Cibi Cotti — Restaurant in Naples

Rustic and delicious food served with a smile in a buzzy local atmosphere.

We discovered this spot at the back of the municipal market and we knew we were on to a winner. Despite my awful Italian, the lady of the house greeted us with a smile and told us the English were welcome. She pointed out to me that we should order from Enzo at the counter and then we sat down to one of the most memorable meals during our stay in Naples. There wasn't a menu, no waiters were fussing over us and no pretence was made. Locals came in calling hellos to their friends and to the staff behind the counter. We couldn't quite understand but they seemed to be asking for what they fancied or what was fresh. For our daughter a pasta baked in tomato sauce topped with a smoked cheese that was delicious. For us a baked fish and the braised octopus accompanied with a couple of vegetables. The food was banging and we washed it down with lashings of cold red wine from an unmarked bottle.

This is a proper Italian cantina, serving fresh local produce covered in lashings of olive oil. It was a challenge even as experienced food tourists to understand what was going on but it was a brilliant experience. Thank you so much to the team here for the kind welcome and patience. A meal we remember with fondness for...

The definition of "hidden gem". This spot is literally hidden inside a local market, you won't find it just walking around the area, and probably that's what makes it so authentic. When you see all the locals eating here you know it's the real deal.

No menu, no listed prices. Just some freshly homemade food on exhibition to pick from. We had pasta e patate (a Napoletan classic), some cooked vegetables and the octopus. All of it was outstanding, the taste was delicious. This is how homemade Napoletan food should taste like.

The service was super friendly, and even though they could have taken advantage of us since we were tourists, I am pretty sure they didn't considering how cheap the food was (20 EUR for the three dishes, I believe the octopus was 9 EUR, the pasta 4 EUR and the mixed vegetables 7 EUR). There is no coperto charge, but beware that if you eat the bread on the table you'll pay...

I found this hole-in-the-hole gem favored by locals from a YouTube video. It's hard to find from the main road. You have to go under an arch door into a courtyard market where the restaurant is located in a corner. I was the only foreigner there. You order by pointing to the food laid out behind the glass counter. I had prawns, spinach and grilled zucchini & bread. The total came to €15. It was delicious. The older gentleman sitting across from me (you share a table with others because there aren't too many) told the waiter to bring more paper napkins for me once he saw I was licking my finger eating the prawns. When you finish, you ask the waiter to bring the bill (remember, everyone orders from the counter, so I don't know how he sorted them out) and you then bring the bill to the entrance to pay an old lady. This is a real taste...