Ciro Salvo: 50 Kalò and His 50 Panino Burger Bar

Ciro Salvo’s burgers are not at 50 Kalò. The Neapolitan pizzaiolo’s pizzeria, opened near the Mergellina seafront in 2014 and known for its light, highly hydrated dough, serves only pizza. His burger bar is 50 Panino, a hamburgeria he co-founded with Alessandro Guglielmini and opened on 7 February 2017 at Viale Antonio Gramsci 15/C, a short walk from the pizzeria. Below, I keep what is true today apart from what was true at opening: hours and addresses were checked on 31 October 2026, and every price carries the date of its source.

Ciro Salvo and 50 Kalò: key facts

Ciro Salvo is a third-generation pizzaiolo who trained in his family’s pizzeria in Portici and founded 50 Kalò in Naples in 2014 (Gambero Rosso, Forbes Italia).

What does “50 Kalò” mean?

“50 Kalò” means “good dough” in old Neapolitan pizzaioli’s slang. In the Neapolitan smorfia, the traditional book that maps numbers to dreams and things, 50 stands for bread, or dough. Kalò comes from Greek roots and means good (Michelin Guide, Fodor’s).

The name is a statement of intent: dough first, toppings second. Keep that 50 in mind. It comes back in the name of the burger bar.

Ciro Salvo’s dough: high hydration, slow fermentation

Ciro Salvo’s signature is a highly hydrated, slow-fermented dough that bakes into a light, easy-to-digest Neapolitan pizza. The official 50 Kalò site calls him “il maestro dell’impasto”, the master of dough, and sums up the style as “La magia della leggerezza”, the magic of lightness (50kalo.it, Forbes Italia).

More water means a softer, airier cornicione and a crumb that eats lighter than its size suggests. The flagship bakes in two wood-fired ovens (Scatti di Gusto).

A Neapolitan pizza Margherita with a puffed cornicione, photographed in a Naples pizzeria in September 2005. Illustrative photo, not taken at 50 Kalò. 1024×768. (Photo: Valerio Capello, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eq\_it-na\_pizza-margherita\_sep2005\_sml.jpg)

50 Kalò Naples: address, hours and booking

The 50 Kalò flagship sits at Piazza Sannazzaro 201/b, 80122 Napoli, near the Mergellina seafront, and takes no reservations: you leave your name and wait to be called. A second Naples site on Piazza della Repubblica takes bookings (Michelin Guide, Gambero Rosso).

The flagship on Piazza Sannazzaro

The flagship is open every day for lunch and dinner, and closes later on Friday and Saturday. Hours per the Michelin Guide, checked 31 October 2026:

• Monday to Thursday and Sunday: 12:00–16:30 and 18:30–00:30
• Friday and Saturday: 12:00–16:30 and 18:30–01:00
• Phone: +39 081 1920 4667
• Booking: walk-ins only, name on the list

The second site on Piazza della Repubblica

50 Kalò Piazza della Repubblica opened on 1 June 2024 to mark ten years of the brand, and it accepts reservations. It has 70 seats under tufa vaults, about 70 wine labels, and a design by architect Maurizio Vesce. The address is Piazza della Repubblica 2, phone +39 081 213 3376 (Gambero Rosso).

How much does a pizza cost at 50 Kalò?

A Margherita at the 50 Kalò flagship cost €7.00 in March 2025, and most classics stayed under €12. Prices reported by Scatti di Gusto in March 2025:

50 Kalò pizza prices at the Piazza Sannazzaro flagship, March 2025: Margherita €7.00, Bufala e Fiocco Crudo €9.50, Quattro Formaggi €9.50 and Capricciosa Evoluta €12.00. Source: Scatti di Gusto. (Chart: Burger Breton, data Scatti di Gusto (March 2025), rendered with QuickChart)

These are the most recent dated prices I could find. They are nineteen months old, so expect some movement and check the board on site.

Is 50 Kalò the best pizzeria in Naples?

50 Kalò is one of the best-rated pizzerias in Naples by the guides that matter in Italy: 6th in 50 Top Pizza Italia 2025 and Tre Spicchi with 94 points from Gambero Rosso. Whether it is the best for you depends on the style you like. Here is what each guide says:

One correction matters here. Several aggregator sites claim 50 Kalò holds a Michelin star or a Gambero Rosso star. Both claims are false. Michelin lists the pizzeria without a star, and Gambero Rosso rates pizzerias in spicchi (slices), not stars.

My view: for the light, airy style of contemporary Neapolitan pizza, with a Margherita at €7.00 in March 2025, 50 Kalò is the safest bet on this stretch of seafront. Arrive before the 18:30 dinner opening or plan to wait at the flagship. If your group won’t queue, book Piazza della Repubblica instead.

Ciro Salvo burger: what is 50 Panino?

50 Panino – Hamburgeria by Ciro Salvo is the burger restaurant Salvo co-founded with Alessandro Guglielmini, opened on 7 February 2017 at Viale Antonio Gramsci 15/C on the Chiaia–Mergellina seafront (Scatti di Gusto, Luciano Pignataro).

It is the one place where Ciro Salvo’s name meets the burger. The name follows the pizzeria’s logic: 50 is bread in the smorfia, and panino means sandwich.

Map of the Chiaia–Mergellina seafront in Naples showing Ciro Salvo’s three Naples venues: 50 Kalò at Piazza Sannazzaro 201/b (marked), 50 Panino at Viale Antonio Gramsci 15/C and 50 Kalò at Piazza della Repubblica 2. They are 10 to 15 minutes apart on foot. (Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL)

50 Panino at opening (2017, historical)

At opening in February 2017, 50 Panino served 14 panini from €8.50, about €10 on average, in a room of more than 130 seats with a long American-bar counter. These details come from the opening reviews by Dissapore and Scatti di Gusto and describe 2017, not today:

• Bun: Ciro Salvo’s own recipe, developed over months of tests, with Caputo flour as sponsor
• Meat: from the Naples butcher Io Sono la Chianina (Roberto D’Andrea): Chianina beef, Casertano black pork, lamb and organic chicken
• Chef: Danilo Viola
• Drinks: more than 50 craft beers, another nod to the number 50
• Snacks: fried bites at €1.50 each

The burger that tied the two places together was a Chianina patty with sautéed escarole, olives, capers and dried tomatoes. It borrowed the toppings of the escarole pizza served at 50 Kalò (Napolike). For a pizzaiolo, the bun was the obvious place to start. To me, the escarole burger was the most Neapolitan idea on that first menu, and the one I would most like to see back.

How 50 Panino evolved (2019–2024, historical)

By 2019, 50 Panino had changed its bun supplier and widened its beef range. Food critic Luciano Pignataro first reviewed it in December 2019 and republished the review on 26 September 2024 (Luciano Pignataro). His review reports:

• Bun: baked by Malafronte in Gragnano
• Beef: Marchigiana, Prussian manzetta, Angus and Fassona Piemontese
• Fries: hand-cut, with a fondue of 24-month Parmigiano Reggiano DOP
• Kitchen: chefs Roberto Talotti, Stefano De Biase and Enzo Barbato
• Service: lunch and dinner, seven days a week
• Spend: about €18 per person

Read side by side, the two menus tell a clear story. Within three years the bun came from a Gragnano bakery instead of being presented as Salvo’s own recipe, and the single-breed Chianina line gave way to a broader beef list. That is a normal path for a busy hamburgeria. It also means the pizzaiolo’s signature, the dough, is no longer the selling point of the bun.

50 Panino today: what is confirmed

As of 31 October 2026, 50 Panino’s official site lists opening hours, but I found no dated 2026 menu, price list or press coverage. So I give no current burger names or prices. Hours per 50panino.net, checked 31 October 2026:

• Monday to Thursday: 12:30–16:00 and 18:30–01:00
• Friday to Sunday: 12:30–16:00 and 19:00–01:00
• Address: Viale Antonio Gramsci 15/C, Naples
• Phone: +39 081 761 8144

The Gulf of Naples seen from the Mergellina seafront. 50 Panino, Ciro Salvo’s hamburgeria, is on Viale Antonio Gramsci, a few steps inland from this promenade. 8612×1944. (Photo: Stemin91, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panorama\_Mergellina.jpg)

No current source confirms Ciro Salvo’s role at 50 Panino today, whether he is an active co-owner or only the name on the sign. Call ahead before making a special trip.

For more burger options in the city, see our guide to the best burgers in Naples and the Naples burger hub.

50 Kalò and 50 Panino locations at a glance

Ciro Salvo’s name is on two pizzerias and one hamburgeria in Naples, plus pizzerias that opened in London (2018) and Rome (2022).

Sources: Michelin Guide, 50panino.net, Time Out London, Dissapore, Turismo Roma.

Ciro Salvo timeline: 2014 to 2025

Ciro Salvo grew 50 Kalò from one Mergellina pizzeria in 2014 into a brand with sites in London, Rome and a second Naples address within ten years.

How I checked this profile

This is a sourced profile, not a restaurant review, so it carries no rating. I built it from the official sites of 50 Kalò and 50 Panino, the Michelin Guide, Gambero Rosso, 50 Top Pizza and Italian food media (Scatti di Gusto, Dissapore, Luciano Pignataro, Forbes Italia), all checked on 31 October 2026. Each price carries the date of its source. I left out biography details and rankings that only one source reports or that sources contradict. For another chef profile, read our story on Ashley Christensen and the Poole’s Diner burger in Raleigh, or browse every guide in the Restaurants section.

FAQ: Ciro Salvo, 50 Kalò and 50 Panino

Who is Ciro Salvo and what is he famous for? Ciro Salvo is a third-generation Neapolitan pizzaiolo, trained in his family’s pizzeria in Portici. He is famous for founding 50 Kalò in 2014 and for his highly hydrated, slow-fermented dough.

What does “50 Kalò” mean? It means “good dough”. In the Neapolitan smorfia, 50 stands for bread, and kalò, from Greek roots, means good in old pizzaioli’s slang.

Is 50 Kalò worth it? Yes, if you want light, contemporary Neapolitan pizza at everyday prices. It placed 6th in 50 Top Pizza Italia 2025 and a Margherita cost €7.00 in March 2025. It does not have a Michelin star; Michelin lists it without one.

Can you book at 50 Kalò in Naples? Not at the Piazza Sannazzaro flagship: put your name on the list and wait to be called. The Piazza della Repubblica site takes reservations.

How much does a pizza cost at 50 Kalò? In March 2025, pizzas at the flagship ran from €7.00 for a Margherita to €12.00 for the Capricciosa Evoluta.

Does Ciro Salvo make burgers? Not at 50 Kalò, which serves only pizza. His burger venture is 50 Panino, a hamburgeria he co-founded with Alessandro Guglielmini in February 2017.

Where is 50 Panino and what burgers does it serve? 50 Panino is at Viale Antonio Gramsci 15/C in Naples, on the Chiaia–Mergellina seafront near 50 Kalò. Its 2017 menu included a Chianina burger with escarole, olives, capers and dried tomatoes. No 2026 menu could be confirmed.

Where else is 50 Kalò? 50 Kalò di Ciro Salvo opened in London at 7 Northumberland Avenue in 2018 and in Rome at Via Flavia 3 in July 2022. Their 2026 operating status is not confirmed, so check before you go.