5 Best Restaurants in Chiaia, Santa Lucia, and Nearby, Naples

Connoisseurs often say the most refined pastries in town can be found at Gran Caffè Cimmino. Many of the city's lawyers congregate here, to celebrate or commiserate with crisp, light cannoli; airy lemon eclairs; choux paste in the form of a mushroom laced with chocolate whipped cream; and delightful wild-strawberry tartlets. There are also preprepared pasta dishes for a quick lunch.

A simple enoteca by day, L'Ebbrezza has a dining area in the back that fills up in the evening (and for Sunday lunch), and the attention paid to the quality of the wine carries over to the food. Try one of the fantastic antipasti or the paccheri stuffed with eggplant parmigiana. Other highlights include a daily selection of hot dishes, as well as rare cheeses such as the much-prized pecorino di Fossa di Sogliano from Emilia-Romagna and the local caciocavallo podolico.

Although pizza made using flat, pan-cooked focaccia makes some purists wince, this place makes mouthwatering slices of the crunchy-bottomed creations with a variety of toppings. Skip the predictable tomato variations, and go for the delicious potato-and-rosemary focaccia with melted provola, perhaps washed down with a beer.

Established in 1936, this quartiere Chiaia favorite is the locals' choice for classic Neapolitan pastries like babà (rum-soaked sponge cake), torta caprese (chocolate-and-nut cake), pastiera (tart), and sfogliatelle (shell-shape pastry), freshly baked bread and panini for picnics and buffet/pastry trays for parties.

This café is beloved not only for its excellent coffee but also for its beautiful cakes—concoctions of cream, chocolate, and fruit whose swirls of color make them look like abstract Expressionist paintings. There's also a lunch menu.