Pizzeria Vesi

Found myself in Napoli on a Sunday when much of the city is ‘quiet’ (for Naples standards) and closed. Vesi is one of the only noted pizzerias open — and I could not have been more grateful! The pizza is what you expect coming to the source — sweet, salty, and a chew to the crust that is indescribable — truly delicious! While Vesi isn’t number 1 on the ‘must pizza stops’ of Naples I would recommend to anyone in the area looking for a great meal and a cold birra. Bön appetito fellow Unilocalers!

As I was only in Napoli for a day, and Gino Sorbillo and Da Michele were closed for vacation (great timing on my part), this is where I got to try pizza napoletana at the source. The storefront is very cramped – so cramped than the kitchen is downstairs and they use a little elevator to send food up! Luckily, right across the street is a little square that they’ve taken over with a lot more seating under umbrellas. Service was quick, efficient and friendly somehow. Most people in Napoli are nice, after all.
The pizza I got was great! There, lets start with that. It was actually crisper than the so called «authentic» neapolitan places springing up in New York City, but this is a good thing. It still had the characteristic wetness though, and the tomatoes and fior di latte melded together beautifully with some sunflower oil. I wouldn’t consider this some gourmet extravaganza – it was simple, fresh, homey pizza. The original pizza: before pizza’s voyage over the Atlantic, and before a bunch of elitist douchebags like the VPN decided to monopolize the conception of what was originally a simple peasant food. By the way, somehow this place was VPN certified, even though they broke several rules – pies were larger than 10″, used sunflower oil, fior di latte instead of mozzarella di bufala, etc. Not sure how that works, but I like it.
Next time Gino Sorbillo and Da Michele are at the top of my hit list (woops! wrong term to use for this area!), but I will have to squeeze in another visit here! If you want to find it, just look for the umbrella-​ed seating area towards the west end of Via Tribunali, around the corner from the Capella Sansevero. Say hit to Pucinella for me!

A great pizzeria in Napoli! I have been here a few times with local friends, and always had a very good meal. Located on the way between Piazza Bellini and Via dei Tribunali, Vesi has some tables under umbrellas in the little square on top of Via dei Tribunali. Perfect location for a pizza in group, there’s also a TV showing sports, so be sure to book a table if there’s some important soccer game.