Gluten Free in Naples: My Field Guide to a Long Weekend Visit
The pizza capital of the world, the birthplace of modern pizza and a place that’s great for gluten free, even celiac travelers? It certainly felt like an oxymoron. While Italy is of course known for its superb approach to celiac, stepping into Naples, where traditional pizza feels like a cornerstone of the very culture of the city, I half expected places to laugh gluten free requests right out of their doors. Instead, Naples totally delivered. The awareness here is as impressive as anywhere in Italy, the safety protocols are near ubiquitous at reputable spots, and it turned out to be one of the easiest places I have traveled for safe, incredible food, mostly pizza.
Naples gluten free overview: 9.5/10
Navigating Naples while gluten free
Most of my favorite gluten free pizzas anywhere have been in Naples, from my first stop at Lucignolo Bella en route to Rome to a casual night at Starita, the most gluten filled environment I’ve ever safely eaten in. It should come as no real surprise that most gluten free dining in the city center is pizza, so pizzerias are naturally where I spent most of my time.
Compared to the increasingly touristy centers of Rome, Florence, or Milan, Naples stands apart. Full of crowded, dense streets and a constant buzz of movement, it is very much a local city at its heart. Because of this, there are simply fewer dedicated spots and fewer well reviewed options overall than in other major Italian cities. This is not to say Naples lacks safe options or is hard to navigate gluten free, but it will feel fundamentally different if you are used to traveling by dedicated spots alone.
Safety stop: For some celiacs, the idea of shared pizza is a real showstopper. I fully get that and am not here to tell anyone what risks to take. If that’s not right for you, there are other options. Even if it is, places change and staff can make mistakes, so I encourage everyone to make their own decisions on what feels right and double check even the most reviewed spots.
It’s also worth considering where you will be in Naples. I have visited twice, both times staying in or near the heart of the city center. I traveled to see historic sights, mostly on foot or by subway, and used the city as a base for day trips to Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius. While food is important, especially pizza and pastries, sights come first for me. I will happily pick a solid spot near my daily plans over traveling across town for a famous meal, often returning to a convenient, reliable option. With that, let’s dig into where I ate.
Where I ate
Leopoldo Cafebar – Senza Glutine
About the place: Dedicated / GF Bakery & Cafe / $ low / Counter service, some indoor & outdoor seating
The vibe: 100% safe bakery experience offering morning pastries through late-night snacks
Leopoldo is a large bakery chain in Naples (and perhaps beyond it) and most of their locations are full of regular, gluten filled treats, often with a small sign or case to hold a small assortment of gluten free options. This is in stark contrast to their Senza Glutine location, a 100% gluten free bakery & cafe they operate. It was purely by coincidence, but I ended up staying in the Museo area, just a few blocks from their shop, and that was undoubtedly one of the best accidental decisions I’ve ever made on a trip.
The dedicated GF shop is, however, an entirely different beast. Located next door to a regular Leopoldo store, it dwarfs its counterpart in selection and in demand. This place is popular and for a great reason, as I would say it rivals many of Italy’s famous GF bakeries like New Food in Rome and GluFree in Milan. The bakery part of the store has an incredible assortment of pastries, cookies, and cakes, and even a small selection of gelato flavors, while the front of the store is a more typical Italian cafe where you can find amazing croissants in the morning and sandwiches and focaccia style breads as the day goes on. Best of all, the place is open fairly late so you don’t have to rush over if you didn’t happen to stay close by.
OVEN Forno Vegetariano
About the place: Dedicated / Vegetarian Cafe / $ low / Counter service - no seating
The vibe: Easy and quick option if you want a break from pizza, or a cheap, no-frills meal.
Perhaps the least known of the dedicated spots in Naples, or at least the one with the fewest reviews, OVEN is a truly unique find. Located right in the middle of a trendy neighborhood full of regular restaurants, OVEN is an unassuming small shop run by a delightfully friendly guy who I assume is the owner.
Their menu is all vegetarian, but after going pizza to pizza, that was a wonderful change for me and a chance to get some true variety in my diet, loading up on lightly fried, perfectly seasoned potatoes, a focaccia style bread, and some veggie sides (I had a fridge to store leftovers). It’s not a big menu, but it is a very nice and very reasonably priced place for a meal or a snack.
Note: Find Me Gluten Free shows OVEN as shared, but their physical menu and store says fully GF so that’s what I’ve called them.
Grom
About the place: Dedicated (they sell some non-GF pastries) / Gelato / $ / Counter service - indoor seating
The vibe: Perfect spot for safe gelato on Via Toledo, plus it has AC
A staple of Italy and indeed much of Europe, Grom does classic Italian gelato, completely gluten free*, and it is a must have for the scorching summer days here. The Grom location in Naples is interesting; it is, of course, located in the touristy/shopping district of the city and is probably the nicest Grom store I’ve ever been to. Beyond the selection of gelato flavors and GF cones (or cups), they actually have an air conditioned indoor sitting area complete with water and a restroom, making it a wonderful place not just to grab a treat, but to stop and enjoy it.
While Grom claims to be fully GF, it is worth noting that some locations, including the Naples one, have a small assortment of regular (gluten filled) pastries for sale. They’re kept separate and covered, but it does mean a bit of gluten is present, so check before you grab anything not gelato. In fact, Find Me Gluten Free no longer lists them as dedicated.
Other dedicated spots
While those are the few dedicated spots I made it to on my visit, there are a couple of other options worth noting. Not far from Grom in the touristy/shopping area is Zero Zero Grano, a moderately upscale restaurant serving lunch and dinner selections of Italian and seafood cuisine, but with no pizza and limited hours. Further outside the city center, you’ll find a few more spots, including Il Forno di Giojo (bakery), Casa Infante Zero Glutine (cafe), and Siani Senza Glutine (also a bakery).
Starita
About the place: Shared / Pizzeria / Table service - indoor seating
The vibe: My favorite pizza with an authentic feel, but definitely a shared environment
With over 13,000 reviews on Google, Starita is by no means a hole in the wall find, and yet it felt completely local anyway. The menu is basically pizza and pizza related dishes done in a very classic, simple style. No fancy trays, no rooftop view, just pizza that people clearly love. Despite this, and despite an otherwise 100% gluten based menu, they took my celiac request as seriously as any other shared spot I’ve been to (I was traveling with an Italian born friend who is used to my GF needs and double checking things for me).
The pizza I had may not be identical to the traditional version, but it certainly rivaled any other GF one I have had across the world with an amazing dough, a great char, and delicious cheese. While I do have to mention the potential cross contamination warning on their menu, I can’t recommend this place enough to anyone willing to take that slight risk.
Pizzaioli Veraci
About the place: Shared - AIC certified / Italian / Table service - indoor seating
The vibe: Great pick for a full menu beyond pizza, AIC-certified with a separate GF oven.
Switching gears entirely from the vintage, pizza only vibe of Starita, is Pizzaioli Veraci, which, despite the name, offers far more than just pizza, though they do of course have that. An AIC certified (that’s the Italian Celiac Association, a group that educates and checks restaurants; anyone with their logo is basically as good as dedicated in my book) spot, Pizzaioli Veraci is located in the main tourist/shopping area not far from Grom and Zero Zero Grano with an extensive menu of options.
Like many AIC spots, they do not mess around at all, and my pizza came out on a special “senza glutine” plate. Not a bad way to know you got the right thing! As for the quality, it’s a great spot, though not on a Starita or Lucignolo Bella level of great. I’ve also ordered here for takeaway food, and had both a tuna salad and a pasta dish. It’s impossible to compete with pizza, but those were both good, especially considering that I ate them out of a box half an hour later.
Antonio Sorbillo
About the place: Shared / Pizzeria / Table service - indoor seating
The vibe: Solid pick in the historic center, casual and reliable
Keeping with the “pizza is life” theme (I promise, between OVEN, Leopoldo, and the grocery store supplies I had stocked up on, my diet wasn’t all pizza, just 90%), is Antonio Sorbillo, another 5,000+ review pizzeria in the center of Naples. This was not actually my original pick, but there are so many pizza spots with such similar names right here that we landed inside and sat down before even realizing we had planned to go somewhere else. But when in Rome, or in this case, Naples, you eat the pizza.
Antonio Sorbillo’s vibe is somewhere between Starita and Pizzaioli Veraci, with a more expansive menu and a semi modern interior inside an otherwise old school spot. The immense tourism of the street makes it impossible to call it local, though I have no doubt there has been pizza making around here a long time. For this meal, I again went with pizza, which was delicious, and also a side of potatoes to give myself something else. Talking with the staff on my way out, they explained that they have their own mini sized oven just for GF, and I suspect that’s just the norm here. Not dedicated, but more than cautious.
Lucignolo Bella Pizza
About the place: Shared - AIC certified / Italian / Table service - indoor seating
The vibe: Very well known spot with great portions and just ~10 minutes from central train station
I’ve been to Naples twice now, most recently for several nights, which is where most of my comments come from, but my first visit was just a brief stop en route back from Pompeii. Heading out of the central train station, hungry but also cautious, there just aren’t a ton of great options for anything substantive right around the area, at least not beyond McDonald’s. Thankfully, Naples has good transit, and the metro takes you almost right up to Lucignolo Bella Pizza, which is a very highly rated AIC and GF ready option in the city center.
Here I’ve had two dishes, which was definitely over committing my appetite as their portions are impressive, even by my American standards. First was a salad, a very large salad with tuna, which was simple but provided a great serving of veggies and protein. I followed that with a pizza, which remains one of my favorites even a few years later.
Suisse Pompei
About the place: Shared / Italian / Table service - indoor & outdoor seating
The vibe: Touristy and pretty basic GF food but perfect location just steps from Pompeii
Though obviously not in Naples, Pompeii is a very popular and very easy day trip to make from the city, so I figured I would also share where I ate there. And yes, it was also pizza, but relax, I’ve been to Pompeii a few times, and this post combines all those experiences. While the city of Pompeii has a fair number of well rated GF spots, even a Mama Eat location (Naples has one too, but it’s well outside the city center), those require a decent walk or bus ride to reach from the archaeological site. That is not an issue if you’re staying over, but it is not ideal after hours and hours of walking.
Instead, I tried Suisse Pompei on one of my visits. Though it is about as touristy a location as it gets, being located literally 100 yards from the front gates of Pompeii, Suisse Pompei is a decent spot and actually fairly reasonably priced. Their menu doesn’t have an extensive selection of GF items, but it does have a few safe choices. While I can’t say the pizza was a winner, it was certainly a reasonable meal I trusted. From looking around, I’d go with the pasta if I ever go again.
Grocery options
Whether in Naples or Rome, Milan or Florence, Italian grocery stores are almost as good for GF options as the restaurants are for food. Almost any size store I visited in Naples had at least a few “senza glutine” treats, including some real fun options like mini donuts that joined me on my trek home, bigger stores have far more selection. Beyond that, EU labeling laws made it easy to safely pick up yogurt (I still look for GF labeled or just go greek or skyr), prepared fruit, veggies, and the like to augment my pizza diet.
Airport & train options
It feels like every city guide I write gets to the same part where I explain that, amazing as the city is, expect the airport to fall short. While I wish I could say Naples bucks the trend, I can’t, though it certainly is not the worst. There are a few ok options including McDonald’s, some GF marked sandwiches sold at a number of shops and tons of packaged cookies sold all over. But the real winner was in the Pearl Lounge (requires a day pass for like 45 Euro or a credit card or lounge card with access) who will heat up Schar lasagna on request. It’s not the best dish ever but it’s also not the worst or even half bad and it is definitely a filling meal.
Though I flew in and out of Naples on my last visit, my other trips have been by train. The station is not much better than the airport however, with the same McDonald’s, the same cookies, and a bit more food at the market so plan to come have half-fed, or have time to detour to reliable options if you’re heading in and out that way.
Closing thoughts on a gluten free visit to Naples
Whether passing through or staying the weekend, Naples is a great city in its own right with absolutely amazing eats (pizza) and plenty of great sights (between pizza spots). I was here for about 4 days on my latest visit and suspect I could have made it more than a week without having to repeat just by venturing a bit further out.
The only “negative” I have, and the reason why you may have noticed I gave Naples a 9.5 instead of the 10 that Italian cities almost always get is just how pizza centric the gluten free options around the city center are, or at least the AIC/rated ones. Obviously there are exceptions including OVEN and Zero Zero Grano and it changes a lot if you travel just a bit further from the core with a Mama Eat location, Vomero, and a range of safe streetfood, seafood, and more. Not that I’m really complaining about having amazing pizza every day.
Exploring Italy?
Also see my posts about traveling to Florence, Rome (coming soon), and Milan (coming soon)
