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La Cantina della Sapienza
No culinary acrobatics here, just pared-down classics such as parmigiana di melanzane (slices of baked aubergine with decadent layers of tomato and parmesan) and pizza bianco , topped with nothing more than a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and crunchy sea salt. Babà fans take note - there's a different type baked each day.
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La Sfogliatella
Diet? What diet? Lose all self-control at this buzzing pasticceria , famed for its sfogliatelle and house specialities: zeffiro all'arancia (orange delicacy), chocolate and rum cakes, and riccias millefeuilles (pastry with an apple-custard filling).
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Lombardi a Santa Chiara
From J-Lo lookalikes to cantankerous nonni , Neapolitans clamber to get into this faded favourite. Perche? For classic pizza, hearty pasta and finger-licking seafood. Vegetarians are spoilt for choice, with satisfying salads and an artfully combined platter of courgettes, artichokes and buffalo mozzarella. Weekend queues are long, so book ahead.
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Ma Tu Vulive'a Pizza
Lively and packed; come here for epic pizzas and heaving calzoni . Tuck into the salubrious calzone Terra Mia , stuffed with vegetables, provola cheese, black olives and capers as you eavesdrop on student conversations about politics, travel and who's hot or not. In the evening, head to nearby Piazza Santa Maria la Nova for late-night boho chilling.
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Maktub
Mandolins and wall plates? Try yellow paper lanterns and a gnarled tree trunk growing out of the dining room floor. Add barrel-vaulted ceiling, candlelight, DJ and a laid-back crowd, and you start to get the picture. Go for the scialatielli con pomodorino (pasta with cherry tomatoes) or zucchini e pancetta (pasta with tomato, courgettes and bacon) and finish off with the naughty sbriciolona di Nutella (chocolate salami).
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Moccia
With gleaming displays of dainty strawberry tartlets, liqueur-soaked babà and creamy gelato (try a watermelon and peach combo), no one is safe at this chichi pastry peddler - blow-waved matriarchs, peckish professionals or waif-thin Chiaia princesses. The almond caprese is the best in town.
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Nennella
Classic and chaotic, this legend is unmissable. Write your name and number of guests on the list by the door and wait for the manager to call you in, boot camp-style. Inside, roguish waiters shout orders across the floor, patriarchs propose toasts and Rolexed studs dine with Mafia mistresses. Tuck into crispy fried sardines, lip-smacking spaghetti con lupine (spaghetti with lupin) or insalatona nennella (rocket, bresaola and radish salad).
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Pintauro
Follow your nose and join the queue for the city's best sfogliatella. But don't stop there. This legendary pasticceria does a mean babà and melt-in-your-mouth biscotti di mandorla (almond biscuits).
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Port'Alba
Possibly the oldest pizzeria in the world (it was founded in 1738), this doughy stalwart sits snugly on a cobbled street of secondhand bookshops. Sit outside under Port'Alba itself and choose from a dizzying selection of pizza and pasta. Fed and full, settle the bill and head to nearby Intra Moenia for laid-back coffee and culture.
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Salvatore
The key to happiness? Balmy nights, bay views and super-fresh seafood. You're guaranteed at least the last two at this buzzing favourite, with its dolce vita terrace and blingy indoor chandeliers. Culinary clichés make way for cecinielle (fried fish patties), comforting minestra in brodo (thick noodle broth) and calamaretti con uva passa (baby squid with pine nuts and raisins). Owner Tonino is a serious wine buff.
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Scimmia
The best of the much-loved Scimmia outlets, locals flock here rain, hail or shine for creamy made-on-the-premises ice cream. Go the zabaglione (made with eggs and sweet Marsala wine) or a tangy orange sorbet, and swing your hips to samba on the Latino-flavoured square.
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Starita
They don't get more Neapolitan than this pizzeria. Set in a washing-strung street, the giant fork and ladle hanging on the wall were used by Sophia Loren in L'Oro di Napoli - the kitchen made the pizze fritte sold by the actress in the film. Get indecisive over the 53 pizzas or trust in the owner's favourite, fiorilli e zucchini with its zucchini, zucchini flower and provola topping.
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Trianon
A Neapolitan institution - film director Vittorio de Sica and comic Totò used to eat here - this few-frills pizzeria has been tossing pizzas with the best of them since 1923. Today, burly labourers, boisterous families and giggling Japanese girlfriends come to chew in communal bliss.
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Tripperia Fiorenzano
Beneath languorous strips of hanging tripe, 5th-generation trippaio (tripe seller) Antonio and his son busily prepare take-home orders for hurried housewives. Behind the counter, five tables and a neon-blue shrine to Christ set the scene for sit-down adventures. Be brave and try the zuppa di carne cotta (tripe broth) or the quintessentially Neapolitan tripe with tomato and basil. You might surprise yourself.
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Umberto
Gluten-intolerant diners can feast on allergy-friendly fare, such as a refreshing orange, almond and fennel salad and perfectly pan-fried swordfish with cherry tomatoes, olives and capers. The cheaper gourmet pizzas include a fabulous prosciutto crudo , rocket, mozzarella and parmesan combo.
