Street food in Naples: what to taste

In Naples you can eat wonderfully well even standing up. Street food here is not a hurried snack: it's an ancient tradition, born in the alleys and fry shops, that tells the story of the city better than many guidebooks. On this page you'll find the great classics to try at least once, from savoury to sweet, with some practical tips for enjoying them as you stroll through the historic centre, a few steps from Phaedra House.

Where to eat in the street

The heart of street food is the old town: Via dei Tribunali, Spaccanapoli (Via Benedetto Croce and Via San Biagio dei Librai), and the streets around the Cathedral and Forcella. Another place not to miss is the Pignasecca market, near Montesanto, with its stalls and fry shops. In all these areas you'll see windows full of golden fried food and counters where you order, pay and eat straight away.

The savoury classics

[foto da caricare] A cuoppo of Neapolitan fried food

Pizza a portafoglio

It's a small pizza, usually margherita or marinara, folded in four like a wallet. You eat it while walking, holding it in its paper. It's cheap, quick and perhaps the most Neapolitan way of eating pizza. If you're looking for places to sit down at a table, read our guide to the historic pizzerias near the Cathedral and Via dei Tribunali.

Fried pizza

Pizza dough is filled, closed into a half-moon and deep-fried. The classic filling combines ricotta, cicoli (pork cracklings), tomato and pepper, but there are many versions, including with provola. Born as food for the working-class neighbourhoods, today it's a symbol of the city.

The cuoppo

The cuoppo is a paper cone full of fried food. There are two big families:

• land cuoppo (cuoppo di terra): potato crocchè, arancini (in Naples also called palle di riso, rice balls), zeppoline (small fritters of leavened dough, sometimes with seaweed) and scagliuozzi (triangles of fried polenta);
• sea cuoppo (cuoppo di mare): small fish, squid and prawns, fried, depending on what the day offers.

Frittatina di pasta

A disc of pasta (often bucatini) bound with béchamel, peas and minced meat or ham, breaded and fried. Crunchy outside and very soft inside: careful, it's boiling hot when freshly made.

Taralli sugna e pepe

Crumbly taralli made with lard (the "sugna"), pepper and almonds. Traditionally eaten while strolling along the seafront, perhaps with a cold beer. Also perfect as a souvenir to take home.

'O pere e 'o musso

One of the oldest street foods: boiled cuts of pork and veal, chopped into small pieces and served cold with salt and lemon. It's not for everyone, but for those who love popular cooking it's an authentic experience.

The sweet classics

[foto da caricare] Sfogliatelle and babà

Sfogliatella

The pastry that symbolises Naples. It comes in two versions:

• riccia: crunchy pastry with very thin layers, shaped like a shell;
• frolla: with a soft shortcrust shell.

The filling is made with semolina, ricotta, candied fruit and cinnamon. Eat it warm, fresh from the oven: it's a different pastry altogether.

Babà

A small pastry of leavened dough, soaked in rum syrup. You'll find it in pastry shops in its classic version or filled with custard or cream. Very soft and fragrant, it's perfect with coffee.

Graffa

A fried doughnut made with flour and potato dough, coated in sugar. You'll find it mainly in the morning, in bars and fry shops: a true Neapolitan breakfast.

And then coffee

In Naples coffee is drunk at the counter, in a few seconds, and it's part of the ritual of every break. In many bars a glass of water is offered before the coffee. If you want a tradition to remember: the "caffè sospeso", a coffee paid in advance for whoever comes next.

Practical tips

• Eat it as soon as it's ready: fried food is at its best hot, but wait a few seconds before the first bite.
• Take a little, often: better to taste one piece here and one there than to fill up at the first window.
• Opening times and days change from one shop to another: if you're looking for a specific place, check its official website or Google listing.
• Respect the queue and the pace of the counter: order quickly, pay and make room for whoever comes next.
• Take a break in the squares: Piazza San Gaetano, Piazza Bellini or the steps of the Cathedral are great for sitting down for a moment.

From morning to evening

Every moment of the day has its own street food:

• Morning: coffee at the counter with a warm sfogliatella or a freshly fried graffa.
• Mid-morning: a tarallo sugna e pepe, if you're out in the centre or towards the sea.
• Quick lunch: pizza a portafoglio or fried pizza, eaten while strolling along the decumani.
• Afternoon: a babà with coffee, in a pastry shop.
• Aperitif and evening: a cuoppo of fried food to share, perhaps with a cold beer.

A tasty itinerary from the historic centre

[foto da caricare] An alley in the historic centre of Naples

A simple idea for an afternoon: start from the Cathedral, walk along Via dei Tribunali tasting a pizza a portafoglio or a frittatina, head down to Spaccanapoli for a sfogliatella and a coffee, and finish with a stroll towards Piazza del Gesù. All on foot, all in the old town.

Stay in the heart of good food

Phaedra House is in Piazzetta Sant'Arcangelo a Baiano, a few minutes' walk from the Cathedral and Via dei Tribunali: the best-loved fry shops and pastry shops are practically around the corner. Discover the apartment and see where we are.

For more ideas, browse the Pizza and street food section of our guide.