world.
  
  Brandi is located in a picturesque alleyway in downtown Naples steps away from one of the city's central piazzas (Piazza del Plebiscito) and just a short walk from the waterfront. It's a bit farther from the main tourist areas of the city, a feature which helps the business to remain more local and low-key than it would otherwise be. Brandi is a full-service restaurant offering dishes beyond pizza, but I've never visited for anything but the margherita. As they say, why mess with a good thing?
  
  Being first doesn't necessarily make Brandi the default choice for visitors. These days lots of pizza competition exists, some of it more famous and hyped than others thanks to a certain Pretty Woman. Places like Da Michele, Port'Alba, and Di Matteo are also formidable options and worth a visit, if only to compare and contrast and stuff yourself full of delightful pizza as much as possible during your time in the city.

• Liz R.

  star star star star star_border 10 June 2026

  Pizza absolute best pizza I've had. Anywhere.
  
  Staff is nice but consistently seems overwhelmed and unorganized. The seating is a bit tight. Make a reservation because they fill up fast

• Bill H.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 5 June 2026

  Tourist trap! Average pizza and tries to scam you for tips if they see you a tourist.

• Jeff Y.

  star star star star star 31 May 2026

  This is supposedly the pizza place that invented the Margherita pizza to honor Queen Margherita of Italy. Not totally sure if this is true but even if it's not this is the best pizza place in Naples and it's been since 1780 so they are doing something right. Don't do anything fancy here- just order the marg. Beautifully created. The bubbling is a work of art, the mozzarella tastes as the fresh as the breeze over the sea on a cool Neapolitan morning and the sauce had the perfect taste of understated spice. People hate on Naples but if you venture past the waterfront the interior of the city of full of delightful treasures of which Pizzeria Brandi is surely one. 97/100 pizza points.

• Mike S.

  star star star star star 21 May 2026

  Okay I just had the best pizza ever and now I'm spoiled for life.   All others will now pale in comparison.   Brick oven is the only way to cook it correctly.   I had the prosciutto pizza, which was lightly blackened.  Crust was the right size, not overly thin
  
  The location was perfectly nestled in an alleyway, perfect ambiance setter.