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Friggitoria Fiorenzano
Slap-bang in market country, this majolica-tiled veteran serves Italian-style tempura such as crunchy deep-fried aubergines and artichokes (in season), and prosciutto-and-mozzarella-stuffed croquets. Wolf them down by the counter or dive back into the market throng.
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Friggitoria Vomero
This lovingly worn corner snack bar keeps punters happy with superb fritture such as deep-fried aubergines, potatoes and zeppole . Located opposite the funicular, it's a good place to stock up before legging it to Castel Sant'Elmo.
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I Giardini di Capodimonte
Like a merciful mate, this shady terraced number waits at the top of the steep steps leading from Tondo di Capodimonte. Be good to yourself with a bowl of gnocchetti al limone (gnocchi with lemon) or the decadent risotto allo champagne (champagne risotto). Gurgling fountain and sultry Neapolitan song complete the soothing picture.
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Il Caffè Arabo
Arab by name, Arab by nature. This funky bolthole dishes out good-value falafel, hummus, fuul (a bean-based dip) and kebabs. Heartier fare includes a vegetarian couscous and a brave attempt at curry (more like a mild vegetable stew). The wine is the cheapest on the piazza.
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Intra Moenia
Lattes and literature live side by side at this free-thinking cafe/bookshop/publishing house. It's a hit with the left-leaning and artistically inclined, who feed their souls on the misto di formaggi (mixed cheese platter) and fruit salad with honey and muesli. The house wine costs around €4.00 a glass.
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Jap-One
Giving Kukai stiff competition in the sushi stakes, this supertrendy bolthole is hidden away down a series of 'where-am-I' laneways. Inside, fashionistas with savvy palates nibble on faultless sashimi, nigori and tempura in a suitably minimalist setting of polished concrete, steel and cocoa-coloured furnishings.
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Kukai
Sick of spaghetti? Then join the urban-savvy for fresh sushi and real-deal temaki . Sip green tea and choose from a menu that a Tokyoite couldn't fault. As for the takeaway and delivery service - it's as brisk as a Bullet Train.
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L.U.I.S.E.
This chic little deli is a gourmand's playpen - think fat cheeses and sausages, homemade foodstuffs and bottles of luscious wine. In the back room, lunching 9-to-5-ers tuck into warming osso buco , nourishing risotti and homemade gnocchi. Busy travellers can take away, with freshly fried pizza fritta , crisp arancini and sugar-dusted pasticcini crema amarena (pastries filled with cherry cream).
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La Bersagliera
This harbourside diva has wined and dined the best of them - there are photos of Salvador Dali and Sophia Loren to prove it. Waterfront views and a lavish dining room set the scene for star-worthy dishes such as clam and mussel soup and taglierini (fine ribbon pasta) with baby octopus, black olives and tomatoes.
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La Caffettiera
Proud waiters in waistcoats serve potent espresso and cool Camparis to cross-legged businessmen and chichi shopaholics. Take a seat on the terrace (no one can see you inside, sweetie) order a slice of the torta di mandorla (almond cake) and compare shopping bag sizes.
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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 Cantinella
Fussy foodies flock here for sophisticated twists on classic dishes. At crisp linen tables they savour the likes of beef fillet with Marsala sauce and pork liver served with Saracen flour flan, and encrusted pork with apples and Parma ham drizzled in an Armagnac sauce. Desserts are equally luxe, and the lengthy and interesting wine list yields some excellent quaffs.
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La Focaccia
The young, the hip and the just-plain-starving cram into this funky red spot for fat focaccia squares stacked with lip-smacking combos such as aubergine, pecorino cheese and smoked ham.
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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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La Sfogliatella Mary
Never short of a clambering crowd, this hole-in-the-wall kiosk serves up some of the steamiest, creamiest sfogliatelle in town. Start off with the super-cheap mini-size before hitting the hard stuff. Top off your sugar fix with a mini Moretto, a dreamy chocolate babà filled with decadent cocoa cream.
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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.
