<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">The Neapolitan stairs are ancient urban routes that connect the upper and lower parts of the city. Besides the beautiful panoramic views of the city, a reason to climb these stairs is to look for </span><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/naples/2019/toto-eduardo-e-pasta-e-fagioli/"><span style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204)"><u>Totò, Eduardo e Pasta e Fagioli</u></span></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">, an old tavern with a stunning terrace overlooking historic Naples.&nbsp;</span></p><p></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">In the 1920s, the spot was home to a winery. By the ’70s, the Bianchini family had taken it over and created a tavern with a menu based on traditional Neapolitan dishes. Our recommendation is the <em>scarpariello</em>, a pasta dish of Neapolitan origin – easy, fast and very tasty with cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and pecorino. After 50 years, the tavern is a point of reference to test real Neapolitan specialties. Which is all well and good, but we must highlight once more its other strong point: the terrace. Make a reservation to enjoy the terrace when the setting sun illuminates the profile of Vesuvius.</span></p>

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<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">The typical Neapolitan trattoria is a place where you go to eat like you would at home. The cook buys everything fresh in the morning, and then spends the rest of the day in the kitchen, which they rule like a maestro. For the quintessential trattoria experience, we head to </span><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/naples/2019/cucina-da-vittorio/"><span style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204)"><u>Cucina da Vittorio</u></span></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> in Fuorigrotta, a working-class district on the west side of Naples. Opened by Vittorio Correale in 1965, this spot is mostly filled with regulars. They come for their favorite saucy meatballs with fried peppers, stockfish stew or a takeaway panini overflowing with sausage and fried<em> friarielli</em> (Neapolitan broccoli rabe). The menu is written on a blackboard in the center of the room. “It is almost always the same,” the front-of-house manager, Antonio, said, “a few typical Neapolitan dishes: pasta and beans, pasta and potatoes, steak, sausages. And then there are the special dishes of the day – but only a couple.” It’s what we love about this reliable home away from home.</span></p>

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<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">On a side street adjacent to the crowded Via Toledo, father-daughter duo Gaetano and Giusy Aiese at </span><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/naples/2018/la-taverna-del-buongustaio/"><span style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204)"><u>La Taverna del Buongustaio</u></span></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> focus solely on traditional Neapolitan cuisine – no room for innovations, deconstructed dishes or light fare.&nbsp;Every morning, Giusy goes to the Pignasecca market and buys the very best things. This fine, fresh produce forms the backbone of the vegetable dishes that dominate the window at the restaurant’s entrance. There’s eggplant cooked in a variety of ways, zucchini <em>alla scapece</em> (fried and seasoned with plenty of vinegar), <em>friarielli soffritti </em>(pan-fried broccoli rabe). The daily dishes are as good as the everyday mains: pasta and beans with mussels, fried anchovies stuffed with cheese.</span></p>

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<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">One day, or so the story goes, a group of tourists asked an elderly priest in Naples which churches were really worth visiting. The priest replied, “There are many churches, but have you tried the spaghetti with clams?” There are tons of Neapolitan restaurants that prepare excellent spaghetti with clams. But when we crave this dish, we head to </span><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/naples/2018/pizzeria-e-trattoria-vigliena/"><span style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204)"><u>Pizzeria e Trattoria Vigliena</u></span></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">, outside the center and adjacent to the port. At lunch, the place is packed with workers from the docks and marina.</span><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">In the kitchen, Mama Concetta prepares a miraculous spaghetti with clams (although her spaghetti with octopus, pasta and potatoes, and pasta and beans are equally famous). The mid-20th-century restaurant is owned by Raffaele Esposito, Concetta’s son and the third generation of a family of chefs. We often find him at the pizza counter (even the pizza here is fantastic), while his wife, Susy, sits behind the cash register. On his recommendation, we ordered a pizza without toppings to use as dipping bread for our spaghetti with clams.</span></p>

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<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">No fake antiques strategically placed to draw tourists, </span><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/naples/2022/la-cantina-di-via-sapienza/"><span style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204)"><u>La Cantina Di Via Sapienza</u></span></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> is a true neighborhood spot that serves meals to nearby university and polyclinic students and staff. Once a Neapolitan cantina that dispensed wines and oils in bulk, the Formato family now dishes out tasty local dishes with a little fanfare. The eggplant parmigiana is a real jewel, and on our last visit, we ordered it together with a couple of meatballs in tomato sauce: a near perfect union. The menu changes daily, with no shortage of traditional dishes from the Campania region. Some days it’s pasta with potatoes, on others it’s ragù or Genovese, sometimes escarole and beans or roasted sausages with broccoli rabe. Always delicious.</span></p>

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<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">Behind the counter at the modest </span><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/naples/2022/spiedo-doro-2/"><span style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204)"><u>Spiedo d’Oro</u></span></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">, owner Vincenzo Monzo and his wife, Cinzia, have something welcoming to say to every customer who walks in. With a few spartan tables and a glass-lined counter where you can see what’s available for lunch, Spiedo d’Oro is the definition of a no-frills joint. This is one of those places where the cooking is dependably good every day, a home away from home, warm greeting and all.</span><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">Everything served here represents what we like to think of as the “holy trifecta of the Backstreets” – good quality ingredients, extremely fresh and very affordable. It’s not surprising, then, that Spiedo d’Oro can get very busy. Although it’s located near the Pignasecca market, one of the city’s liveliest, it’s a bit further up from the historic center, giving it an off-the-beaten-path feel. A daily chalkboard menu boasts various pastas, meatball dishes and plates with Genovese sauce, at frankly unbeatable prices.</span></p>

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<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">Porta Capuana has for centuries been known for its restaurants and delicious food. In the 1900s, Via Cesare Rosaroll was the Neapolitan Montmartre, filled with writers, poets and painters. Today, the district is a little worse for wear, a high-traffic area due to its proximity to the central station. But redevelopment works are underway, including the restoration of the famous Aragonese towers, and </span><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/naples/2023/e-pronto-o-mangia-come-and-get-it/"><span style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204)"><u>È Pronto ‘O Mangià</u></span></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> manages to draw a crowd of locals and tourists with its feel-good plates. Matteo and his wife, Concetta (Titta, for short), have been whipping out pasta and seafood dishes for a while, and their two standards of the <em>primi piatti</em> (first course) combine the two: the terracotta <em>pignatiello</em> and linguine <em>al cartoccio</em>. A glass counter shows off trays of tempting sides, among which we can always find a truly sumptuous eggplant parmigiana.</span></p>

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<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">The backbone of a perfect Neapolitan meal is the Genovese, a simple yet miraculous sauce made of meat (veal, beef or pork) and a heap of onions (red or white). Even though it shares its name with the northern Italian city of Genoa (where the dish is, in fact, relatively unknown), the Genovese was born in Naples. We eat it often, and one of the best versions in town is the sumptuous <em>pennette alla </em>Genovese prepared every Tuesday for lunch at </span><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/naples/2018/trattoria-malinconico/"><span style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204)"><strong><u>Trattoria Malinconico</u></strong></span></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">. Pasquale Malinconico opened the spot in 1958 as a bulk wine cellar, but then began making a few small plates that were popular with locals, which eventually grew into larger meals. Still today the trattoria is frequented by the neighborhood’s older residents, many of whom have been loyal regulars for years, as well as younger locals and workers, who often stop by for a glass of wine. The restaurant still sells wine from the metal barrel.</span></p>

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