Taking a wander down Newcastle’s King Street takes on a whole new flavour these days. An eclectic array of boutiques are casually dispersed amongst an assortment of food experiences, with the most pungent of them all being the Italian pizza restaurant, Napoli Centrale Pizza. Seven days a week the fire is stoked and it’s the place to find four Italian lads, Pino, Luigi, Alfonso and Angelo, creating authentic, hand-made Neapolitan pizzas, just for you.

Italians take their pizza seriously, and those from the Naples region even more so, just ask Alfonso and he’ll tell you that Neapolitan pizzas are the best in the world!

This reputation does have to be earned, so rules need to be followed, traditional rules that were put in place hundreds of years ago by the Neapolitan Pizzaioli (Italian for pizza-maker). Rules like using tomatoes only grown in the mineral rich region of Vesuvius, then there is the mandatory imported marble bench-top to work the dough, a pizza oven all the way from Naples, traditional Neapolitan flour and cheese, and of course the traditional Neapolitan pizza making techniques which can’t be given away.

Another important rule is the commitment to never comprising on authenticity and flavour, this includes resting each batch of dough between 6–8 hours, which means once the dough is sold out, the doors shut for the night.

The authentic flavours and ingredients are not the only reason to make a visit to Napoli Centrale, there is of course that authentic Neapolitan theatre and entertainment. As Alfonso says, "We're very loud when we cook," adding that, "We like our guests to see what’s going on in the kitchen and see the whole cooking process."

There’s nothing fancy about Napoli Centrale with Alfonso saying he’s happy to bring the food basics back, just flour and water in all its simplicity, combined with a bit of old-fashion music and theatre.

You best be checking it out for yourself! Bon appetito.