Da Michele

Naples, IT

Although Di Matteo and Sorbillo are definitely in the mix as the best pizzas in Naples, there is a cult following for Da Michele's pizzas. This place was featured on the movie Eat, Love, Pray with Julia Roberts (they even have a picture of her on the wall), Rick Steve's  shows and pretty much any other guidebook, website, or blog on Naples pizza. People just love it and we went to see if the hype was real. 

Interior

Located eight blocks away from Piazza Girbaldi (the only reason to stay near the train station) is Da Michele. We arrived early (7 PM) to avoid the crowds and were able to get a table quickly. By the time we were leaving, the crowd was starting to stack up outside. When you walk in, the place has a minimalism decor with their pizza oven in the corner and prep station to the left of that with about six guys making pizzas. That's it. The walls are all white, very tall, without any decorations, almost if you're in a warehouse. But it doesn't matter because everyone is here for the pizza. Only two pizzas to be precise. 

Menu

Da Michele only offers Margherita and Marinara pizzas. They do come in three different sizes, but I question if there really is much of a difference since the waiters just come by with pizzas and said "did you order a margherita or marinara?" and then drop whatever is in their hands. Regardless, you're excited to see that piping hot, fresh out of the oven, perfect pizza is coming your way. Naturally, we decided to order one of each to cover the entire spectrum of what they had to offer.

Marinara

I was pretty skeptical about the Marinara pizza. I mean, who just wants sauce on their pizza, especially when you can have fresh mozzarella and basil too? Well, after one bite, I was a believer. There was an amazing amount of flavor in that sauce, simplistic in its presentation but complex in the depth of flavors. It's like having marinara sauce for the first time the way it's supposed to be. The thin slices of garlic, the sprinkle of oregano, the drizzle of olive oil, just perfect. It was like dining at Chez Panisse for the first time eight years ago and thinking "is this what vegetables are supposed to taste like?" Well, this was what a classic, simple, perfect, Neapolitan marinara pizza was supposed to taste like.

Margherita

The margherita stirred quite a bit of conversation between me and Chu-Toro about if it was better than Di Matteo's. The standout flavor of Michele's pizza was the bite and flavor of the mozzarella which was the best on a pizza I had ever had. However, the crust was not as chewy and tasty as Di Matteo's. We both agreed, although they were the same in principal, they just felt like different pizzas and really liked both. When we were forced to pick one though, Chu-Toro went with Di Matteo's and I stuck with Da Michele. But there are no losers in that battle. 

I'm glad we were able to try all three, Di Matteo, Sorbillo, and Da Michele to taste some of Naples' best pizza offerings. The first time I had pizza back in the states (local chain pizza for a work lunch), it made me instantly miss my time in Naples. As a city, I probably wouldn't go out of my way to return to Naples, but the trip there for pizza was worth it.

Overall 8.5/10
May 27, 2011