Last Agust I spent one day in Naples in I decided to have lunch at Sorbillo, one of the most renowned Pizzerias of all Italy.
The location
Sorbillo is in the historical centre of Napoli, in Via dei Tribunali 32. It is the one with blue and white logo where you can read “Gino e Toto Sorbillo”. Pay attention because right next to it you will find another Sorbillo where you can buy take away Pizza, belonging to the same owner, and a third Sorbillo who claims to be a cousin of the most famous one but I do not know if it is true. The latter is Antonio Sorbillo, I haven’t tried it and I do not know how it is.
Try to book a table
So, getting back to the most famous Gino Sorbillo, once you arrive, go to the door where you will meet someone from the pizzeria taking your name and writing it on their waiting list. Traditionally Sorbillo doesn’t accept reservations but I discovered once I was there that because of Covid restriction they now accept reservations. Make a call and try in order to avoid the queue.
I didn’t book, so I waited in line for a good hour. And since it was August it wasn’t pleasant at all. But I was in the game and I wanted to play! Well, to eat actually. I have to say that even there were a lot of people, Sorbillo is extremely fast with orders and preparation, the place is very big and also the staff is extremely fast. But without reservation, take a lot of patient with you, or at least a good book to read.
We went for the most traditional pizzas
Once I got in, I went for a Marinara, the traditional pizza with tomato sauce, oregano and oil. One of my friend had a Margherita, with mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce and the other one had a Quattro Formaggi, the pizza with 4 different types of cheese.
The dough
Unlike the Roman pizza, which is very thin, the Napolitan Pizza is thick. Sorbillo pizza is thick at the borders while the rest is thin. Very thin. Too thin. You cannot eat a slice with your hands because everything falls on the dish. So if I have to judge the dough, for me it’s a no. The ingredients are good. They are chosen very carefully and their perfume is intense. The pizza is well cooked, which is incredible if you consider how many pizza they bake every day. The staff will not spend time with you, as the amount of people eating there is really big, but they are nice and ready to answer the customers’ questions.
The verdict
So, at the end do I recommend Sorbillo? No, unless you have a reservation and you like thin pizza. I prefer the traditional fat Napolitan Pizza that you can grab and eat with hands. But I cannot say that it wasn’t good. So, this time is a 7 out of 10 for me but 1 point goes all to the nice lady at the door who was really patient with the hungry waiting crowd.
Tested in August 2020.
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