Pizzeria Brandi — Restaurant in Naples

Honestly, when coming to Brandi, I was expecting to be hit with expensive or overpriced pizza that was essentially the same as all of the surrounding competitors simply for the prestige of the being the pronounced "first to serve Margherita Pizza".

I was wrong! And very happily so. The prices of the pizze we got here were comparable to those from other restaurants nearby, and by that I mean CHEAP. Very generously cheap.

But if the price was low, then the quality must be pretty subpar too, right? NOPE, this pizza was quite literally the best Napolitano Margherita I've ever had. Crisp golden crust that flakes on the outside with an airy, fluffy inside. Beautiful tomato sauce, which had a natural sweetness. Perfectly melted mozzarella, not over-cooked or charred. All perfumed with fresh basil that was kissed by the heat.

My wife decided to get the Diavola version, and I thought that there was no way some pepperoni-looking salsiccia could belong on this perfect pizza. And then I tried a bite of hers, and was sent up to the stars like fireworks with this pure flavor-bomb. This sausage is what pepperoni wishes it was even on the same planet, in so far as spices and heat. Incredible.

My only grievance, even slight, was that my wife and I could tell that the waiter did not like us, and seemed to be avoiding us. I could tell the manager (or owner) was very sweet, genuine, and attentive. He even gave us a little Naples magnet, just because we were visiting.

There are plenty of great things in Naples to do, see, and experience. If you appreciate good food, put Brandi at the top...

Honest review, I was here twice. Staff is very kind, great service.

Pizza is.. well, good. But not that great. And they bake it with the basil on, which means the basil is just a burned ash. It's not that bad, just not good. White wine was good.

Pasta is fine, if you like it "audente", though it was a bit too raw for me, but that's personal preference. They give you parmesan in a zip bag.. that's.. weird.

I disliked that there is no (free) water by default, being tap water either way. I disliked they have service included yet expect a tip on top of that (not all of them).

But the main reason I'm taking stars off is the annoying musicians, that just won't go away no matter what. We thanked them beforehand, waved them goodbye, hoping they would leave but no. They had to ruin our eardrums, and we haven't even gotten our order yet. Couldn't hear my own thoughts. And on top of that, after the 999th hundred "bella chao" I heard today from beggars, they just stood there and wouldn't leave until one of us gave them money. Sorry but that's a total off for me. Didn't invite them, didn't want them, weren't smiling or singing along, actually quite the opposite but still.... Really disappointing.

So, my second visit is my last. Bearing this in mind, if I knew these details, I would've expected it and given a better review, probably, so I hope that knowing this you will enjoy the marketing legend of Napoli more than I...

Pizzeria Brandi was the last stop on our self-guided "only pizza for dinner" tour of Naples. We thought it would be a more crowded destination since it's where the Margherita version of Neopolitan was invented and were prepared for a long wait, but when we arrived (on a Tuesday night in the middle of July) there was no line and we were seated immediately in the upstairs dining area which was comfortable and kind of air conditioned.

The restaurant is located not far from the main square of Naples so perhaps most of the pizza-tourist crowd preferred to eat up in the historic center where most of the rest of the pizza spots are. No problem for us!

My wife and I shared a Margherita pizza. (of course) which, when they learned we were sharing, brought it to us already split in half on two plates. That's pretty good service for a pizza spot. It felt a little bit more comfortable and upscale than the other places we went for pizza in Naples, but not stuffy or pretentious...just a bit nicer.

The service was great. The pizza was pretty good and held up against the other Margheritas we had in town, and the atmosphere was good with families with kids sitting nearby.

It felt like, despite the fact that this is where Margherita was invented, we'd stumbled across a local secret. We're glad we did and it was cool having our final pie in Naples where Margherita...