At this tiny wine shop in working class Sanità, the big tanks hold bulk wine from small farmers around Mount Vesuvio. Customers can either fill a jug or a glass with the affordable vino. 4th generation owner Francesco Sepe is known as the “Maradona of wine” for his popular Thursday night aperitivo, AperiSepe. People spill onto street as bands play. Dad and Francesco pour high-quality bottles as Mom makes homemade meatball and parmigiana sandwiches. It’s as convivial as watching a home game.

When in seaside Chiaia, we chart our course for this seasonal, locavore gem. Specialties are fish and seafood – as one would expect at a place named “anchovy head.” We love the anchovies fried in breadcrumbs and basil and the fish burger. Pastas are sublime, like the Genovese sauce made from onions browned for 12 hours. Cap’alice pours some of the best Campania wines. Owner Mario Lombardi pops from table to table, proud of his modest place with big flavors.

In a corner of La Torretta Market, this little lunch-only spot is always jamming. Locals and marina workers clamor for a rare, buttery Neapolitan treat: the gattò. A rustic potato, cheese, and salami cake inspired by French gâteaux, its only made on Tues. and Fri. Booking in advance is essential. The fantastic pastas change each day to please the clients who have dined daily for 30 years. Nonna now watches over them from her photo on the wall. Her daughter, Concetta, continues the tradition.

A temple for meat lovers in the city center. Macellaria by day, the butcher shop becomes a burgeria for lunch, dinner, and late-night eats. 3 different cuts of beef and 4 generations of meat know-how go into each fantastic burger. Also on the menu, we dig the Parmigiana alla Genovese, smothered in meat and onion sauce. The Neapolitan hot dogs are equally tasty. They’re one of the many ways owners Raffaele and Roberta deliciously bring heritage into the 21st century.

In a city of centuries-old culinary traditions, a new pastry has already become a classic. Ciro Poppella created the il fiocco di neve (snowflake) to boost declining business. Now, these little cream-filled, powdered sugar dusted doughballs are so popular they’re being copied around town. Ciro won’t share the whole recipe but tells us the cream is made with sheep’s milk ricotta and fresh milk. The customers don’t care how they’re made. They just want to eat more.

Attilio has been making pizza for half a century. He started at age 6 helping his mom, Maria Francesca. 50 years later, the mother-and-son team still run this convivial spot. Whether in classic round or star-shaped, Attilio’s pizzas are famous for their lightness. Along with the pizza, try bacetti, ricotta and provola spirals, and crocchettone, a giant, stuffed potato croquette. Many regulars come for Maria Francesca’s homey pastas. Bonus: the bread is baked daily in the pizza oven.

For the city’s best ragù, head to the only spot dedicated to the marvelous meat sauce. Here, the sauce is simmered 8 hours then left overnight for the flavors to meld. Order it atop pasta. Or, make like you’re at nonna’s house with scarpetta – a bowl of sauce with a hunk of bread. Both are generous portions for a reasonable price. “Ragù must be eaten together with a friend; it’s like riding a tandem bicycle,” says the fiery owner, Manuela. That’s why solo diners will feel at home here, too.

Though the name means melancholy, this tiny trattoria makes us smile. For they serve our favorite Genovese, the marvelous sauce of long-simmered onions and meat. Served with pennette pasta, the melt-in-your-mouth dish is offered on Tuesdays. Other traditional Neapolitan recipes include fried anchovies, meatballs, and Friday’s mussel soup. The interior is so small you’ll often make friends with your fellow diners. Like the one besides us who claimed, “they have the best prices in Naples.”