5 Best Restaurants in Naples, Italy

Chic and charming Da Cicciotto corrals more than a few members of the city's fashionable set—if you dine here, there's a fair chance you'll find a Neapolitan count or off-duty film star enjoying this jewel with a tiny stone terrace that overlooks a pleasant anchorage. You can also opt for the large covered patio across the way and appreciate the outdoor setting at either lunch or dinner. Don't even bother with a menu—just start digging into the sublime antipasti, and go with the waiter's suggestions. Cicciotto sits at the end of the same long winding road that leads to the famed 'A Fenestella restaurant and shoreline.

Despite its location on an unpromising-looking vicolo (alley) off the Riviera di Chiaia, this small restaurant has achieved cult status for its seafood platters. It's remarkable what owner--chef Renato can produce in his tiny kitchen—start with linguine alla Dora, laden with local seafood and fresh tomatoes, and perhaps follow up with grilled pezzogna (blue-spotted bream). Like many seafront restaurants, on busy nights, Da Dora has its own guitarist, who is often robustly accompanied by the kitchen staff.

Perched above a beach in Posillipo, near the end of a long winding side road, this landmark restaurant is associated with a bit of Neapolitan folklore—in the 19th century the owner's great-grandmother Carolina was one day standing at the window (fenestella in the local dialect) and was spotted by musician Salvatore Di Giacomo below, thus inspiring the Neapolitan folk song "Marechiaro." Today, the restaurant is straightforwardly traditional, with comfortable decor and the usual suspects on the menu.

The nautical decor and menu brimming with seafood delicacies are apt at this restaurant in the picturesque Borgo Marinaro, with the Bay of Naples and Castel dell'Ovo nearby and Vesuvius in the background. Note, too, as you plan your feast—the schiaffoni with astice and pescatrice (large flat tube pasta with lobster and anglerfish) is a good bet—that this area was the site of a villa owned by Lucullus, a Roman aristocrat and general famous for dining lavishly. Try to leave room for the dolce of the day, perhaps tiramisu or pear cake with ricotta. If after one too many limoncellos you feel like crashing, book one of the bright, airy guest rooms in the hotel upstairs.

If you're trying to keep to a budget but want to enjoy a seafood feast alongside the yachts of the Borgo Marinaro harbor, head to this former tobacco store, now a family-run trattoria. While your eyes feast on all the pretty boats, the Lungomare hotels, the Castel dell'Ovo, and Vesuvius, you can savor classic Neapolitan seafood spaghetti or an impepata di cozze (mussels with pepper and garlic, available May–Aug.). Or just opt for the special made with the fish of the day.