Naples 15

Naples 15 is a restaurant in Madison, WI, specializing in true Neapolitan cuisine. Located at 15 N Butler St, it serves as a gateway to Southern Italy, offering full restaurant dining, outdoor seating, and bar options. The menu features specific Neapolitan specialties, including O'cazone, a stuffed pizza with ricotta, mozzarella, San Marzano tomato, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and basil, as well as Paccheri di Gragnano ai Tesori del Mare, which includes lobster tail, scallops, prawns, and clams. Other notable dishes include Sea Salt crusted Red Snapper baked in a wood oven, Bistec di Chianina Florentina, and Sfogliatella, a flaky pastry stuffed with orange ricotta. The restaurant offers gluten-free pasta options using Gerardo Di Nola artisan pasta and hosts large group gatherings in a dedicated outdoor tent. Naples 15 holds a rating of 4.50 based on customer reviews.

The kitchen is led by Salvatore Di Scala, the owner and Executive Chef, who was born in Naples and lived in Ischia and France before settling in Madison in 1984. Di Scala learned traditional Neapolitan pizza techniques from Gaetano Fazio, a recognized pizza master in Italy, and draws on culinary skills instilled by his mother and aunt, who cooked traditional Neapolitan dishes for decades. He describes his role as that of a Monzu, a Neapolitan title for a master chef who adapts elegant French cuisine to local ingredients and palate. The restaurant has been recognized as one of the 15 best restaurants in Madison and was honored as part of the Procida 2022 Mosaico per Procida cultural project. Di Scala has also collaborated with former Badgers to cook for the Ronald McDonald House and has been featured in Madison Magazine and on Fox Big Noon Kickoff.

The restaurant is situated on N Butler St, adjacent to the US Drug Enforcement Administration and the Wisconsin Ethics Commission, both located within a short walk. It is about a tenth of a mile from the Bartell Theatre and Evjue Stage, and roughly two tenths of a mile from the Wisconsin ESL Institute and the First Settlement neighborhood.

Naples 15 brings the specific culinary traditions of Naples to Madison, combining wood-oven cooking with authentic regional ingredients.