About Us

Pizza crafted in the Neapolitan Tradition

When King Umberto I of Savoia and Queen Margherita visited Naples, they went to Raffaele Esposito’s restaurant in the heart of Naples and ordered him to make pizzas for the whole Court. Raffaele Esposito made two typical pizzas: the Marinara, created in 1800, and the Mastunicola, the oldest Neapolitan pizza which dates back to 1660.

His wife made a special pizza for Queen Margherita with tomato, oil and mozzarella. She then added basil to recall the Italian flag. Thus pizza Margherita was born in 1889 in the Italian Queen’s honor. This represented an indelible bond between Naples and pizza, and set the stage for a tradition of excellence in pizza-making. The first true pizzeria was established in Naples next to Porta Alba Square in 1830.

Today at Café Porta Alba we craft our pizza using the same traditional methods and recipes, and are proud to say that we are one of only sixteen locations in the United States recognized by the “Verace Pizza Napoletana” Association of Italy.