46 Best Restaurants in Naples, Italy

Every pizzeria along Via dei Tribunali is worth the long wait—and trust us, all the good ones will be jam-packed—but just one can claim to have served a U.S. president: Bill Clinton enjoyed a margherita here when the G8 was held in Naples in 1994. Today the superlative pizzaioli (pizza makers) turn out a wide array of pizzas, all to the utmost perfection. Skip the calorie-counting and try the frittura, and you'll be pleasantly surprised with this mix of Neapolitan-style tempura featuring zucchini, eggplant, rice balls, and more. 

Established in 1905, this Neapolitan institution on Spaccanapoli is a buzzy place to sample some of the finest pastries in town—plus it also makes classic savory dishes, ice cream, and mighty decent coffee.

Named for Neapolitan character Pulcinella’s girlfriend, this gem is in the one-time oratory of the adjoining church, which became a sawmill in the early twentieth century. The high tufo arches and period fittings have been maintained, and the food is to-die-for----pizza is the popular choice, with an adventurous menu, and there is also a selection of pasta dishes. The owners grow much of the produce on their farm in nearby Sant’Agata dei Goti.

If you're trying to keep to a budget but want to enjoy a seafood feast alongside the yachts of the Borgo Marinaro harbor, head to this former tobacco store. While your eyes feast on all the pretty boats, the Lungomare hotels, the Castel dell'Ovo, and Vesuvius, you can savor classic Neapolitan seafood spaghetti or an impepata di cozze (mussels with pepper and garlic). Or just opt for the special made with the fish of the day.

In the Neapolitan smorfia, a list of numbers used to analyse dreams (and play the lottery), 50 means bread, and kalò is the Greek for good. And good dough is on the menu here, with this airy pizzeria gaining accolades since opening in traffic-busy Piazza Sannazaro in 2014—the New York Times hailed the pizza among the best in Italy. Along with all the favorites, third-generation pizzaiolo Ciro Salvo’s creations include a selection of vegetable pizzas with locally sourced toppings including cabbage, pumpkin, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives and capers. The wine list is worthy of the best restaurants.  

Just off Via Toledo, this simple restaurant with outside tables in summer serves good pizza and other southern Italian favorites. Try the gamberoni alla Posillipo (prawns in a seafood sauce made with cherry tomatoes) or the pignatiello di mare (octopus, calamari, prawns, and other seafood on fried bread).

A hidden gem in the Quartieri Spagnoli, A Pignata is a favorite with locals for its typical Neapolitan cooking. Each antipasto of land and sea is a meal in itself, but save space for the grilled calamari or baccalà alla Siciliana, made with potatoes, tomatoes, olives, and capers. Wash it all down with a bottle from their extensive wine list.

Just off bustling Via Toledo on the basalti flagstones of a narrow Quartieri Spagnoli street, this small trattoria does superb-value, classic Neapolitan dishes. Take a seat at one of the small tables with checkered tablecloths and ask the amiable staff about the day's freshest seafood, meat, and vegetable dishes, while taking in the atmospheric surroundings.

If you see a line of hungry-looking patrons between the Funicular stations of Toledo and Chiaia, you'll know you are close to Pizzeria Acunzo. To avoid anxious waits, many like to get here as soon as it opens at 7, just as the busier evening session starts. When ordering, note that few variations on the pizzas are permitted; but then owner Michele and his wife, Caterina, have been running the establishment since 1964 and have a tried-and-tested product, which is, as onetime diner Isabella Rossellini can confirm, fenomenale.

At Ambrosino, ideal for a quick snack, you can take your pick of the pizzas and pasta dishes, or ask the owners to whip up a panino made from the excellent cheeses, vegetables, and meats on display. The uniformly high-quality ingredients make up for this place's spartan surroundings.

For a hot-out-of-the-oven sfogliatella, Naples's tasty ricotta-filled pastry, try the justifiably famous Attanasio. You can grab one as soon as you get off the train; this place is hidden away off Piazza Garibaldi.

A fave with Via dei Mille shoppers is Bar Guida, which offers you not only the luxury of being able to sit down, but also has a decent range of savory light meals.

Stop in for one of the best coffees in town opposite the Roman marble statue of Egyptian river god Nile and marvel at the Pop Art masterpiece homemade shrine to football giant Diego Maradona. Appropriately bearing the colors of Argentina's flag, Napoli's adopted hero is flanked by San Gennaro and Nuestra Senora de Lujan, a clipping from La Gazzetta dello Sport (Sports Gazette), and an ampoule containing tears from the fateful year (1991) when the champion left Naples and his team's winning streak promptly ended.

On a rather dark side street in the scruffier section of the Centro Storico, this place is well worth seeking out for its combination of old-style Neapolitan hospitality and attention to the quality of its food and wine. The place is run as a family affair, much like a typical Neapolitan household, and everyone who comes here seems to know each other. The pasta with chickpeas is a must, and baccalà fritto (fried salt cod) is a specialty. Backed up with a selection of wines from all over Italy, this place is a great value.

Located in the shadow of Castel dell'Ovo, Caffè Megaride is a romantic outdoor setting for a snack and a coffee or aperitif. Take a break at one of the tables and gaze at Mt. Vesuvius beyond the masts of the nearby luxury yachts.

In the 1954 film L'Oro di Napoli Sofia Loren sold fried pizza from a basso (a street-level room), something Concettina Flessigno Oliva had already been doing since three years earlier. Now one of Naples's most highly acclaimed pizzerias, her great-grandson's menu includes all the usual culprits as well as pizza wedges based on local in-season ingredients. Twenty-seven Pulcinella masks by renowned local artist Lello Esposito hang in the entrance, and a Nativity scene is perched over the proceedings in the long hall. If you add €2.50 to your bill you can partake in the tradition of pizza sospesa, a free meal for the next needy person to pass by. Gluten-free pizzas are also available.

You may recognize Da Michele from the movie Eat Pray Love, but for more than 140 years before Julia Roberts arrived, this place was a culinary reference point. Despite offering only two types of pizza—marinara (with tomato, garlic, and oregano) and margherita (with tomato, mozzarella, and basil)—plus a small selection of drinks, it still manages to draw long lines. The low prices may have something to do with it, but the pizza itself suffers no rivals, so even customers waiting in line are good-humored. The boisterous, joyous atmosphere wafts out with the smell of yeast and wood smoke onto the street; get a number at the door, and then hang outside until it's called.

Since 1938, this place has been popular with kids (and decidedly not with health-conscious adults) thanks to its greasy brown-paper bags filled with deep-fried eggplant, zucchini, zucchini flowers, zeppole dough balls, and potato croquettes—the Neapolitan versions of French madeleines. Forget all that stuff about the Mediterranean diet being so healthy and indulge in some oil-drenched bliss.

There are a few restaurants called Sorbillo along Via dei Tribunali; this is the one with the crowds waiting outside and is world-renowned. Order the same thing the locals come for: a basic Neapolitan pizza (try the unique pizza al pesto or the stunningly simple marinara—just tomatoes and oregano). They're cooked to perfection by the third generation of pie makers who run the place. The pizzas are enormous, flopping over the edge of the plate onto the white marble tabletops. Be warned though, you'll have to line up for a while, but an entrepreneuring local often entertains the crowds with Neapolitan songs from a balcony.

For excellent pizza and a spectacular view, head to this hip little pie palace on the seaside promenade, on the corner of a street that includes more than 20 restaurants and bars. Locally grown or made peppers, olives, basil, prosciutto, ricotta, mozzarella, and other ingredients top a masterful wood-fired crust made with the lievito madre yeast starter. Nearly as tasty and just as tempting are such sinfully delicious snacks as the frittatina di maccheroni (macaroni frittata) and the potato croquettes. Enjoy them all, then walk along the lungomare to digest. In good weather there are few nicer places for people-watching and pizza eating than the outdoor patio at Gino Sorbillo.

Connoisseurs often say the most refined pastries in town can be found at Gran Caffè Cimmino. Many of the city's lawyers congregate here, to celebrate or commiserate with crisp, light cannoli; airy lemon eclairs; choux paste in the form of a mushroom laced with chocolate whipped cream; and delightful wild-strawberry tartlets. There are also preprepared pasta dishes for a quick lunch.

The most famous coffeehouse in town, founded in 1850, sits across from the Palazzo Reale. Although its glory days as an intellectual salon are well in the past, the rooms inside, with mirrored walls and gilded ceilings, make this an essential stop. It was here that Oscar Wilde, down on his luck, would, for the price of a cup of tea, amaze Anglophone visitors with his still-intact wit. Disappointingly, it's not the best coffee in town.

A classic address in the chic Chiaia district, in the summer months this bar sells their famous coffee-flavored chocolates in the shape of tiny coffeepots.

A simple enoteca by day, L'Ebbrezza has a dining area in the back that fills up in the evening. Owner Luca's enthusiasm for what he does is quite moving—as you sample a recommended wine you can sense that he hopes you like it as much as he does. The attention paid to the quality of the wine carries over to the food. Here you can taste paccheri stuffed with eggplant parmigiana—or try one of the fantastic soups. Other highlights include the rare cheeses, among them the Sicilian ragusano di razza modicana and the local caciocavallo podolico, and the daily selection of hot dishes.

At this perfect place for a lunchtime snack, you point to what you want in the tempting glass counter, and pay for it at the cash desk. Among the specialties are the usual frittura, tangy cheese pies (sfoglino al formaggio), pizza scarola (an escarole pie with black olives), and slices of omelets stuffed with spinach, peppers, or onions. If you can't find a seat, you can stand against the wall, as some customers do, or just get your order to go and enjoy your meal outside.

This well-known trattoria–wine shop sees everyone from foodies to students and professors from the nearby university. The menu on the wall's blackboard changes daily, but there is always a good selection of pastas, meat, fish, and vegetable side dishes. Go for a plate of pasta e fagioli or octopus salad and fried anchovies with a carafe of a good local wine.

With a balanced array of mainly land-based cuisine, owner-manager Gaetano's unpretentious eatery attracts students and young professionals, mainly regulars from the school of medicine around the corner. It's busy and small (expect to share a table—and if your fellow diners are not shy, why should you be?), but the prices can't be beat and the daily selection of a good dozen vegetable side plates merits a detour of its own, even if you're not a vegetarian.

While flat, pan-cooked focaccia can make some pizza fundamentalists wince, this place makes mouthwatering slices of the crunchy-bottomed snacks with a variety of toppings. Skip the predictable tomato variations and go for the delicious potato-and-rosemary focaccia with melted provola. Washed down with a beer, this makes for a great speedy lunch or late-night snack.

This café is beloved not only for its excellent coffee but also for its beautiful cakes—concoctions of cream, chocolate, and fruit whose swirls of color make them look like Abstract Expressionist paintings. They also have a lunch menu.