While Neapolitan cuisine is of course world-famous for its pizza, there is so much more to the culinary character of this bustling city, so don’t make the mistake of only visiting Naples for a day. Instead, spend a few days getting to know (in addition to the wealth of sites and museums) the dishes that Neapolitans consider their favorites and all of the restaurants.
With enough time, you’ll able to enjoy several meals’ worth of the best local specialties – here’s what to eat:
Sfogliatelle: Gran Caffè Gambrinus
Start the day off the Neapolitan way with sfogliatelle, which are some of the most beautiful and delicious pastries in all of Italy (yet another argument for staying the night in Naples – you want to wake up to these in the morning!). The sfogliatella riccia is the better known of the two types: its paper-thin layers of phyllo-type dough are layered to form a puffy, cone-shaped pastry that crackles as you bite into the sweetened ricotta and orange zest filling. The sfogliatella lisca or frolla has the same filling but it’s wrapped inside a dome-shaped shortcrust pastry.
Go to Gambrinus, the legendary old-world pasticceria and bar in the scenic Piazza del Plebiscito, to try both versions – order them in the classic size for breakfast, because you won’t want anything less, but then you can stock up on the mignon (mini) sizes of either one for snacking on later. Gambrinus is also one of the best places to eat almost any pastry in Naples!
Crocchè di Patate: Pizzeria I Decumani
These potato croquettes are one of the many fritti (fritters) that make street food in Naples a fantastic option for anytime-of-day snacking. But crocchè are some of the more magically light and fluffy options among the other fritti, with mashed potatoes and provola cheese coated perfectly by a crisp exterior. In Via dei Tribunali, the heart of the historic center’s street food scene , make Pizzeria I Decumani your destination not necessarily for pizza but for the fritti being sold at the to-go counter, facing the street.
Enjoy the crocchè as a snack or antipasto (along with a street-side spritz, even) before a meal elsewhere – Via dei Tribunali may be filled with food vendors and restaurants, but it’s chaotic enough that you might only want a sampling of its atmosphere and fritti before moving on.
EXPLORE: Napoli, with our 3 day Naples Itinerary Ideas.
Frittatina di Pasta and Frittata di Pasta: Friggitoria Vomero
Another of the Neapolitan fritti, and possibly the most show-stopping, is the frittatina di pasta – a little fried ball of pasta (often spaghetti or bucatini) bound together with bechamel, cheese, and sometimes prosciutto and/or peas. To eat like a local Neapolitan, try the frittatina di pasta at the Friggitoria Vomero – the namesake neighborhood is very residential and situated slightly above the city center in the hills, so it’s a very typical establishment to go to if you want to see how Neapolitans eat and shop during routine days.
Besides the frittatina, there is also the similarly named but very different frittata di pasta, which is essentially a whole round frittata that makes use of leftover spaghetti. It might get less attention than its smaller fried counterpart, absolutely worth getting – true to the essence of Neapolitan cuisine, and like the smaller frittatina, it’s even more delicious than its simple ingredients would have you believe.
Pizza: Pizzeria Da Attilio
The best pizza in Naples is a difficult title to bestow, but Da Attilio’s comes pretty close. Despite having recognition from Michelin and Gambero Rosso, Da Attilio maintains a no-frills, chaotic, authentically Neapolitan atmosphere that is somehow reassuring alongside the seemingly world-class pies. (It is admittedly but deservedly hyped, so avoid the crowd by going at lunch instead of dinner, and/or on the later side of service when things calm down. If you really can’t get in, 50 kalò is another pizzeria to have an equally destination-worthy, if slightly more modern-cheffy, meal.)
If it’s your very first time in Naples, you should order one classic pizza Margherita. Among the other pizzas on the menu, you really can’t go wrong, but know that one of Attilio’s signatures is their ricotta-stuffed crust, which is available to request for any pizza. Whatever you do, make sure to get at least one pizza per person, which is not only an unspoken Italian rule but also more like a human right in Naples. And order a bottle of sparkling red wine, which is the best and most underrated pairing for any pizza.
LISTEN: To our podcast on The Story of Naples Pizza.
Pizza Fritta: Antica Pizzeria De’ Figliole
Fortunately, there’s more than one way Napoli loves to make pizza. Pizza fritta is folded like a calzone so that it can be deep-fried with the fillings tucked inside. Sometimes you’ll see pizza fritta on offer at typical pizzerie, but it’s more fun to eat it at a place that makes only the fried variety because that’s their specialty–such as Antica Pizzeria De’ Figliole, founded in 1860. You can watch the women behind the marble counter as they expertly roll, stretch, and fill the dough before gently frying it. The pizza fritta arrives at your table as a piping hot, puffed-up envelope filled with local ingredients like chicory and ricotta or spicy salami and smoked provola. By the way, this is the time to order a beer.
Calzone/Pizza Ripiena and Friarielli Napoletani: Umberto
As for calzoni or pizze ripieni (filled pizzas) that are baked rather than fried, the slightly more elegant but locally beloved Umberto makes excellent ones – they’ve been around since 1916, after all. Order a side of friarielli, a green similar to broccoli rabe, which is the queen of vegetables in Naples and the whole region. Umberto is quite close to the waterfront area along the Gulf of Naples, so before your meal make time for an aperitivo along the water for beautiful views and a sea breeze.
Pasta alla Genovese: Mimì alla Ferrovia
It would be a mistake to leave Napoli without trying some of the local pastas, however hard it may be to break away from pizza. One of the most classic pasta dishes is pasta alla genovese, which has nothing to do with pesto – instead, the Genovese sauce in this case is a meaty mixture of slow-simmered beef and caramelized onions, a hearty dish that will certainly fill you up happily in the cooler weather. (Come to Naples in the winter for more than just that – it’s much warmer than central Italy and low season for tourism.)
The legendary Mimì alla Ferrovia, which has long been considered one of the best places to eat in Naples, is where you’ll want to eat such a legendary dish. Typically served with Neapolitan ziti (longer than regular ziti and hollow, like candles – so you might also see them called candele), Genovese’s long cooking time is one of many examples of the Neapolitans’ devotion to their most beloved dishes.
DISCOVER: The Best Places to Stay on Your Trip to Naples.
Lydia O’Brien is cookbook editor, writer, and recipe tester based in Italy. She has lived in Rome, Florence, and Siena and spent a summer cooking at an agriturismo in Tuscany, after leaving the full-time publishing world in New York. Originally from Washington, D.C., she has a degree in English literature and spent a university semester in Rome studying food and art history.
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