If you’re looking for Neapolitan pizza in Cagliari, you certainly won’t struggle to find options around the city. Even just walking through some of the busiest central areas, such as Via Roma and Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, you’ll come across several places promising the “real thing”. Instead of putting together yet another list of the “best pizzerias in Cagliari”, though, we decided to focus on three places we’ve actually tried ourselves, each offering a very different take on Neapolitan pizza.
There’s the more traditional one, in a restaurant where even the décor and interiors try to bring a bit of Naples to Cagliari. There’s pizza fritta, much less common and probably the one that will intrigue you most if you’ve never tried it before. And then there’s a more contemporary, elegant interpretation, with more elaborate ingredients and combinations — and even a cocktail designed to pair with the pizza.
This isn’t a ranking in order of preference: the right choice really depends on the kind of pizza — and the kind of evening — you’re looking for. Let’s get started!
NB: unfortunately, we weren’t able to take photos worth publishing at every place, but we’ll definitely go back and add more shots to this page :).
Sciuè Sciuè: for the most traditional Neapolitan pizza
Sciuè Sciuè is just a short walk from Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, one of the areas of Cagliari with the highest concentration of restaurants and bars. And yet it’s surprisingly easy to miss unless you find it through Google Maps or word of mouth: it’s slightly tucked away from the main flow of the Corso, at the end of a dead-end lane, although there are thankfully a few signs pointing you in the right direction.
Once inside, though, the Neapolitan identity is obvious. Sciuè Sciuè is probably the most unmistakably Neapolitan of the three places in this article, even in terms of décor, with colours, photos and references to the city, the football team and some of Naples’ most iconic figures filling the restaurant. There’s also an outdoor area, which is useful if you prefer eating outside or if the inside is full.
The food follows the same approach: the pizzas are firmly rooted in Neapolitan tradition, but the same is true of the fried starters and desserts, so it’s a good choice if you want something more than just a standard Margherita.
We don’t want to give away the whole menu, but one speciality worth mentioning is the “Procida”, a pizza topped with fresh seafood. It’s one of the very few pizzerias in Cagliari we know that offers something like this, and it’s definitely one of the more unusual options if you like seafood or simply want to try something different.
Prices at Sciuè Sciuè are also fairly close to what you’d expect from a regular pizzeria. The simplest pizzas start at under €10, while many of the more elaborate options are roughly in the €11–15 range.
For two people ordering two pizzas, drinks, water and including the coperto, we’d expect to spend around €35–40, without starters, desserts or other extras.
In short, Sciuè Sciuè is the place we’d choose if we wanted a more classic Neapolitan pizza in a setting that openly embraces Naples, without necessarily looking for elaborate reinterpretations.
What is “coperto”?
If you’re not used to eating in Italian restaurants, you may notice this charge on your bill. Coperto is a fixed fee charged for each person sitting at the table and is separate from the food and drinks you order. At all three places in this article, it is currently €2.50 per person. It isn’t a tip, so you don’t need to automatically add a fixed percentage on top of the bill as you might in some other countries.
Lo Scugnizzo: if you want to try pizza fritta
Next up is Lo Scugnizzo, which offers a very different experience. It’s located in one of the narrow streets of Cagliari’s historic centre, and the dining room inside is small but welcoming. The atmosphere is relaxed and intimate, making it a good option for an informal dinner. The main reason we included it in this selection is very simple — and you’ll notice it straight away when you look at the menu: pizza fritta.
This particular style originated in Naples as a cheaper alternative to oven-baked pizza, especially in the years after World War II, when many people couldn’t afford more expensive ingredients or cooking methods. It was often prepared and fried directly on the street or in small fry shops, with simple fillings such as ricotta, cicoli (pork cracklings) and tomato. Over time, it became a proper speciality of Neapolitan cuisine.
If you mainly know Neapolitan pizza in its oven-baked form, this is definitely worth trying. At Lo Scugnizzo, there are plenty of different options, and pizza fritta makes up a substantial part of the menu.
On paper, it might sound much heavier than a regular pizza, especially if you’ve never had one before. In reality, a well-made pizza fritta can be surprisingly light and much less greasy than you might expect when you simply read the word “fried”.
Alongside the fried pizzas, there’s also a fairly wide selection of starters and fried snacks. The main influence is Neapolitan, with things like frittatine di pasta, but there are also a few nods to Roman cuisine, including some varieties of supplì.
Prices for the calzoni and fried pizzas are generally quite reasonable, with many options between €8 and €15. The coperto is currently €2.50 per person here as well.
For a simple dinner for two, with two fried pizzas, two soft drinks, water and coperto, we’d budget around €35–40. The bill can rise fairly quickly once you start adding frittatine, supplì or other starters to share — which is quite easy to do once you see the menu.
Amalfi Pizza & Gin: for a more contemporary take on Neapolitan pizza
With Amalfi Pizza & Gin, the mood changes again. The restaurant is located on Bastione di Santa Croce, in the Castello district, and the location already makes it feel very different from a regular pizzeria. During summer and whenever the weather allows, tables are set up outside, with a beautiful view over Cagliari and the harbour area.
One small thing worth knowing is that not every outdoor table necessarily has the same view, simply because of the layout of the Bastione. If dining with a view is one of the main reasons you want to go, it’s worth keeping this in mind when you book.
Amalfi also offers the most elaborate pizza concept of the three. The base is still Neapolitan, but traditional flavours are reworked through less conventional ingredients and combinations. Rather than “gourmet”, a word that gets used for almost anything these days, “contemporary Neapolitan pizza” probably describes the concept more accurately.
Another distinctive feature is already in the restaurant’s name: the pizza can be paired with a gin-based cocktail chosen according to what you’re eating. The idea is to use the aromas and characteristics of the drink to complement, enhance or balance some of the flavours in the pizza. The gins are artisanal and produced by the restaurant itself, and the menu already suggests the best pairing for each pizza.
Naturally, the bill is higher too. A Margherita currently costs around €10, while many of the more interesting contemporary pizzas are in the €16–18 range, with some reaching around €20. The coperto is €2.50 per person here as well. For two people, with two pizzas, soft drinks, water and coperto, a realistic total is at least around €45–50.
If you want to try one of the things that really makes the restaurant different, though, you’ll need to budget a bit more. The gins suggested as pizza pairings are often around €15 each. Order one each and dinner for two can easily reach around €75–80.
Amalfi is therefore noticeably more expensive than the other two places in this article. We wouldn’t choose it if the only goal were to have a good Margherita at the lowest possible price, and because of the concept, we wouldn’t really describe it as a classic pizzeria either. But if you enjoy pizza in all its forms and want a more refined evening built around the food, the drinks and the location, this is easily the most different of the three.
Which one should you choose?
If you want the quick version:
- Sciuè Sciuè → for more traditional Neapolitan pizza and a setting that openly embraces Naples. For a simple dinner for two: around €35–40.
- Lo Scugnizzo → if you want to try pizza fritta or something different from the usual oven-baked pizza. For a simple dinner for two: around €35–40.
- Amalfi Pizza & Gin → for a more distinctive evening, contemporary pizzas, views and gin pairings. For two: around €45–50 without gin, or €75–80 if you both try one of the suggested pairings.
Prices are indicative and based on the menus available when we checked them. They may change over time, and of course your final bill will depend on what you order.
