Naples is a city of cooks, and it does not need to be explained to you. But a few habits make the difference between a good meal and a memorable one. Here is the order we would follow on a first visit, starting at breakfast.
Morning: coffee standing up
Order an espresso at the bar and drink it standing, because sitting costs more in many places. It arrives short, sweet if you ask, and with a glass of water. Neapolitans also gave the world the caffè sospeso, the “suspended coffee” paid for in advance for someone who cannot afford one, and you can still find it in some bars. Pair it with a sfogliatella: riccia is the crisp, layered shell, frolla the soft shortcrust version, and both are filled with sweet ricotta and candied citrus.
Lunch: pizza, at the right place
Pizza in Naples is soft, charred at the edge and eaten with a knife and fork, or folded. The margherita and the marinara are the two classics, and in most pizzerias a margherita costs between five and nine euros. The art of the Neapolitan pizza maker is on UNESCO’s intangible heritage list. Go around 13:00, put your name down and expect to wait. Via dei Tribunali in the old centre has several, and in the Sanità district the small places are where locals go. For a walking lunch, ask for a pizza a portafoglio, folded like a wallet.
Afternoon: fried things and the market
Naples does fried food better than anywhere in Italy. Look for a cuoppo, a paper cone of fried seafood or vegetables, and for pizza fritta, a stuffed dough fried until it puffs. The Pignasecca market, a short walk from the Spanish Quarters, is the place to see how the city shops: stacked lemons, buffalo mozzarella and fish still moving. Buy fruit and eat it in the street.
Dinner: later than you think
Restaurants fill after 20:30. Start with a primo, whether pasta with tomato and basil or spaghetti alle vongole. On Sunday the dish is ragù, the slow tomato and meat sauce that cooks for hours and is served in two parts, pasta first and the meat afterwards. Finish with a babà soaked in rum, which should be moist and slightly dangerous.
Small rules that help
- A cover charge (coperto) of one to three euros per person is normal. It is not a tip and not a scam.
- Service is rarely added to the bill, and rounding up is plenty.
- Carry some cash, because small bars and pizzerias do not always take cards.
- If the menu has photos by the door and a waiter outside, keep walking.
- Do not order a cappuccino after lunch. You will survive, but you will be noticed.
Where to stay
The Chiaia district is elegant and close to the seafront and the ferries. The historic centre is where the pizzerias are. Both are walkable to the main sights. Browse stays in Naples and ask your host for their favourite pizzeria. It is often a small place with no website at all.
