March 13, 2023 - 2:40pm
Trip to Naples
I'm off to Naples, Italy for a few days at the end of the month. Can anyone recommend any bakeries, pizzerias or restaurants worth a visit?
Lance
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I'm off to Naples, Italy for a few days at the end of the month. Can anyone recommend any bakeries, pizzerias or restaurants worth a visit?
Lance
I am probably also going there (again) - at the end of April! Visited in October last year for a holiday, and now will be a work-related trip.
It is amazing there!
My main recommendation for basically the best coffee and pastries I've ever tried is Gambrinus, next to the Royal Palace. It's a little more expensive and "fancy", but actually don't sit down and just get espresso al banco (i.e. without a table) and get any pastries that catch your fancy (sfoglietelle ricce and frolla, baba, all kinds of things...). Once you know what you want, you need to buy a "ticket" from the small "office" at the entrance, and then show it to the barista or to the pastry sellers. Apparently, the "suspended coffee" originated from that place, and it's quite natural with this system with tickets.
Probably the best meal we had was super simple: gorge ourselves on fried anchovies and seafood at the market. I forgot the name of the place, looking at the map it was probably Pescheria Azzurra - at the top of the Pignesecca market. Everything we ate in Napoli was great, but in the end you can't beat simplicity of freshly fried fresh fish with some beer.
For pizza, I am also curious. We had it a couple of times, and like - it was great, but didn't blow our minds. Perhaps we didn't try it at the best places? Or we overhyped ourselves to expect something impossible?
We found this video inspiring for some ideas btw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQCqPktm7jg
We even went to one of the places they show there - A Taverna Do Re - and it was excellent :)
Thanks Ilya - some great info here - much appreciated! Market cafes are often a good bet. We have fond memories of the ones in Athens meat market many years ago; the best retsina I ever tasted!
Lance
Oh yeah - Athens main meat and fish market is a great spot! Although the number of carcasses hanging around might be a little disturbing. Great food there, we went once there also.
Good to hear it's still going strong - I have to confess it was probably in the 1980s when we were last there!
We squeezed into a table opposite a local guy waiting for his food. His food arrived shortly and it consisted solely of a large bowl full of clear broth and immersed in it was the biggest fish head you have ever seen!
Lance
We went there I think end of 2019. My gf (Greek) says it's the best place in Athens to buy fish (and I guess meat too, but she is less interested in that) and probably restaurants source it there too. A very impressive place!
Wow that sounds great! We should visit it again next time we are in Athens.
It sounds lame but if you are going to Pompeii, the pizzeria at the gates had pizza that I was quite impressed by (and I am a knowledgeable and avid pizza fan). It was the only place in/near Naples that I had pizza as we were advised by several people back home that Naples was not advisable as a vacation destination. On a side note, I HIGHLY recommend visiting Pompeii.
Thanks Michael - I'm not sure if we''ll have time to go to Pompeii, but if we do, we''ll look out for that pizzeria.
Lance
I've not been in to the heart of Naples, perhaps it for fear of the saying "Vedi Napoli e poi muori" ! Since it is only for a few days, I don't suppose you are driving? As I could recommend some places closer to Amalfi... I'm used to staying off the beaten track while in Italy!
You must let us all know of your experience when you return.
Grape varieties of Campania; White: Greco, Falanghina, Fiano | Red: Aglianico (to be fair it's difficult to coax something interesting out of this one) opt for Taurasi with rich dishes / steak as it is aged.
Beyond the common ones there are some rare alternatives to be had, which is always the way in Italy!
Only there for a few days Michael, so no car. I do remember getting the public bus from Naples to Amalfi many years ago and it was a pretty hairy journey in a huge coach travelling along the narrow (no doubt wider now) coast road - and it took several hours to travel not many km!
We stayed in a nice "pension" in the main square and on the last day had to get up at the crack of dawn to get an early bus back to Naples for a flight. It was so early that the Patron (sorry for the French) said he would leave the back door open for us to get out. Of course he forgot and our only escape route was to climb out of a downstairs window!
Lance