Restaurant-Dining Critiques

Via Marina Piccola, 93
80073 Capri (Napoli)
Tel. +39 081 8370104
Fax. +39 081 8370541
info@lacanzonedelmare.com
www.lacanzonedelmare.com
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Expensive - Very Expensive

La Canzone del Mare (Song of the Sea) is located directly above the water in the Marina Piccolo. They have a salt-water pool that is emptied every evening and refilled every morning. You are just steps away from the sea and you may prefer to swim in the little pebble beach cove below the restaurant. Emilio Pucci had one of his first shops near the entrance at one time in the early sixties.
The singer Gracie Fields, resided on the top floor of the restaurant building and I spotted her many times years ago while she was entertaining Arab Sheiks on the large terrace.

You must pay an entrance fee to use the facilities, plus deck chairs, towels, etcetera. It can add up quickly.

The restaurant has always been the most expensive and chic place to have lunch on the sea in Capri.
You may choose from local whole grilled fish (not listed on the menu) but they are sold by the gram and today any one of them that you might choose are outrageously expensive. Anything on the menu is slightly higher than the going price at the rest of the seaside restaurants.

This Beach Club and restaurant is an institution in Capri, and no matter what it costs it is worth going to the place at least once, and if you stick to the printed menu it will not be a painful experience.

Tel. +39 081 8376102
Fax. +39 081 8375611
Via Palazzo a Mare, 11
80073 Capri (NA)
paolino@capri.it
Prices: Moderate

When it was suggested to me by a friend of mine, Prince Sirignano who was well-known to everyone in Capri at the time, while we were having lunch aboard his little boat anchored off the Grotta Verde. When I asked him, “what do you think is the best restaurant in Capri now”? He said without hesitation, “Da Paulino“, certainly you must go to “Da Paulino”.

I arrived thirsty and exhausted after the long walk up the steep hill from the Capri side, it is much easier and faster to go to the restaurant from the Marina Grande.
We were seated at a table under the famous lemon trees where the fruit are as large as grapefruits. In due time, enough to finish an entire liter of Fiuggi water Paulino approached the table and announced in a big voice, “we have the best potatoes you will ever taste and they are grown right here and after . . . the next course, rabbit, we raise the rabbits over there and of course, white wine we make our own from the vineyards on the side of the hill”. Do not ask me for anything else that is all I have today!
He was correct, everything was excellent, the potatoes were the best I had ever tasted, the simply prepared rabbit was delicious as was the wine. A real wine, when wine was not tampered with in the U.C. Davis manner, non-filtered with little things floating about in it.
All delicious!

Tel. +39 081 8370591
Fax. +39 081 8376113
Via Faraglioni, 5
80073 Capri (Napoli)
daluigi@hotelcertosella.com
www.hotelcertosella.com
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Moderate

It is a lovely walk along Via Tragara and down the steep hill through the Mediterranean pine tree forest until you finally see the giant Faraglioni outcroppings coming out of the sea directly in front of you. Situated in front of these rocks is restaurant Da Luigi that has a large terrace that overlooks the water and in the distance you can see the mainland. (see photos, faces darkened to protect the innocent)

It is possible to rent beach chairs to sit on the rocky area filled in with cement to make it flat, as there is no beach; there is a ladder that allows you to climb down into the sea for a swim.

After sunbathing it is up to the terrace for a lovely lunch, which Da Luigi has been serving quite properly year after year. The first thing on the agenda is to order a large bottle of water and a bottle of Tiberio white wine, which the waiter plunks into a large ice bucket and then it is time to settle down to study the menu.
My usual order is pasta or salad and some sort of fish or seafood to follow and maybe some fresh fruit to finish. It could not be a more perfect surrounding for a long lunch, which maybe punctuated with a swim mid-course.

You may wish to walk the lunch off by trudging up the hill after lunch or take the easy way by taking the scenic boat ride to Marina Piccolo and from there it is a short bus or taxi run up the sinuous road to the town of Capri.

Tel. +39 081 8370845
Fax. +39 081 8374612
Location: Faraglioni
80073 Capri (Napoli)
fontelina@capri.it
Prices: Moderate - Expensive

La Fontelina is a special little cove with a restaurant set on a rocky promontory above the sea; you can swim by climbing down the short ladders from the rocks into the sea as there is no beach. Colorful, umbrella covered, tables overlook the Faraglioni rocks and it is one of the most exclusive restaurants on the sea, serving the best cooking at the waters edge, simply presented local seafood and pasta. I did not visit on my last trip (I have dined there countless times over the years) because of our small child, it is not suitable for children because of deep and possibly rough water. I have also checked with the locals to make sure nothing has changed, and it is also reassuring that it is still owned by the same family for over 50 years.

Boat service back to Marina Piccolo is available. It is a must to have lunch here and essential to book at the telephone number above.

La Capannina Restaurant
Tel. +39 081 8370732
Fax. +39 081 8376990
Via Le Botteghe, 12bis/14
80073 Capri (Napoli)
capannina@capri.it
www.capannina-capri.com
Credit Cards: All major
Prices: Expensive

If you walk down a narrow street leading off from the piazza of Capri called Via Le Botteghe you will eventually arrive at the restaurant. It is on the right side of the street and the De Angelis family or one of the staff will greet you. Try to arrange to be seated downstairs as this room is more fun than dining upstairs, in my view.
The menu features typical specialties of the region, as do most of the restaurant on the island, although there is a more diverse selection than in some other establishments.
The wine list is very extensive with many Italian and foreign listings.

Terrazza Brunella
Tel. +39 081 8370122
Fax +39 081 8370430
Via Tragara, 24a
80073 Capri (Napoli)
villabrunella@capri.it
www.terrazzabrunella.com
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Expensive

Terrazza Brunella has a magnificent view overlooking the Marina Piccolo. At night it is enchanting to view the glittering lights on the bay.
The owner is a music fan and he has state-of-the-art equipment to play soft music earlier in the evening and then slowly escalating to light jazz later on. I thoroughly enjoyed the music, it sounds as if it is live, as well as the cuisine and, of course, and the view.

We started with: gnocchi verdi al gorgonzola and linguini frutta di mare and moved on to: scaloppina al funghi porcini ending with frutta fresca. On the wine side a bottle of the local (Campania) Falanghina and finished with a half bottle of Aglianico Corte Normanna. as could be expected both were excellent.

On the wine list all the important regions of Italy are offered. It is about a five minute walk from the Quisisana Hotel down Via Camerelle and then jog left up to Via Tragara.

Via Camerelle, 75
80073 Capri (Napoli)
Tel. +39 081 8370320
Credit Cards: All Major
rist.faraglioni@libero.it
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Moderate - Expensive

The Faraglioni Restaurant is about a two minute walk down Via Camerelle from the Grand Hotel Quisisana, and in the evening it is a very popular place to be seen, it means booking is essential. You can choose to sit outside, very pleasant or inside not as ideal. The restaurant attracts an international crowd and you may sample all the Caprese dishes as well as cooking from other regions and in addition they have a very comprehensive wine list to accompany the menu. Try to book one of the straw covered tables on the other side of the street, this is the A section.

Via Madre Serafina, 6
80073 Capri (Napoli)
Tel. +39 081 8370461 / 83
Fax. +39 081 8378947
email:dagemma@capri.it
website: http://www.dagemma.it
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Moderate

I was a frequent customer and knew Gemma very well, what a lovely lady - she always wore a red sweater or some article of clothing in bright red and was constantly smiling and greeted most of her customers personally. It was in the sixties when I first met her, and in fact, a photo of me taken in those days still hangs above the reception desk. This was the era when Capri was a destination for the “Dolce Vita” set. In those days, every evening was like a fashion parade on the streets of Capri with ladies dripping with jewelry and dressed in Emilio Pucci. These days’ things have changed, and the torn jeans crowd has taken over, although one thing that will never change is Capri, thank God, as they have a no-build law and everything is regulated to preserve the island in its original state. There will be no mega-malls or high rise condos as long as the five or six families that control Capri are in charge.

Da Gemma also has a small pizzeria, across the small tunneled alleyway that winds along in front of the main restaurant, and the pizzas are the best on the island. The dining room faces the Marina Grande side of the island and Gemma’s location is just above the stairway that leads up from the piazza next to the church.
Every day the restaurant has fresh fish or veal prepared any way you wish, and a very lengthy menu that you can choose from, it all may be washed down with an excellent bottle of fresh, easy to drink, Capri white wine (10-5% -11% alcohol) in addition to the famous labels from around Campania that are offered on the wine list. Booking a table is essential in the evening!