La TAverna Di Toto - Napoli, Italy

Rating:  8 / 10

Rione Sanita is teeming with life in all it's glorious diversity. Pizzeria's of the highest quality, street markets, churches replete with catacombs, botanical gardens, legendary pastry shops and the hard to find Il Giardino di Babuk. On a sunny weekday I walked past Toto noticing the huge amount of pizza's being flung out the door in take-away boxes. Curiosity got the better of me and I ordered a Margherita to go.

Barely a minute later I had paid and was heading to find a spot in the sun to enjoy my pizza. I ended up on the stairs of a closed office building dead opposite so that sogginess and sitting time would not cloud my judgement.

Opening the box I just knew this would be a top 10 candidate, maybe even top 5. The crust was beautifully cooked, although it could have done with a bit more love on the lower edges. The tomato sauce looked bright and colourful and the cheese was not too scant or plentiful.

It was the perfect balance of light, slightly chewy, melt-in-the-mouth crust, kissed by what must have been a rabidly hot oven, great sauce and cheese. I ate merrily in the street watching life go by, content as only a man can be sitting in direct sunlight with a pizza of such quality warming your lap. 

These recommendations are just personal opinions based on my palate, things change, chefs get fired or replaced, places open-close, relocate, so take it all with a pinch of MSG  and discover your own gems too. But please do try a few of these, they have been researched exhaustively.