Best Pizza in Padua: Where to Eat, Slice by Slice
Padua serves pizza Neapolitan, thin and crispy, or by the tray. These are the pizzerias worth your evening and the exact pizza to order at each one.
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The best pizza in Padua depends on which style you want: a soft, high-crusted Neapolitan round, a thin and crisp wood-fired base, or a slab of tray pizza eaten standing up. The city now has all three within a short walk of the centre, plus strong neighbourhood rooms in Mortise, Montà and the Arcella. This guide groups the pizzerias by what comes out of the oven, names the specific pizza to order at each and explains how to share, order and pay.
Prices and closing days vary between these places and are not listed here; check each pizzeria's own site or phone before a long walk. What follows is a set of picks based on what each kitchen does well, from seven doughs at Balobino to a five-day ferment out in Campodoro.
The best pizza in Padua, at a glance
For a Neapolitan crust in the centre, La Mafaldina near Porta Altinate and Antica Pizzeria Da Michele in piazza Eremitani are the two names to know. For thin and crisp, Da Vanni in Mortise bakes in a wood oven in front of the room, while Al Solito Posto in the Arcella lets you choose among four doughs. For tray pizza and bruschette to eat on your feet, Orsucci near Prato della Valle is the historic stop.
Groups who want to share should start at Balobino in via Boccalerie, where off-menu pizzas arrive pre-cut into eight slices. Maxim in via Montà suits a sit-down evening with a seasonal menu, and the Campodoro pizzeria out in the province is the one to plan a drive around. If pizza is only part of your Padua eating plan, the city's trattorias and its bigoli, the thick fresh pasta served with ragù or anchovies, cover the rest of the week.
Balobino in via Boccalerie: seven doughs and pizzas built for sharing
Balobino sits in the middle of the centro storico on via Boccalerie, and its hook is the base: seven doughs, three of them steamed, including ancient grains, rice and barley, and wholegrain, and four baked on stone with white pearl maize, puffed maize, chickpea and farro. The Quaglia family has been working dough here for over sixty years, and the toppings stay simple but well chosen.
Order from the off-menu pizzas, which come already divided into eight slices so a table can share without negotiating. The range runs from a steamed Margherita to a seven-cheese version, and a pepperoni topped with 'nduja, chorizo and roasted pepper for anyone who wants heat. The steamed doughs are the reason to come; ask which are available before you settle on a favourite.
La Mafaldina near Porta Altinate: Neapolitan pizza with a Campanian accent
La Mafaldina brings a Campanian accent to Padua: owner Giorgia Faulisi comes from the Amalfi Coast, and the first pizzeria opened in Pontevigodarzere before branches followed at Ponte San Nicolò and near Porta Altinate. Expect classic Neapolitan pizza from a wood oven, with stuffed crusts, fried pizza and, at the Pontevigodarzere branch, fried pasta frittatine and zeppoline, the small savoury dough balls.
The dessert list is the reason to leave room: Campanian pastries such as delizia al limone and fiocco di neve are kept on hand, though they can run out. Order a fried pizza or a stuffed-crust round rather than a plain Margherita if you want to taste what the kitchen is known for. It is a sit-down room rather than a quick stop, so treat it as the evening.
Pizzeria Maxim in via Montà: a menu that changes with the seasons
Maxim has been on via Montà for twenty-six years and is run by Maria and Gaetano Falcone, who took over from their father Bruno. The kitchen follows the seasons and rewrites the menu about every four months, but two constants never leave: the Margherita and a pizza topped with tartare. Sit down here when you want a full restaurant meal with a modern take on the Neapolitan crust.
Maria learned the craft after her father died and turned the house style back towards the Neapolitan pizza she prefers, with a soft, airy crust, and she became Italian champion of Neapolitan pizza. Ask what is in season and order accordingly, keeping one of the evergreen pizzas for the table. It is worth booking in the evening.
Antica Pizzeria Da Michele in piazza Eremitani: the Naples import
Da Michele arrived in Padua from Naples and occupies a large room on piazza Eremitani, with around 140 seats split between inside and outside. The family, the Condurro, founded the original Neapolitan pizzeria in 1870, and the Padua branch keeps the plain look with neon lettering and photographs on the wall.
Start with a frittatina di pasta, the fried pasta-and-béchamel snack, then order the Marita, half marinara and half margherita on one base. That gives you the two classic toppings in a single pizza and saves the debate about whether to order tomato-only. The location makes it the easiest evening to fold into a day around the centre.
Orsucci near Prato della Valle: tray pizza and bruschette to eat on your feet
Orsucci has been running for more than a century and sits a few steps from Prato della Valle, with a handful of seats inside and out. The pizza al taglio and the bruschette are baked in a tegamino, a shallow pan, with plenty of olive oil and served very hot, which makes this a fast takeaway stop rather than a long dinner.
Go early or be ready to queue, because the name draws a steady line; the source advises booking if you want to reduce the wait. Order a slice of tray pizza plus a bruschetta to eat while it is still hot. It is the pick for a quick lunch between sights, not a table for a group.
Da Vanni in Mortise: thin, crisp and baked in a wood oven
Da Vanni has anchored Mortise since 2007, with a rustic room where thin, crisp pizzas come out of a wood oven in full view. The menu runs from first courses to pizza, but the pizza is the reason to travel out, and the curious green pizza takes its colour from mozzarella chopped with spinach. The value is strong and the welcome is friendly.
This is the neighbourhood choice when the centre feels crowded: you trade the postcard streets for a residential room with a steadier pace. Order the green pizza if you want something you will not find elsewhere, and a classic for the rest of the table. It suits a relaxed family evening more than a quick bite.
Al Solito Posto in the Arcella: four doughs and a lighter crust
Al Solito Posto in the Arcella gives you four dough bases, wholemeal, vegetable charcoal, traditional and Neapolitan, and builds its identity around a pizza that sits light and is easy to digest. The room has a large car park and an outdoor veranda that is heated in winter, which makes it practical if you are driving into the city. It is also the regular meeting point for local sports teams, including the women's water polo side and the volleyball club.
The menu offers four doughs including a Neapolitan one, so if you want a tall, soft crust, ask for that base when you order. The menu goes beyond pizza into cooked-to-order dishes and a wide beer list, so mixed groups are easy to please. It is a good option for a weekend dinner when you want space and a table without a scramble.
Pizza by style: Neapolitan, thin and crispy, or tray
Choose Neapolitan if you want a blistered, foldable crust: La Mafaldina, Da Michele and the modern room at Maxim all work this way. Dough phrasing matters, because Neapolitan is a technique rather than a topping, and at Al Solito Posto you have to ask for the Napoli dough to get the soft base. Choose thin and crisp if you like a pizza you can pick up without it flopping, as at Da Vanni and the standard base at Al Solito Posto.
Tray pizza by the slice is the third style, and Orsucci is the stop to try for it. Balobino adds a fourth route with its seven doughs, including steamed bases, which taste different again from anything wood-fired. If you want to branch beyond pizza on another evening, the city's best pasta and its trattorias cover the rest of the menu.
How to order and pay: pricing, sharing and paying inside
Pizza is generally ordered as whole rounds rather than by the slice, so work out how many you actually need before ordering starters. A Neapolitan round is a personal pizza, while tray pizza is cut to order and priced by weight, which suits a light lunch. Groups should share the pre-cut pizzas at Balobino and add one or two whole rounds, so everyone gets a taste without over-ordering.
Ask for the bill when you are ready, since waiting staff will not rush you. For coffee, the usual bar custom is to pay at the till first and hand the receipt to the barista before ordering.
Where to sit: centro storico versus the neighbourhoods and the province
Central pizzerias such as Balobino, La Mafaldina and Da Michele put you near the sights and let you walk to the next stop. The trade-off is noise and a more tourist-facing pace, which is fine for a quick meal but less restful for a long dinner. Book in the evening if your group is larger than four.
The neighbourhood rooms in Mortise, the Arcella and via Montà trade footfall for quieter tables and a car park at Al Solito Posto, and they suit anyone staying outside the centre. Out in the province, the pizzeria at Campodoro is where you find the five-day ferment and a fried pizza split into two cones.
Which pizzeria suits your evening?
Book La Mafaldina or Da Michele if you want a Neapolitan crust and a central table, and choose Maxim when the seasonal menu appeals more than the location. Head to Orsucci for tray pizza, and to Balobino when a group wants to share pre-cut rounds and try the steamed doughs. Al Solito Posto and Da Vanni are the neighbourhood backups.
Whichever you choose, match the dough to what you want to eat: soft and foldable, thin and crisp, or tray-baked and served hot. Finish the evening with gelato if the queue at Orsucci left you no room for dessert.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Neapolitan pizza the standard in Padua?
No. Neapolitan pizza is widely available, but many Paduan rooms default to a thin base, and you may need to ask for a soft, high-crusted Neapolitan dough if that is what you want; at Al Solito Posto, for instance, a Napoletana dough is one of four options rather than the default.
Can you get pizza by the slice in Padua?
Yes. Tray pizza sold by weight is a quick option in the city, and the historic stop for it is Orsucci near Prato della Valle. The whole round suits a sit-down meal.
Where should a group eat pizza in Padua?
Start with Balobino, where the off-menu pizzas come pre-cut into eight slices and are made for sharing, or take a large table at Al Solito Posto in the Arcella, which has a large car park and an outdoor veranda that is heated in winter.
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