Vongole at Antichi Sapori Partenopei, my favorite non-pizza meal in Naples
Where to Eat in Naples, Italy
I always hesitate to call posts “Where to Eat in (City)” because let’s be honest…I give you the good and the bad. I don’t just tell you where to eat. Sometimes, I am your own personal guinea pig and I tell you where *not* to eat.
If you’ve been following my blog over the past few months, you’ll know that I’ve written about my amazing pizza tour in Naples with Daniel Young. But because I had never been to Naples before, I headed into town a few days early to check out the action, which gave me time for a few non-pizza meals on my own. So here are my non-pizza meals first, followed by my pizza meals…luckily, I did not gain any weight on this trip!!!
Antichi Sapori Partenopei: All the guidebooks had this on the list of where to eat in Naples, Italy and dinner did *not* disappoint. This was the most delicious bowl of vongole I’ve had in a long time, and I consider myself quite the connoisseur. The table next to me were so enraptured with the beauty of my dish that they ordered it for themselves too and then actually finished it before I did. Hah. I would happily eat here again but I would concentrate on going at an off hour because they were really not happy that I was just one person. (It’s a very popular restaurant and while it was empty when I arrived, it was packed and there was a queue when I left.) The Verdict: Go! But not alone.
Where to Eat in Naples, Italy: Osteria della Mattonella
Osteria della Mattonella: After asking our hotel concierge where to eat in Naples, Daniel and I popped in here for a late lunch before our flights back to London. (Oddly, we were on different airlines departing at roughly the same time.) Firstly, this place is just so cute and lovingly decorated — the name of the restaurant is apparently in reference to the tiles. Also, the woman who runs the place is very, very sweet. We spoke to her in English and a very small smattering of Italian, she spoke all Italian and yet still we all managed to understand each other. Thus proving, yet again, that food is a universal language! It was like being taken care of by our very own personal grandmother. Food here was very good, particularly the pasta dishes and the pasta genovese. Definitely make a booking because this place is very very small. The Verdict: Very sweet and small and friendly. Give it a try.
Antica Lattaria: Sometimes I forget that in Italy, things don’t kick off til late. I showed up at this restaurant around the corner from my first hotel an entire hour before they opened. They were very friendly and told me not to worry and that I should come back in an hour. Then they gave me a somewhat weird table in the middle of the restaurant, facing the, uh, only other solo diner. So that was a bit weird but thank God for smart phones. This was my 2nd attempt at scialatielli — keep reading — and it was much better than my first attempt but still a bit too heavy for my liking. Me and scialatielli are over. The Verdict: OK
Umberto: Funnily, this restaurant was highly recommended by a number of people later in my trip and I didn’t even realize I had already eaten there! The restaurant was very loosely attached to my first hotel so I went there for dinner my first night in town and had an unmemorable meal of scialatielli, my first attempt at this dense spaghetti-like pasta that’s popular in Naples. It was like eating a lot of raw pasta dough all at one time with a lot of flavorless pesto and a dash of deeply indifferent service. Note that scialatielli is a deeply unphotogenic dish, hence the lack of photos here and above. The Verdict: Skip it.
So definitely some highs and lows in Naples but now let’s move on to where to eat in Naples when it comes to PIZZA.
Where to Eat PIZZA in Naples, Italy
La Notizia: This was my favorite pizza places in Naples based on atmosphere. It felt very neighborhood-y and normal. Comfortable. Put this at the top of your list of where to eat in Naples.
50 Kalo: Probably my favorite tasting pizza of my visit. Also, Ciro Salvo can make me pizza anytime. This is a buzzing, modern pizza place…very different in design from the other places. It felt much more local and without the crowds of tourists at Da Michele.
Sorbillo: Very crowded, very popular, lines down the block. Go early!! I think the central location puts it more on the tourist trail so you’ll find a mix of tourists and locals. Really big space which is good. Also, I appreciate a stainless steel loo!
Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba: There was zero crowd here when we dropped by during food tour, getting a pizza to go! This is widely believed to be the oldest pizzeria in Naples. I can’t speak to the atmosphere because we didn’t stay long, but the food definitely did the trick!!
Da Michele: This is the place made famous by Eat, Pray, Love. To be fair, it was probably famous before then, but Julia Roberts certainly helped. Go early to avoid the crowds. This was just a little too much for me. Too many people, too loud, too everything. Cheap though!!
I hope this post has helped you decide where to eat in Naples!! You can read more about my experience with pizza in this fantastic city in these more detailed posts…
