17 Best Restaurants in Capri, Capri, Ischia, and Procida

Follow your nose to this legendary, sweet-smelling Caprese fave for breakfast, beach picnics, and on-the-hoof snacks. Buonocore lures you down its steps on a Capri Town lane with all manner of pizze, panini, gelati, and paste, including their specialty almond and lemon Caprilú biscotti.

Amid its own terraced vineyards with inspiring views to the island of Ischia and beyond, this is much more than just a well-reputed restaurant. The owner's mother was a friend of Axel Munthe, and he encouraged her to open a food kiosk, which evolved into Da Gelsomina; today the specialties include pollo a mattone (chicken grilled under bricks) and locally caught rabbit. It has an immaculately kept swimming pool, which is open to the public for a small fee—a buffet is served as you lounge here. Close to one of the island's finer walks as well as the Philosophy Park, it's an excellent base for a whole day or longer. There's also a five-room pensione, with free transfer service by request from Anacapri center.

Just above the Grotta Azzurra with a to-die-for view of the Sorrentine coast and Vesuvius, Il Riccio is a true Mediterranean experience. Capri Palace Jumeirah's executive culinary chef Andrea Migliaccio, supported by executive chef Salvatore Elefante, has created a menu featuring innovative takes on typical Neapolitan recipes, based mainly on seafood. For those with a sweet tooth, the famous dessert room offers the widest selection of local pastries on the island. Alas, sun beds at the beach club are reserved for the hotel's guests.

Tucked away from Via G. Orlandi, there's always a warm, relaxed family welcome and deliciously simple Caprese food here. Do book a spot in the gorgeously gnarled, vine-dappled garden setting. Opened in 1960 as a rustic family inn, each generation has added innovative menu touches, including scialatielli pasta with potato in the mix, tuna with sesame seed crust, and homemade desserts including torta Caprese

Near the busy piazzetta and long one of Capri's most celebrity-haunted restaurants, La Capannina has a discreet flower-decked veranda that's ideal for dining by candlelight. Specialties change daily depending on the season, but the menu always includes ravioli capresi, linguine con lo scorfano (with scorpion fish), and an exquisite "Pezzogna" (sea bream cooked whole and topped with a layer of potatoes). They also own the nearby gourmet store and small lunch spot and late-night bar across the side alleyway.

This sleek restaurant with an unrivaled bay view is on a busy street just steps from the Piazzetta. Passersby often gather to study the menu and drop in for a quick bite (despite surprisingly high prices for some specials and things like soft drinks), though dishes such as scialatielli con aragosta (homemade pasta with lobster) or paccheri al coccio (pasta with shellfish) deserve hours to savor. Two all-window, no-wall dining terraces (one uncovered in good weather) afford spectacular vistas across to Procida and Ischia.

In a 14th-century building close to the Piazzetta, this small, friendly, family-run restaurant has arched ceilings, autographed photos of famous patrons, and lots of atmosphere. Specialties include scialatielli ai fiori di zucchine e gamberetti (with zucchini flowers and shrimp) and cocotte (homemade pasta with mussels, clams, and shrimp), but the owner delights in taking his guests through the menu of regional dishes.

Often frequented by celebrities, whose photographs adorn the walls inside and out, the island's oldest restaurant offers courtesy and simpatia (irrespective of your star status), a sleekly minimalist interior, and tables outside along a chic thoroughfare. The cognoscenti start by sharing a pizza all'Acqua—thin-crust, with mozzarella and a sprinkling of peperoncino (chili)—but the gnocchetti al pesto con fagiolini croccanti e pinoli (dumplings with pesto, beans, and pine nuts) and homemade sweets are good, too. Often open until 2 am, the swanky Aurora Bar across the way serves aperitivi and light meals.

A grove of 130 lemon trees provides the unique setting for this popular restaurant near Marina Grande and down a winding road in a residential area, toward the Bagni di Tiberio. The ubiquitous citrus perfumes the air as you tuck into a bomba—a fried pizza stuffed with mozzarella cheese, ham, and tomato—or one of the many lemon-based desserts.

Nestling in thick maquis high above the Grotta Azzurra and a five-minute walk from the Roman site of Villa Damecuta, this must be one of the most romantic locations in Capri, perfectly placed to catch the setting sun. The cucina is refreshingly inventive with fish being a specialty: ask for scialatelli ai frutti di mare (homemade pasta with fresh mixed seafood). There's a free evening chauffeur service to and from Anacapri. Reservations are essential in the evening.

Take the steps up to the right just before the Giardini di Augusto to find this romantic spot, where outdoor seating is staggered on the layered terraces, commanding a fine view of the Fariglioni. The menu combines the best of local and international cooking, specializing in both meat and seafood dishes. Menu mainstays include the linguine con vongole, tartufi di mare e fiori di zucca (with clams and zucchini blossoms), eggplant parmigiana, and fried squid and prawns served with arugula and tomatoes. 

Although it's not primarily a restaurant, a luncheon dominated by fresh seafood and vegetables in the covered pavilion of this legendary bathing lido of the Marina Piccola is Capri at its most picture-perfect. With two seawater pools, a rocky beach, and I Faraglioni in the distance, it was the erstwhile haunt of Gracie Fields, Emilio Pucci, Noël Coward, and any number of 1950s and '60s glitterati. There are five suites available, too, in case a day at the beach-club is not enough. Boats also depart from here for the more exclusive Da Luigi, the lido-restaurant at the base of I Fariglioni.

This is an airy ristorante--pizzeria opening onto the main road on one side and Anacapri's pedestrianized street on the other. In summer, make sure you reserve a table out on the popular terrace to feast on linguine with capers, anchovies, olives, and cherry tomatoes. The menu's anchovy-based linguine ciammurra refers to the town's inhabitants.

When you've had enough of the florid Caprese decor, head to this restaurant, where the interior design is Parisian but the ambience evokes New York's trendy Meatpacking District. You can't go wrong with the fresh fish or spaghetti alla Nerano (with zucchini, basil, and Parmigiano cheese), and the wine list is a hefty 23 pages. Enjoy a fine bottle and settle in, on the raised terrace or on the street, for some nice people-watching.

This extremely informal trattoria enjoys a distinctive setting up against limestone rocks not far from the Arco Naturale, with the kitchen in a cave at the back. Whether you stumble over it (and are lucky enough to get a table) or intentionally head for it after an island hike, Le Grottelle will prove memorable, thanks to the ambience, the views of Li Galli islands, and a menu that includes ravioli and local rabbit but is best known for seafood dishes such as homemade mezzi paccheri pasta with swordfish and eggplant.

Under the shadow of the Piazzetta's clock tower, this is a pleasant spot to dine above the bustle of the square. Simple local dishes such as ravioli capresi and linguine al limone are accompanied by one of over 150 labels on the wine list; tapas-style snacks are served for those who want a predinner aperitivo. There are just five tables on the outside terrace, so book in advance.

With twinkly lit tables on a large terrace, plus a stylish bar for apertivi and dopo-cena carousing this place is a good bet for sophisticated versions of Caprese and Neapolitan classics. Warm host Pietro and the capable crew will guide you through the changing menu—standouts may include the candele alla Genovese, slow-cooked beef and onion pasta with novel additions, and roasted turbot with shallot cream.