The 16 best restaurants in Naples for 2025

Run by the charming Alfonso Mattozzi, who greets all his customers like old friends at the door, Ristorante Europeo Mattozzi is a proper institution. The wood-panelled dining room, decorated with historic prints of the city, is a second home for a cross-generational mix of professionals at lunchtime. By evening, it draws a sophisticated crowd of regulars who can count on Alfonso’s simple but high-quality home-style cooking for a low-key night out.

Time Out tip: Listen up: there are three restaurants with the name ‘Mattozzi’ in Naples. Two of them are on our list. Just make sure to check the addresses so you don’t end up at the wrong one!

Price: Mid-range 

Where to find it: Via Marchese Campodisola, 4, 80133 

Neapolitans take meal times extremely seriously, meaning there are a plethora of tiny trattorias that cater to workers unable to get home for a warm meal. Cibi Cotti is a historic lunch spot tucked away in the Mergellina covered market. It serves freshly made staples such as gnocchi alla sorrentina, parmigiana and grilled vegetables to builders, shopkeepers and lawyers from nearby offices.

Price: Bargain

Where to find it: Via Ferdinando Galiani, 30, Mercatino Rionale della Torretta, 80122 

Trattoria da Nennella is Naples’s best-known trattoria, not so much for its food as for its loud and chaotic atmosphere where purposely rude waiters play up to their unruly reputation by dancing on tables, throwing plastic plates of ragù across tables and – as you may have heard – serving fruit at the end of your meal in a big ceramic toilet seat. Afterwards, dip into equally rowdy Bar Cammarota for a spritz to let off some steam.

Price: Bargain

Where to find it: Vico Lungo Teatro Nuovo, 103/104/105, 80134

Sure, there’s pizza and pasta, but Neapolitans love a seafood experience. After all, Naples sits on the waterfront, and no one does it better than restaurant Diego. Opened by two brothers five years ago in the Chiaia district, Diego combines high-end service with a seasonal, ever-changing menu centered around the freshest fish, shellfish, and seafood. The dishes range from classics like linguine and shrimp to marinated anchovies with tomato jam and burrata, plus an impeccable wine list. 

Price: Mid to high-range

Where to find it: Via Francesco Crispi, 80, 80121

Located in Mercato della Pignasecca, one of the city’s most historic and lively open-air markets, at first glance Pescheria Azzurra seems like any ordinary food stall selling seafood. But this market gem, recognisable for its eclectic blue tiles, Madonna statues, and sparkling string lights transforms into an open-air, casual restaurant with folding chairs and high-top tables for a memorable weekend lunch or late-night al fresco dinner. While the service is nonchalant, the menu offers a range of simple and some of the freshest seafood platters, from fried calamari and decadent plates of spaghetti with clams to marinated salmon and anchovies. Accompany the meal with a cold beer or pitcher of house wine for a wholesome Neapolitan experience.

Price: Bargain

Where to find it: Via Portamedina, 5, 80134

At the top of several steep steps, a single lantern marks the vine-covered entrance to this tiny restaurant. Knock at the door, and you’ll be welcomed with open arms by Marcellino Amato, a former insurance broker who in retirement made it his aim to establish one of the city’s best Italian restaurants. Alongside young chef Marco di Martino, he has succeeded at Taverna dell’Arte. 

Price: Mid-range

Where to find it: Rampe San Giovanni Maggiore, 1, 80134

Located right off the main drag of Spaccanapoli, La Locanda Gesù Vecchio is an intimate and casual dining space with yellow tablecloths, a wooden bookshelf, wine bottles, grapevines and all that good stuff. Food is proper, no-fuss, exceptionally executed Neapolitan classics like pasta and peas or eggplant parmigiana, and it’s a welcome haven from the bustling, mediocre food-centric streets of the centro storico. 

Price: Mid-range

Where to find it: Via Giovanni Paladino, 26, 80138

Price: Bargain

Where to find it: Via della Sapienza, 40, 80138

Price: High-end

Where to find it: Piazza Monteoliveto, 15, 80134

Located in the heart of Naples’s posh neighborhood Chiaia, Mattozzi Ristorante Pizzeria has been an institution amongst Neapolitan families since 1852. From family-style plates of buffalo mozzarella, eggplant parmesan, and simply sauteed seasonal vegetables to classics like Neapolitan-style pizza and seafood pasta dishes, Mattozzi’s food is consistently authentic, the outside patio is cozy, and the staff feels like family.

Price: Mid-range

Where to find it: Via Gaetano Filangieri 16 80121