Hi

I'm going to Naples and the Amalfi coast next month for two weeks. Would love to hear about people's favorite restaurants and pastry and gelato shops (I have the world's worst sweet tooth--chocolate is my favorite).

I enjoy good food and want to splurge on a couple of awesome places--I would call a splurge $75 or more a person.

Is Don Alfonso worth the price? any other suggestions.

Grazie. Ciao
Theresa

Hi T,

>...want to splurge on a couple of awesome places--I would call a splurge $75 or more a person.<

Is that for lunch or dinner?

How much more?

Don Alfonso starts at about 85E pp + wine.

the best gelato we had was in Capri Town on Capri. It was just outside of the main square (cant remember the name!). It was basically a counter on the street...and the gelato was fantastic. They were making the cones fresh off of a tiny waffle-maker, and dropping the gelato on top, so that it semi-melted into the warm cone. Perfecto!

The Villa Maria in Ravello has a terrace with stunning views and serves excellent food at a reasonable price.

For chocolate on the Amalfi Coast, have "torta caprese", composed of chocolate and ground almonds. There are also superb lemon pastries. On the main street in Amalfi, there is a pastry shop (whose name I've unfortunately forgotten; something with "Andrea", I think) that makes the most wonderful "delizie al limone", composed of sponge cake and lemon pastry cream, covered with lemon fondant.

We went to the same gelato counter on Capri that steviejean mentions. The best gelato! You could smell the waffle cones baking halfway down the street. I believe I had the cassata -- bits of dried fruit and dark chocolate chunks in a sweet cream base.

My mouth is watering...

I was just in Capri at the end of July. I believe the gelato place that steviegene and drbb mention is the one close to the La Palma Hotel, just off the main piazza.

We were also in Positano on the Amalfi coast and had a fantastic dinner at the Covo dei Saraceni. It is a hotel right by the ferry dock in Positano. I can't find the receipt from our meal, but judging from other meals we had in Positano we probably paid in the 70 - 80 euros range for dinner for two including wine. We were too full for dessert! I found the service absolutely impecabble, and of course the view can't be beat. We reserved our table through their website prior to our visit and found a lovely table waiting for us when we arrived.

In Positano, we had a gelato flavour called 'Positano'. How very fitting! We bought it from the Buca di Bacco Bar. It is at the end of the main walkway that runs along the beach, closer to the private section of the Spiaggia Grande. It tasted like a mixture of chocolate and oranges and was very tasty!

Try any of the restaurants in Montepertuso, a mountain village 15 min by car from Positano. We liked IL RITROVO and DONNA ROSA. Try to go at dusk when you can enjoy the view from the restaurants. Great food and gorgeous views!

Thanks all.

Ira- either lunch of dinner would work for a splurge. Do you think Don Alfonso is worth the 85 euros a person

Hi T,

We were going to go to Don Alfonso, but didn't make it.

Is it worth it?

I have read mixed reviews.

The gelato counter in Capri that everyone is mentioning is by far the best on the island.

A bakery/breadshop/snackshop that is also worth looking for on Capri is "Sfizi di Pane". It is not far from the Piazzetta.

A sort of out-of-the-way destination - you could go for pizza at Gianni al Vesuvio. It is a place on the road that leads up from Torre del Greco to the top of Mt. Vesuvius. The views are incredible and the pizza is darn good and cheap. You should be able to catch a bus up there from the Torre del Greco stop on the Circumvesuviana line.

Also in Torre del Greco, on the Litoranea (shore-drive), you can find a place called Cornetti di Notte. They make fresh cornetti during the evening hours. They are filled with warm Nutella, or white chocolate, or jam. One of the more mouth-watering things I ever ate in Italy. The view of Capri, Naples, and Sorrento while you are eating it doesn't hurt, either.

Also of interest on the Litoranea in TDG is a Neapolitan dish that consists of pig snout and skin cooked up and served with lemon, if you're feeling adventurous. Oh, and don't forget to try roasted corn on a stick with ketchup and mayonnaise (also on the Litoranea). Sounds weird, but every so yummy.

Also casting another vote for Torta Caprese. Eat it on Capri if possible - it is a flourless chocolate and almond cake.

Nnolen, I was interested in you mentioning Torre del Greco. I have mentioned it a few times here when writing about our Italy trips. My mother was born there and we have visited there several times but just to locate my mother's former home and visit relatives in Ercolano. We also took the road up to Vesuvious and I think we had pizza at the place you mentioned. We never got to see the area you are mentioning to try the cornetti and see the view, but from Sorrento we have often enjoyed looking at Mount Vesuvious and the evening lights of Naples, Torre del Greco and all the other towns along the Bay. Next visit I will find the Litoranea and enjoy the cornetti. Thanks for telling us about your visit to Torre del Greco!

Marianna,

You won't regret seeking out the Litoranea in Torre del Greco. It also has a black sand beach if you are into swimming (although the water is not exactly what I would call clean).


Ercolano, eh? Have you heard about the debate between Ercolano and Torre del Greco? Great stuff! Of course, the one between Torre del Greco and Torre Annunziata is even larger, but I digress.....they're mostly about which city is better. Each respective city thinks they are the greatest!

The food is better than good, but the ambience and THE VIEW is to die for. I speak of the restaurant "La Finestra Di Mare Chiaro" in Naples. The restaurant is adjacent to the in song, famous Finestra.

We just returned from Positano and we loved La Tagliata (italian grill and great appetizers) in Montepertuso (they will come pick you up and take you home to Positano), Mediterraneo on the main drag of Positano, and Cumpa Cosimo in Ravello (Mama comes out of the kitchen and suggest favorite dishes).

The pastry shop in Amalfi is Andrea Pansa

Also try the Pasticerria De Riso in Minori

I do want to recommend a restaurant that I dined in three times in Naples-it was THAT good-no indoor tables at all, all of it outside, and on most every night, but particularly on the weekends, there are crowds of Neapolitani that show up, and everyone has to take a number (actually, the last time I went, they went and found a table and set up a place for me, which I thought was quite nice-the Neapolitani have to warm up to you-once they do, however, they'll do anything for you).

I can honestly say, this very local ristorante/pizzeria named "A FIGLIO DO MARINARO," specializing in seafood, and located on the Via Foria, across from the Botanical Garden, is one of the best seafood restaurants I've eaten in anywhere in Italy.

Since I am one who loves octopus, and ate my weight in it from the minute I landed in Italy in Milano (a local Northern Italian dish that showed up on the menus around Milano that I noticed is fresh cooked sliced octopus with boiled potatoes-very simple, very good- in Venice of course octopus every day as cichetti- and on and on until I tore myself away from Italy going on to Paris)-I of course had it here in Naples, as antipasti, and they served a nice big plate of it, with fresh lemon, coupled with a Nastro Azzuro beer (don't even think Peroni in the brown bottle-not good-always go with Nastro Azzuro-NA, although made by the Peroni company, is their premium brand, and is really quite decent).

For my main dish, I had their speciality-a kettle of fresh cooked mussels in the most heavenly broth-slightly spicy, I've not had anything like that broth anywhere, (certainly not in Belgium or Holland, countries which are known for their steamed mussels in broth-very good there, but not like this).

There were some crab legs, shrimp, and a bit of fresh calimari in it as well-it WAS heavenly! Then of course, I had bruschetta (pronounced properly by the waiter, of course!) Very simple-fresh deep red chopped Roma tomatoes, a little olive oil, a little chopped fresh basil, grilled on the fire-just right.

They have a number of in-house desserts here-but my favorite Italian dessert is always fresh made "panna cotta" which is typically served with either your choice of chocolate sauce, or more typically, and my preference, a "frutti di bosco" (blackberry) sauce-sooo delicious!

I think that whole meal came to something like 25-30 Euros-it was worth every penny-and the local slice of Neapolitan color that you get here is worth it-this is not a fancy restaurant, by any means, but it is clear that both upper and middle class Neapolitans frequent this place- (only the occasional tourist)-again, it's all outside, the tables are set up under a large outdoor tent, and are all on the sidewalk space-so whatever is happening out on the streets of Naples-and there is always plenty of action there, that will be your entertainment-great seafood, highly recommended (but I'd take a taxi to get there).