Da Peppino: Italian Food Worth Traveling For

Da Peppino is the type of place where locals shuffle in and out all evening. They come to pick up their take away chicken and chips packaged in white deli paper by the woman manning the oven.

It’s the type of place where you hear the local dialect spoken over Peronis and pizza and everyone seems to have their usual order.

It’s the type of place where neighbors head straight to the back to double kiss the servers and repeatedly yell, “Ciao” at one another until their pizza is placed in a box to take home.

About Da Peppino

Da Peppino is not in Sorrento. It’s in the neighboring town of Sant’ Agnello. It’s about an 8 minute drive from downtown Sorrento and well worth the journey.

Da Peppino does not boast glamorous views of the Amalfi coast that you just traveled some thousand odd miles to see.

Don’t come here looking for that. But if you can get over that minor detail, you’ll be impressed. Come here for an authentic family style Italian meal. Just like grandma would have made.

The chicken at Da Peppino

First, let’s talk about what all the reviewers on TripAdvisor are raving over: The chicken. To be honest, when I think of Italian food rotisserie chicken doesn’t exactly come to mind, like ever. Da Peppino has officially changed my mind and placed chicken in the realm of Italian foods.

I would never order chicken off a menu in America let alone Italy. Needless to say, I ordered the chicken. At Da Peppino they roast the chicken over a wood burning spit just outside.

The skin was seasoned to perfection with a crispiness similar to that of a kettle cooked potato chip. The white meat was tender and the skin was better than chips. It’s also served with real chips, i.e french fries on the side.

The salad at Da Peppino

Next the salad. The house salad was an excellent companion to the lonely chicken. The salad was what reminded me of my nanny (my grandmother) the most. The salad was exactly that, lettuce. No tomatoes, no cucumbers, no olives, no cheese, not even a single crouton. Crisp lettuce tossed in a light white vinegar and olive oil dressing with a lemon wedge on the side.

The pizza at Da Peppino

And last, the pizza. Of course we had to order the pizza. Sorrento is just an hour south of it’s famous neighbor Naples, home of the Neapolitan style pizza. Authentic Neapolitan pizza is baked in a wood burning brick oven and prepared with high quality fresh ingredients.

At Da Peppino this is how it’s done. The crust is thin and crispy, the mozzarella is bubbly and tangy, and the tomato sauce is sweet and delicate. The pizza is generously drizzled with olive oil, adorned with a single sprig of basil and served whole.Tthis round pie is truly drool worthy. The thin crust leaves the center a bit soggy constituting a fork and knife for that first bite but leaving the crispy crust for your two hands to conquer.

Although I recommend going with a margarita, I don’t think it matters what you put on this pie, it’s delicious. Oh, and did I mention the prices?

The prices at Da Peppino

Da Peppino was not expensive at all. The pizza is only four euros and the half chicken and chips (enough to serve two) five euros! This meal was cheaper than four drinks at the hotel bar. It was cheaper than two lounge chairs on the beach. Cheaper than two ferry tickets to Capri. And most importantly, even cheaper than a trip to McDonald’s is in Italy.

Final details

Da Peppino is closed on Tuesdays. Every other day of the week they serve chicken and chips, pizzas, and other house specialties. No, there is no website, but they do have a Facebook page, and apparently, reservations are accepted. So, book your flight and your table. Da Peppino is a must eat if you ever find yourself in the windy cliffside roads of Italy’s Amalfi coast. Just do yourself and your dinner dates a favor, wait to get back on those tummy twisting “I may vomit” roads until you digest your dinner. 😉

Read more about the Campania region and the Amalfi Coast.

Ristorante Pizzeria Da Peppino, Via A Balsamo 77/79, Sant’Agnello, Italy