My husband and are traveling to Sorrento/Naples/Capri for our 25 anniversary. We enjoy nice restaurants and good food, but would like to discover hidden gems/off the beaten path restaurants too. Please make suggestions for restaurant choices for both lunch and dinner. We will going to Positano and Solerno too. Thank you
Posted by
49 posts
It's been a few years since I've been there. If you haven't been to Naples before, it's a dirty City that can be unsafe. We stayed in Sorrento, across the bay, and really enjoyed it. The towns/villages south of Sorrento along the Amalfi coast are also picturesque. If there are things you want to see in Naples, you can take the train there from Sorrento to spend the day. Regarding food, I don't have specific recommendations, but we always walk around and consider, among other things, how busy a restaurant is - if it's empty, we keep looking!
Posted by
Atlanta
967 posts
In Naples we had a great lunch at Pulchinella. We let our young server choose some of his favorites for us. Presentations were lovely, food was good, and bill was light. Try some sfogliatelle from a street vendor. That's the clamshell shaped pastry filled with ricotta and dusted with powdered sugar (that you will wear for the next hour.) And pizza in Naples is legendary, probably even from the no name places. (I liked Naples a lot on our short time there at the end of a long Italian holiday. It's gritty, but blessedly untouristy for the region. I never felt unsafe. It's someplace I definitely want to see more of.)
In Sorrento I liked Leone Russo, a restaurant a little out of the center. The seafood antipasti fantastico filled two generous dinner plates and would have been a good place to stop if we hadn't already ordered pastas. It was a football night, and lots of locals were taking out their pizza. Very reasonable.
In Capri you might want to keep on going up on the little bus to Anacapri to lose the Rodeo Drive vibe. We walked through the little town, past the school and playground, and found a tiny outdoor trattoria with wonderful pastas. Don't remember the name but the area had mostly little stores for locals. There weren't many restaurants back there, maybe only this one. Find the playground. It's nearby.
You didn't ask about this, but the Circumvesuviana train is kind of a pain. Especially since you are on a celebratory trip, check out the ferry for getting from Naples to Sorrento. Also, a driver is not outrageous. We had planned to take the ferry back to Naples from Sorrento to avoid the train again, but the early November day was really foggy. Pasquale at Villa Monica in Sorrento (which we loved!) arranged a last minute driver for us for a very reasonable price. Enjoy!