Eating at the #4 Best Pizzeria in the WORLD. Was it worth it?
Diego Vitagliano Pizzeria tied at #4 for best pizzeria in the world. During our trip to Naples, I tried it. This is what I thought…
A month before we left for Italy, I found this article: “The 100 Best Pizzerias in the World, According to a New Ranking.” It was from The Robb Report, which (in their own words) “began as a newsletter for vintage Rolls-Royce enthusiasts nearly half a century ago, has grown to be the leading voice in global luxury.”
(Don’t worry, this isn’t some luxury pizzeria with 500-euro slices of pizza. You know I don’t go for that.)
According to this luxury report, Diego Vitagliano Pizzeria in Naples tied for fourth place. In the world. The WORLD! Do you know how many pizzerias there are in the world? More than 245,000!
Of course, I had to try it and see if it lived up to the hype.
The Vibes: Elegant But Accessible
The Santa Lucia location is clean, stylish, and simple. From the moment you step inside, you’re overwhelmed with an authentic pizza aroma. You can even watch the chefs make the pizza through the glass at the back of the restaurant.
Make a Reservation
We went on a Wednesday night and we were one of the first people there. In less than 10 minutes after we sat down, the entire place was full! You definitely need a reservation to secure a table here.
Make a reservation for the Santa Lucia location here.
What we ordered: Pizza Napoletana
Naples is the birthplace of pizza—and the authentic pizza napoletana has a thin, chewy crust, with a puffy, airy, and charred edge and few toppings. It’s cooked for just a few minutes in a super high-temperature traditional oven.
The pizza from Diego Vitagliano checks all the boxes. It’s authentic.
🍕 Diavola Pizza: 7/10
We ordered two pizzas, and both had the most amazing pizza dough and crust I’ve ever eaten. Perfectly chewy, fluffy, and flavorful. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.
When in Rome—I mean, Italy—if you want to order a pepperoni pizza, don’t order the “peperoni” (that’s the word for bell peppers in Italian). You have to order pizza with “diavola,” which means spicy salami. That being said, pepperoni pizza is actually an American-Italian invention, so it’s not truly “authentic.”
But, it is delicious (and one of my favorites) so we ordered it anyway.
The Diavola Pizza has a tomato base and just a few simple ingredients: large, spicy flattened salami, rich, mozzarella-like cheese, and a basil leaf.
I gave this one a 7/10 because we had better toppings and pizza sauce at other pizzerias in Naples. The exquisite pizza dough was the redeeming feature.
🍕 Pistadella Pizza : 6/10
We also tried the house special “pistadella.” This one had more of that rich mozzarella-like cheese, mortadella, and pistachio pesto (without a tomato sauce base).
The pesto wasn’t impressive, the quantity per bite of mortadella was a little overwhelming, and overall it wasn’t my favorite.
Final price tag: 36 euros
Two pizzas, a couple Coca-Colas, and the mandatory coperto came out to a grand total of 36 euros. Not bad at all for a restaurant recommended by a Rolls-Royce newsletter.
The Million-Dollar Question: Was it worth it?
Of all the pizza we ate in Italy, the pizza from Diego Vitagliano Pizzeria had the best, most amazing pizza crust and dough. Unfortunately, the toppings and pizza sauce were unimpressive.
All in all, because this pizzeria was ranked #4 (in the world) I went in with really high expectations. Expectations which, unfortunately, were not met. It’s still a great pizzeria, but it wasn’t my favorite one we ate at in Naples.
Diego Vitagliano Pizzeria Information*
Address: Via Santa Lucia, 78, 80132 Napoli NA, Italy
Website: https://diegovitagliano.it/
Menu: https://diegovitaglianosantalucia.tidelizio.menu/
Operating Hours: 12pm – 3:15pm, 7pm – midnight
Average Cost Per Person: € 20 – 30
*This information is accurate as of January 24, 2026. Make sure to double-check the website to find the latest details and possible changes.
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