3 Best Restaurants in Naples, Italy

On a rather dark side street in the scruffier section of the Centro Storico, this place is well worth seeking out for its combination of old-style Neapolitan hospitality and attention to the quality of its food and wine. The place is run as a family affair, much like a typical Neapolitan household, and everyone who comes here seems to know each other. The pasta with chickpeas is a must, and baccalà fritto (fried salt cod) is a specialty. Backed up with a selection of wines from all over Italy, this place is a great value.

Patrons of this Neapolitan institution have included the filmmaker Federico Fellini and that truly Neapolitan comic genius and self-styled aristocrat, Totò. It's in a fairly seedy area so take a taxi, especially at night, but it's worth it to sample Mimì's classics such as pasta e fagioli and the sea bass al presidente, baked in a pastry crust and enjoyed by visiting Italian presidents. The owner's son Salvatore is the chef, working wonders in the kitchen. This is not so much a see-and-be-seen place as common ground for the famous and the unknown to mingle, feast, and be merry.

Set on a proud perch on the corner of the chicly bohemian Piazza Bellini for more than 70 years, this spot is worth visiting just to observe the waiters, who all seem to have just stepped off the stage of a Neapolitan comedy. But if the neighborhood remains scruffy, this staple Neapolitan restaurant proudly retains its old-world feel. Good bets here include a fine (if rather small) pizza, and classic fish dishes such as linguine al cartoccio (baked in paper) or all'astice (a type of small lobster). Go up the narrow stairs to get to the spacious upper rooms, or squeeze in at one of the outside tables in summer.