Naples Restaurants and Dining

(Naples, Campania, Italy)



Naples RestaurantsNaples, Italy is full of wonderful and exciting places to eat out, with a wide choice of every kind of food imaginable. The many stylish locations in Naples and wide variety of superb, mouth-watering menus, often with an emphasis on fish, make Naples dining an enjoyable experience and many restaurants have spectacular views.

Pasta combined with excellent local produce, such as fresh tomatoes, olive oil and rich, creamy Italian cheeses all combine to create the wonderful and delightful flavours associated with Italy. Naples is also renown for its splendid pizzas, which come in a wide range of flavours.

Whether you are looking for a romantic meal for two or trendy, lively Naples dining, the only problem is deciding where to go in the city, as there are so many restaurants in Naples to choose from!


Where to Eat

For traditional dining in Naples, head for the Borgo Marinaro area with streets that wind down to the Castel dell'Ovo. Santa Lucia offers more exclusive restaurants, but these are also usually fairly expensive, although they do all offer stunning views of the Gulf. There are also many great places to eat on the coast at Mergellina, with numerous, inexpensive restaurant serving traditional dishes. Naples has many trattorias to choose from, particularly in the Centro Storico, where tasty, local dishes are served at low prices and local Neapolitans tend to favour these welcoming restaurants - which is always a good sign.
Most places to eat in Naples, like the rest of Italy, warmly welcome children, although this may not be the case during evenings or in the more choice restaurants.

Cuisine

There are many different types of food served at restaurants in Naples, although most offer a standard menu with an emphasis on fresh produce. Regional recipes tend to contain highly spiced, robust, simple ingredients. Specialities in Naples include pizza, spaghetti dishes such as spaghetti alle vongole (a clam pasta dish), impepate di cozze (a delicious mussel based dish) and many grilled fish and seafood dishes. Many restaurants in Naples also serve fresh oysters,'cannolicchi and 'taratufi', which are locally harvested.

Meals and Courses

Colazione, or prima colazione, (breakfast), pranzo (lunch) and cena (dinner) are the primary Italian meals.

An Italian's breakfast constitutes of little more than a cup of strong coffee and brioche (jam or custard filled buns), though bars and cafés do serve a choice of cold meats in rolls.

Locals in Naples tend to eat lunch (pranzo) at around 13:00 and dinner (cena), the main meal of the day from 20:00 onwards. Menus for lunch and dinner do not vary greatly and both meals consist of several courses.

Antipasto (Starters)

Typical antipastos in Naples may include tasty ham, which can be raw or cooked, a variety of salami, fresh seafood, olives and crostini (toasted pieces of bread coated in garlic and olive oil and topped with tomato, anchovy or liver paste).

Primo Piatto (First Course)

Italian first courses tend to be pasta, polenta, rice or soup based, traditionally designed to fill up the diner before the main meat or fish course. Common to Naples, as a coastal city, is 'cacciucco' (fish soup).

Secondo Piatto (Main Course)

Meat or fish are the mainstay of this course. These can be served alone as in the case of the dish 'arosto misto' - a variety of roasted meats, such as chicken (pollo), lamb (agnello) and pork (maiale), or with an optional contoni (side dish) of vegetables or salad (insalata). Side dishes are usually at an extra cost to the meal.

Dolce (Pudding)

The dessert course in Italian cuisine is not generally its strongest point and so diners may wish to opt for fruit (frutta), puff pastries or a selection of cheese (formaggio). Popular cheeses in Naples are 'pecorino' (made from sheep's milk) and 'ricotta'.

Frequently, Italians will round off a meal with a black coffee (espresso).

Pizzerias

Naples is full of lively Pizzerias and they are usually filled with a wide cross-section of people, such as students, tourists, professionals and locals. They are a very popular place to dine in Naples and offer high quality pizzas made with only the finest ingredients. Pizzas come with many different toppings and all pizzerias have a choice of traditional pizzas, as well as many other flavours, such as seafood pizzas.