Looking for the best restaurants in Naples Italy? This was definitely at the top of our list to figure out before our visit! Here’s exactly where to eat in Naples, what food we loved, and what we ordered in this unique city in Italy! You’ll see that while it’s known worldwide for its pizza, the best Naples Italy restaurants have so much more to offer.
Planning Your Trip to Naples Italy
You may have been to famous Italian cities like Milan, Florence, and Venice, but nothing will prepare you for Naples! The streets are fast paced, raw, and local, plus filled with endless amazing food to try.
Many people only spend a day here and move onto the Amalfi Coast or fancy islands like Capri. Yet, if you’re up for an adventure, we definitely recommend a day or two! Here are some quick tips to help plan your first visit.
☀️ First, you can find all the best things to do in Naples Italy here. After some time in the city, don’t miss taking a day trip to Pompeii.
🏝 Forget Capri… and head to Ischia if you have time for an island escape! You can easily get there with the Naples to Ischia fast ferry. We recently spent 2 days in Ischia and had such an incredible visit.
🏨 Stay near the historic centre and waterfront area to be close to all the action. Some highly rated hotels to check out are Napoli Tree – Lungomare, B&B Residenza Via Dei Mille and Casa Vittoria Napoli – Santa Lucia.
🚙 Naples is a great starting point for a southern Italy road trip. We always use this website to compare companies and find the best deals on rental cars in Europe.
♥️ Never book a trip to Italy without travel insurance! SafetyWing has been our go-to for the last 5 years abroad.
Where to Eat in Naples Italy
The first thing we want to say is that Naples has more than just pizza. While we couldn’t resist having it every day ourselves, it was only one of the many delicious things we tried on our trip.
Don’t get us wrong… this is the birthplace of pizza! Just make sure not to ignore the pasta, bakery treats, and seafood dishes.
When looking for where to eat in Naples Italy, also remember that it’s a massive metropolis. You can find everything from street food to Michelin star eateries around Centro Historico and Quartieri Spagnoli (Spanish quarters), and high-end restaurants in Chiaia by the waterfront. There are even sensational Naples Italy restaurants with a view if you take the funicular up to Vomero.
With that said, it’s wise to make a reservation at the popular places beforehand if you want a table. You also may have better luck with an earlier time, as Italians tend to eat later on after 8pm.
The 8 Best Naples Italy Restaurants We Tried on Our Visit
1. Diego Vitagliano Pizzeria
We might as well start off with what’s quite possibly the best pizza restaurant in Naples Italy. Diego Vitagliano has actually been proclaimed as a top 5 pizzeria in the world by many publications!
This was a place that was high on our list, and we made sure to put in a reservation a few weeks before. There are two locations, but we went to the original restaurant in the Bagnoli neighborhood. It’s a short taxi ride away from the city center and there is another location near the seafront in Santa Lucia.
When we first walked in, we were in absolute awe. Awards and pictures of celebrities filled the walls, but the true show was going on behind the counter. It was a thrill watching the masters of their craft load up the pizzas with toppings and fire them into the flaming ovens.
The only hard part at Diego Vitagliano’s was deciding what to order! We had a crispy Margherita to share between the 4 of us as a starter with a thicker crust. After that, we all ordered our own to try.
Was it aggressive? Yes. Did we regret it? Not for one moment! The spicy diavola was our favorite as well as the mortadella & pistachio.
2. 50 Kalò
This was actually one of our last meals in Naples after visiting the island of Ischia. We went here in the late afternoon before they closed up for a break before dinner.
As with Diego Vitagliano, 50 Kalò has been ranked as a top pizza restaurant in Italy. We split a couple of different pizzas here, but the real winner was a sausage with fresh buffalo mozzarella.
The good part of traveling in a group is that we could order several different ones and try each others. At many of the best Naples Italy restaurants, we would get a standard Margherita pizza and it was often our favorite!
The inside of 50 Kalo has a more high end interior, but the pizzas were still reasonably priced. They even gave us a complimentary glass of sparkling wine before our meal!
This would become a theme of our visit to the city. It’s truly mind-boggling that you can still order pizza for around 10-13 euros at these award-winning pizzerias.
3. Chalet Ciro 1952
No visit to Naples would be complete without trying a graffa! This fried donut is a staple for breakfast and goes perfect with your morning espresso or cappuccino.
Chalet Ciro is said to be the originator of the sweet treat. Their location is on the waterfront, making it easy to get to the most popular Naples attractions and museums after eating.
A traditional Graffa is served warm with sugar on top. However, our favorite was the pistachio and chocolate cream. The bomba is another great bakery treat to try with the filling on the inside.
4. Nonna Tittina
Our first dinner in Naples was at Nonna Tittina. The place was super cute, with a relaxing yet high-end atmosphere.
The pizza was great, especially the half pizza half calzone we ordered. Yet, the caprese salad and pasta dishes were what blew us away. We particularly loved the spaghetti with clams and bolognese!
5. Fiaschetteria Agricola Chiaia
Speaking of pasta, Genovese is the first thing you have to eat in Naples after your pizza fix. This Naples restaurant was on a backstreet in the business district, making a great central location to grab lunch.
We were somehow able to call 30 minutes ahead here and get a reservation. If you’ve never had Ragù alla Genovese, it’s a delicious slow cooked sauce of beef and onions. It won’t be long before you start seeing big plates of this pasta being enjoyed everywhere at the best Naples Italy restaurants.
Aside from Genovese being a non-tomato based pasta, you will notice the ziti is typically broken by hand. This means that every piece is a different size in your dish.
We started off with a buffalo mozzarella stuffed with pistachios and fried artichoke hearts. For our mains, we went with a Genovese and massive carbonara.
6. Pizzeria Errico Porzio Lungomare
While you may not see this pizza restaurant among the best in the world, Errico Porzio is a solid place to eat with views on the water. Honestly, it would be hard to get a BAD pizza at any of these Naples Italy restaurants!
We were amazed by how packed this place was with seating for well over 100 people. You probably won’t need a reservation here like many of the other places on this list. We did notice a line forming closer to dinner time though.
We shared a bunch of different pizzas and tried a really good local beer called N’artigiana. With its location on the waterfront, you could go to Chalet Ciro 1952 for breakfast and walk the entire strip to have lunch on the other side.
7. Mennella Il Gelato
Don’t forget about gelato after all the awesome food in Naples Italy! Mennella Il is considered to have one of the best in the city. We tried the pistachio, hazelnut, and dark chocolate.
A stop at Mennella is a must on a hot summer day in Naples. They have locations all over, but the most famous is on the busy shopping street of Via Toledo.
8. La Locanda Gesù Vecchio
If you’re in the historic old town, be sure to head into this cute trattoria. It’s known for its authentic Neapolitan cuisine and scrumptious pastas.
This is another one of the best Naples Italy restaurants to try for something besides pizza. In fact, La Locanda Gesù Vecchio is Michelin rated!
To start, we had a sharing plate for the table of buffalo mozzarella, smoked mozzarella, olives, and other goodies. We then ordered the Genovese (again), and it was one of the single best dishes we ate on our Italy trip. The beef ragu was unbelievable if you still have room!
More of the Best Restaurants in Naples Italy
Once again, these are just a few recommendations for where to eat in Naples Italy. These restaurants were our favorites we tried, but there are so many other spots we’d love to try on our next visit.
Have any questions about this article or want to share more of the best restaurants in Naples Italy? Let us know in the comments!
Safe Travels,
Brigitte & Jake
Pin for Later!
We’re Brigitte and Jake! American travel bloggers currently based in Spain. If you can believe it, we started Nothing Familiar way back in 2015 on an Ipad in the Ecuadorian jungle. Ever since, we haven’t stopped traveling! We’ve now been to over 60 countries around the world, with our expertise being Europe and Southeast Asia. We love outdoor adventures, tasting local specialties, and island hopping through tropical destinations. Hopefully, our guides and authentic experiences will inspire you on your own travels!
