50 Kalò: The quality does not need to be extravagant
In the middle of Mergellina, a wealthy neighbourhood, there is 50 Kalò, one of the most famous pizzerias of Naples.
From the outside, it looks just like the typical shop of a casual dining chain as MacDonalds with big windows with the logo of the company, employees wearing the aprons with the colours and the logo of 50 Kalò. There is nothing that conveys the idea that you are a temple of food run by one of the most famous and oldest family of pizza makers: The Salvo family.
Inside, the restaurant-pizzeria is quite anonymous, the same for the patio in front of the restaurant where we had our table. The furniture was minimalist, a garden table with 4 plastic chairs and paper tablecloths.
The service was fast and polite, but you do not have enough time to interact and appreciate them. They arrive, bring the menu to the table and 15 minutes later they come back with the food.
The food is where is the real value of the 50 Kalò experience. I ordered a “Frittata di Bucatini” and a pizza “Margherita con scarole”. The first dish is a frittata of pasta and is an iconic dish of 50 Kalò. My experience confirm its fame, because the taste was sublime. It is impressive how a 2 euros appetizer can compete and surpass many appetizer tasted at various 3-Michelin restaurants. This is what I love of some restaurants in Naples, the presence of traditional, simple, and affordable dishes which are able to reach the gastronomic excellence.
The “Margherita with scarole” is a classic pizza Margherita with endivia as toppings. Since I took a classic Margherita the previous day at Sorbillo, I wanted to try something different. I do not regret my choice; it was as good as the Sorbillo’s pizza.
There were only 3 differences: the presence of high-quality endivia, the olive oil used, the smaller size. In fact, 50 Kalò uses the olive oil supplied by the 2 Michelin restaurant Don Alfonso 1890 which has its farm, and you notice it when you eat the pizza. In reality, there was a fourth difference, but I could not notice while I was eating. It was the dough.
Indeed, 50 Kalò means “good dough” in Neapolitan dialect, and the Salvo family is claimed to produce the lighter and more digestible dough for pizza in Naples. I can testify that it lives up to its reputation. I quickly digested their pizza, and the pizza eaten at 50 Kalò remains the easiest one to digest that I have ever tried in my life.
T o conclude, if you spend some days in Naples, it is mandatory to pay a visit to 50 Kalò in order to eat one of the best Neapolitan pizza in the world. It is cheap and easy to digest, so whatever you do, don’t miss the chance to sample the delightful food at this pizzeria.
