5 Cheap Eats in Naples, Italy
- Nathaniel Mellor
- Nov 27
- 6 min read
If you're looking for a bite on a budget, these are 5 must-try classic foods that will give you a taste of Napoletano food—and save you money!
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If you live in the United States, you might be used to a certain kind of "Italian food". Interestingly enough, I'm willing to bet that the kind of food you're used to are actually Napoletano foods, not Italian foods.
Eggplant Parmesan, mozzarella, dried pasta (so, spaghetti, fusilli, rigatoni, literally all dried pasta), pasta with garlic and olive oil, and of course, pizza, are all from the Kingdom of Naples. During the late 1800s, when newly-minted Italian immigrants migrated to the United States, South America, and the United Kingdom, they brought their foods with them.
So if you're feeling trepidatious about the prospect of food in Naples, rest assured, it will look more familiar than anything else in the country.
Likewise, Naples has a long history of cheap, affordable food. So if you're trying to stretch a budget and you're not planning on eating at restaurant every day for lunch and dinner,
Plus, embracing the oldest and purest of culinary traditions, Naples relies on the ol' "When in doubt, fry it" adage.
As a last note, if you have Celiac disease or if you're vegetarian/vegan, then options are more limited. Thankfully, were two and a have decades into the second millennium, so restaurants and places to grab a quick bite are far more accustomed to working within those restrictions!
If you're looking for a comprehensive tour of Naples' food scene, consider checking out one of the tours below. These are affiliate links and Only A Bag will earn a small commission if you book using our link.
Pizza is the ultimate cheap eat in Naples
Okay, here's the thing. In Naples, a lot of street food started as pizza and then, somewhere along the way, morphed into something else. However, pizza still reigns supreme in Naples (little pizza pun for y'all).
I want to avoid going too in-depth into pizza here since it's so well-covered by anyone writing about Naples, however, the takeaway here is: pizza is cheap, and it's hard to find a bad one. A pizza margherita (plain cheese) should cost you around €5 at most pizza restaurants.
Pizza Portafoglio
Someone once asked the world, "Why are we eating a pizza on a plate with a fork and knife when it's clearly street food, finger food, if you will?" (Yes, most Italians do use a fork and knife to eat pizza.)
And this simple question started a craze. Called the "pizza portafoglio" or "pizza wallet", this is a full pizza folded twice, so it becomes a corner-shaped wedge. Ideally, this should be eaten by one person, but it's clearly big enough to split.
Be careful! These are fresh, so they come out piping hot, and they're folded, meaning they don't cool down very much. If you take a giant, Instagram-worthy bite, you might burn your mouth.
Where can I find a pizza portafoglio in Naples?
Passione Di Sofi
Where: They have locations all over Naples, but we highly suggest the one on Via Toledo, 206.
Prices: The pizza portafoglio in the picture was €3 as of October 2025.
Sorbillo Pizza Portafoglio
Where: Via Toledo, 244. There are other Sorbillo locations, but this is the "street food" one.
Prices: Pizza Margherita Portafoglio starts at €3.60
Di Matteo
Where: Via dei Tribunali, 94. While the others are near or on Via Toldeo, this one is in the historic district.
Price: Pizza Portafoglio to-go starts at €3.
These are just three popular locations located close to tourist areas, so they'll be easy to find if you're looking for a quick lunch. There are far too many pizzeria that serve pizza portafoglio to list in one place, but chances are, if you see a pizzeria, they'll serve pizza portafoglio.
Panzarotti
Not actually from Naples but from the Puglian region, these fried dough half-moons are a mainstay at any street food eatery. When you're looking at a Panzarotti, you might be thinking, "Isn't this just a calzone?" Well, yes. And no.
It's a very similar yeast-based dough, sometimes it will be the same dough. And while panzarotti can be baked, it's far more common to find them fried.
The fillings can be literally anything, however, there are some staples that you will keep seeing such as pomodoro e fior di latte (tomato sauce and cheese), the same with prosciutto, scarola e olive (olives and escarole, a bitter green leafy vegetable), and the same with acciughe (anchovies).
Some places consider these to be "pizza fritte", however, there's another type of fried pizza in Naples that will be discussed later. So, while some of the locations below mention "pizza fritte", I think they still fit into the category of "panzarotti" better.
Where can I find a Panzarotti in Naples?
Antica Pizza Fritta da Zia Esterina Sorbillo
Where: Piazza Trieste e Trento, 53.
Prices: All fillings start at €5.
Passione Di Sofi
Where: Again, we highly suggest the one on Via Toledo, 206.
Prices: Pizza fritte/panzarotti start at €3.
Pizza Fritte, or, Montanare
Okay, so here's where things get deeply confusing. You remember that Panzarotti/Pizza Fritte confusion I was just discussing? Well, Naples imported one version from Puglia (a southern region) and they have another that's domestic, also called the pizza fritte, and sometimes called Montanare.
For the purpose of this article, I've decided to call the Napoletano pizza fritte "pizza fritte" and the Puglian version "Panzarotti".
While they have some similar characteristics, the classic version is a circle of pizza dough tossed into the fryer, and when it comes out, a dab of sauce and some cheese goes on top. It's quick, easy, and cheap.
Where can I find a Pizza Fritte in Naples?
Passione Di Sofi
Where: Again, we highly suggest the one on Via Toledo, 206.
Prices: Montanare start at €3.
Friggitoria Napoletana da Rosetta
Where: Via San Biagio Dei Librai, 80.
Prices: Starts at €2.50 for the small.
Cuoppo or Cuoppo Fritto
Just what it sounds like, a cuoppo or cuoppo fritto is a "cup" or "fried cup", though the cup is usually made from a piece of paper rolled into a cone and then stuffed with various fried goodies.
As pictured, it's common to get some kind of stick or skewer to eat the fried food with, though it's not always effective, especially if you end up getting the type of food that falls apart on a skewer.
If you're vegan or you have Celiac, this is where you might want to be careful. All of the breading usually has gluten-containing breadcrumbs, and most friggitore (fried food places) tend to fry everything in the same oil, making it not safe for vegans/vegetarians. However, you can ask before ordering!
Classic offerings include fried seafood such as anchovies, sardines, calamari, sometimes but rarely shrimp, and then there are little fried rice balls (like suppli or arancini), fried dough (like pizza dough), and potato croquettes (fried mashed potatoes, essentially).
Where can I find a Cuoppo Fritto in Naples?
Passione Di Sofi
Where: Again, we highly suggest the one on Via Toledo, 206.
Prices: Cuoppo starts at €6.
Il Cuoppo | San Biagio Dei Librai
Where: Via San Biagio Dei Librai, 23.
Prices: Cuoppo start at €5, other fried foods start at €2.
These are also super common throughout Naples. Any friggitore will have some kind of offering for their cuoppo, and you can buy pieces individually, if you find you like one thing better than another.
Frittata di Pasta
Imagine you have day-old pasta, and you're tired of eating pasta with a little oil yet again. What do you do? Well, you toss it into a pan with a few beaten eggs and make a frittata, of course!
That's right, if you're in the mood for pasta that's been turned into finger foods, look no further than Frittata di Pasta, or Frittatina.
Where can I find Fritatta di Pasta in Naples?
Di Matteo
Where: Via dei Tribunali, 94.
Price: Prices start at €2.50.
La Padella Rosticceria dal 1967
Where: Piazzetta Arenella, 21. On Vomero Hill, perfect after going up on the funicular.
Prices: Frittatina start at €2. However, they have a ton of other offerings, including half of this list.
50 Kaló
Commonly considered one of the best pizza restaurants in Naples, and the world, 50 Kaló also serves Frittatina.
Where: Piazza Sannazaro, 201/c.
Prices: €2 for the Frittatina, €8 for pizza.
And that's the list! While Naples has far more cheap eats and street food options than just this list, I hope this is enough to get the mouth watering!
If you're headed to Naples and you aren't sure where you'd like to stay, below you can find a few of our favorite hotels. These are affiliate links, and if you book through them, we receive a small commission.
