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Eating is a big deal in Naples. Portions are copious, vegetables and fish are almost always fresh and local and though the cuisine tends to be steadfastly simple and traditional, it is an element of city life of which Neapolitans are very proud. Meals start late and keep going, though the three-hour lunches of old are becoming increasingly confined to Sundays. Many smaller trattorie and osterie specialize in excellent lunches, some not opening in the evenings at all, but it’s not at all unusual to leave a restaurant after midnight and still find people streaming in. Naples’ cuisine is excellent but best when its not complicated. Many of the city’s bigger and smarter restaurants merely serve a blander version of what you find in the cheaper and more interesting trattorie, which are where the city’s culinary heart lies. You can find good food all over the city, but the Centro Storico and the maze of the Quartieri Spagnoli hide the most gems. The same can be true in the surrounding areas where small places by the sea serve delicious and very fresh seafood.
The pizza (see also next page) is a Neapolitan symbol worshipped by the city’s inhabitants, alongside San Gennaro and Maradona, and it’s true that they are not made quite as well anywhere else. A genuine Neapolitan pizza has a chewy rather than a crunchy crust, and the thinner, Roman version is pretty much sacrilege here.
A pizza is often eaten as a whole meal on its own, whereas with other meals the norm is to have a first course (primo) often pasta or soup) followed by a main course (secondo), usually just a simple meat dish. You need to order your vegetables as a separate dish (contorno). The main course is often something you can construct yourself from a fairly wide choice of meats and vegetables. This may be on display, so you can go and point at what you want. Before any of this you can also have a starter (antipasto) and then at the end you can round it all off with a dessert (dolce).
Many places around the bay have decidedly limited eating options. In Baia you’re probably best off grabbing a piece of pizza or two from Pizza Village opposite the station or taking a picnic. Cuma has no more than a small café. Pompeii and Ercolano both have some reasonable, if touristy, options outside the ruins but you may have problems if you want to go out and re-enter afterwards. In any case, both places make excellent picnic spots.
Cafés, and especially coffee, are another vital component of Neapolitan life. Most also serve alcohol, though locals come more for the coffee, and the pastries.
Travel Guides | Naples | Eating And Drinking Naples
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