The Naples Restaurant Marc Murphy Absolutely Loves

The Italian city of Naples is synonymous with pizza, one of the most influential international dishes of all time. So when Food Republic spoke to chef Marc Murphy at the New York City Food & Wine Festival about his favorite restaurant in Naples, it's not surprising to learn it's a pizzeria. Not just any pizzeria, though. "I always go see Gino Sorbillo," Murphy told us. "Gino's got a great place."

Michelin inspectors agree, praising the high quality pizzas at Gino Sorbillo on Via dei Tribunali, a street also known as "via della pizza." The place is steeped in tradition. Sorbillo is part of one of the oldest pizza-making families in the city, and the flagship pizzeria was first opened by his grandparents, Luigi Sorbillo and Carolina Esposito, in 1935. The couple had 21 children, and they all became pizza chefs. Gino Sorbillo learned the craft from his father, Salvatore, and his aunt Esterina, and went on to take over the restaurant in the 1990s.

Sorbillo now has multiple restaurants across Italy, as well as in Ibiza, Miami, and Tokyo. He won the first Neapolitan Pizza Championship in 2014. And though he regularly updates the menu at the original Naples pizzeria, the focus is always on using good quality ingredients — some very traditional, and others much less so.

There are strict rules regarding making pizza according to the True Neapolitan Pizza Association (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana), which was founded in 1984 in Naples. The dough must be made with Italian type 0 or 00 flour, natural yeast, water, and salt. It must be fermented for between 12 and 24 hours, and formed by hand without a rolling pin — the kitchen tool that ruins homemade pizza. Toppings tend to be simple — think crushed Italian tomatoes, fior di latte or mozzarella di Bufala cheese, extra virgin olive oil, and fresh basil — and the pies are baked in a hot wood-fired oven for between 60 and 90 seconds.

Gino Sorbillo abides by many of these customs for his Neapolitan pizza dough, which he said takes "hours of patience" (via YouTube). But while the chef's dough is classic, he's not afraid to sometimes experiment with more unique, and sometimes divisive, toppings for his pies.

Sorbillo's use of pineapple, a controversial pizza ingredient, provoked enough outcry for him to appear on the front cover of an Italian magazine in early 2024. The pizza, which has a white base (with no tomatoes) and pairs the caramelized pineapples with three types of cheese, made international headlines. This was followed by a watermelon-topped pizza and a banana and chocolate pizza. Whether or not you're intrigued by the fruity creations, they always attract attention. No wonder fans like chef Marc Murphy keep coming back.