The 10 Best Restaurants In Naples

Ask a Naples native advice for a chocolate treat and you will most likely be pointed in the direction of the closest of Gay Odin’s nine branches in Naples. The affectionate relationship between this chain of patisserie shops and the city of Naples began in the late 19th century, when chocolate artist Isidoro Odin, originally hailing from the North of Italy, moved here. Odin and his wife Onorina Gay, who joined him shortly thereafter, soon started spoiling the local population with artisanal pralines, bars and cakes, each one a superior work of sweet taste and chocolatey sculpture. The Gay Odin quality was preserved by following generations, and has kept its status as Naples’s best patisserie to this day.

First established in 1860 right at the entrance of bustling street Via Chiaia, Gran Caffè Gambrinus maintains the imperial aura that many European cafés built in those years have in common. Boasting an opulent venue decorated in Liberty-style, Gambrinus, as it is simply referred to by locals, has seen prominent personalities of Italy’s culture, like poets Gabriele D’Annunzio and Benedetto Croce, take a seat here and debate the historical facts that were shaping the future of the Belpaese. Gambrinus offers excellent coffee as well as a range of other drinks, cakes and pastries. For other tried and tested cafés in Naples with superb coffee, watch out for the branches of the Caffè del Professore chain.

Naples shares with Spain, and especially with the Catalan city of Barcelona, the lively, rambunctious spirit that makes them super-fun destinations for cultural travellers everywhere. Gastro-bar Milagros celebrates in Naples the paella, a speciality of Spanish cooking hailing from the region of Valencia. Paella is a dish of rice lavishly topped with veggies, bits of meat and seasoning (but Milagros also offers the delectable seafood and all-vegetarian variants). On Thursdays, come here to taste the fideuà, yet another twist on the traditional paella where a type of pasta similar to spaghetti is used instead of rice, and topped with bits of fish; or feast on the tantalising spread of tapas, charcuterie and select cheeses.

The queen pastry of local patisseries, the shell-shaped sfogliatella is a crispy, multi-layered roll stuffed with a sinful filling of ricotta and almond paste, topped off with a decorative sprinkle of icing sugar. Wherever you are in Naples, you won’t have to look long and hard before finding a café selling the heavenly sfogliatellas, but those baked by Pintauro are simply to die for. Located in Via Toledo, a central street best known and frequented for its quality shops, Pintauro is a hole-in-the-wall bakery cranking out nothing but delicious sfogliatellas since 1785. A landmark extending beyond the city’s dining scene and into the its cultural heritage, Pintauro’s pastries can be purchased only to go – no seating here – and make for an indulgent treat while doing your shopping or simply soaking up the beauty of Naples.

Restaurant Sartù derives its name from a finger-licking highlight of Naples’s traditional cooking. The sartù is a baked pie of rice mixed with peas, mushrooms, small meatballs, bits of cheese and chicken, and seasoned with ragù, a tomato-based sauce that is another specialty of the area. Sartù’s menu is firmly rooted in the local, authentic cuisine, but the chefs perform a modern, innovative take on typical dishes, elevating everyday staple to fine-dining levels. Sartù takes pride in utilising fresh, local ingredients only, directly sourced from the restaurant’s own garden whenever possible.