Naples nightlife starts early and moves on foot. Evenings open with an aperitivo around seven: a wine counter in Chiaia, a spritz in the Quartieri Spagnoli, a terrace on Piazza Bellini. From there people drift toward cocktail rooms and music bars that stay open well past midnight. The crowd is mostly local. Each neighbourhood keeps its own rhythm, and the better rooms are small, so booking matters.
The short list
12 places, in the order they appear below.
- 01Enoteca BelledonneNatural wine by the glass at the counterChiaia
- 02Puteca Wine BarWine at tables on the stepsGradoni di Chiaia
- 03Cammarota SpritzA cheap spritz on the pavementQuartieri Spagnoli
- 04Intra Moenia Caffè LetterarioTerrace aperitivo and cultural eventsPiazza Bellini
- 05GluuNatural wine and small platesCentro Storico
- 06Vineria BanditaCampanian natural producersVomero
- 07L'AntiquarioA booked cocktail eveningVia Vannella Gaetani
- 08Astronomia Bar SegretoSpeakeasy cocktailsCentro Storico
- 09Archivio StoricoHistory-themed cocktailsVomero
- 10Bourbon StreetJazz and whiskyNear Teatro San Carlo
- 11Mamamu BarDJ sets and live eventsCentro Storico
- 12Bidder Terrace BarSunset over the GulfCorso Vittorio Emanuele
Where do Neapolitans go for aperitivo?
Most Neapolitan evenings begin with aperitivo, usually between six and eight, and each neighbourhood does it differently. Chiaia pours natural wine at a narrow counter or on a staircase. The Quartieri Spagnoli hands you a cheap spritz to drink in the street. On Piazza Bellini, in the centro storico, students and academics take the terrace tables facing a Greek wall.
At Enoteca Belledonne the wine shelves climb to the ceiling and the counter is full by seven. Staff pour Campanian and Italian natural wines by the glass and tell you about the small producer behind each bottle.
Enoteca Belledonne
Hours: Mon–Thu 09:30–13:30, 16:30–00:00 · Fri–Sat 09:30–13:30, 16:30–01:00 · Sun 18:30–00:00
Address: Vico Belledonne a Chiaia, 18, 80121 Napoli NA, Italy
Up on the Gradoni di Chiaia, Puteca puts its tables on the steps themselves. On warm evenings they go first, so aim to arrive before half past seven. The list leans to Italian natural producers. For a sense of what the region is making now, order from the Campanian bottles, with cheeses, charcuterie and seasonal vegetables on the side.
Puteca Wine Bar
Hours: Mon–Fri 16:00–00:00 · Sat 12:00–00:30 · Sun 16:00–00:00
Address: Gradoni di Chiaia, 70, 80132 Napoli NA, Italy
Cammarota Spritz works in the opposite register. It is a counter and a pavement in the Quartieri Spagnoli, with spritz at prices that still belong to the neighbourhood and a crowd that runs from twenty-somethings to pensioners. Take your glass outside around six, when the streets start to fill.
Cammarota Spritz
Hours: Mon–Sat 16:30–01:30 · Sun closed
Address: Vico Lungo Teatro Nuovo, 31, 80134 Napoli NA, Italy
Intra Moenia has been the literary café of the centro storico for decades. The drinks are simple. People come for the terrace on Piazza Bellini, which faces the remains of a 4th-century BC Greek wall, and for the readings, concerts and exhibitions in the back rooms. The back-room programme is sometimes the better reason to come.
Intra Moenia Caffè Letterario
Hours: Mon–Sun 10:00–02:00
Address: Piazza Bellini, 67/70, 80138 Napoli NA, Italy
Where to drink natural wine in Naples away from Chiaia
Natural wine has spread well beyond Chiaia. In the centro storico, Gluu runs a wine bar, small kitchen and bottle shop out of one room on Via Santa Chiara. Up in the Vomero, Vineria Bandita pours nothing but natural wine and keeps a list of Campanian producers as complete as any in the city, in a part of town with no tourist traffic.
Gluu sits on a quiet stretch of the street. The by-the-glass list turns over fast and the antipasti are made for picking at. A young, well-informed crowd stays late to talk.
Gluu
Hours: Mon 17:00–00:00 · Tue closed · Wed–Thu 17:00–00:00 · Fri–Sat 14:00–00:00 · Sun 19:00–00:00
Address: Via Santa Chiara, 5, 80134 Napoli NA, Italy
At Vineria Bandita, look for Cantina Giardino and I Cacciagalli on the list. The cheese board comes from producers the owner visits in person. Up here the room belongs to the neighbourhood.
Vineria Bandita
Hours: Mon closed · Tue–Thu 18:00–00:00 · Fri–Sun 18:00–00:30
Address: Via Michele Kerbaker, 57, 80129 Napoli NA, Italy
What are the best cocktail bars in Naples for a late night?
We’d pick three. L’Antiquario, the best known, sits behind an unmarked door with a bell. Astronomia Bar Segreto, in the centro storico, is reached through the back of a delicatessen. Archivio Storico, up in the Vomero, builds its drinks around Bourbon-era history and Campanian spirits.
Ring at L’Antiquario and you are in a 40-seat room of red velvet and period wallpaper, with Alex Frezza behind the bar. Reserve a week ahead for Friday or Saturday and dress smart-casual: walk-ins are regularly turned away. Order the cocktail evolution menu, a sequence of drinks that build on one another.
L'Antiquario
Hours: Mon–Sun 18:00–03:00
Address: Via Vannella Gaetani, 2, 80121 Napoli NA, Italy
At Astronomia, the way in is a pink door at the back of a working delicatessen. Downstairs: chequerboard floors, bare brick and hot-air-balloon wallpaper. The menu is named after the solar system, and each drink is poured over a sphere of clear ice. The Saturno, a milk punch, is the softest on the list. There are only about fifty places, so a WhatsApp message beforehand saves a wait.
Astronomia Bar Segreto
Hours: Mon–Sun 20:00–02:00
Address: Via Ferdinando del Carretto, 22, 80133 Napoli NA, Italy
Archivio Storico takes its name from the archives of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and the period furniture and drinks based on historical recipes carry the idea through. The seasonal list always has something built on a local spirit such as limoncello. The clientele is more local than in Chiaia. Things warm up after eight.
Archivio Storico
Hours: Mon closed · Tue–Thu 19:00–02:30 · Fri–Sat 19:00–03:30 · Sun 19:00–02:30
Address: Via Alessandro Scarlatti, 30, 80129 Napoli NA, Italy
Where can you hear live music in Naples at night?
For jazz, go to Bourbon Street near the Teatro San Carlo, where the light is low and the audience listens. For DJ sets, exhibitions and more experimental nights, head to Mamamu Bar in the heart of the historic centre. Programmes change week to week, so check the schedule before you pick a night.
Bourbon Street is the city’s longest-running dedicated jazz venue, with live sets most evenings and staff who know the music. Tuesday and Thursday sessions tend to bring the most interesting line-ups. Order whisky. It’s what the bar does best, more than cocktails.
Bourbon Street
Hours: Mon closed · Tue–Sun 19:30–02:00
Address: Via Vincenzo Bellini, 52/53, 80135 Napoli NA, Italy
Mamamu Bar, on Via Sedile di Porto, mixes live events, DJ sets and art exhibitions in an unpretentious room. It opens on Friday and Saturday evenings. Start with the simple, well-priced aperitivo and stay as the music takes over. Weekends lean toward DJs.
Mamamu Bar
Hours: Mon–Thu closed · Fri 19:30–02:30 · Sat 19:30–03:00 · Sun closed
Address: Via Sedile di Porto, 46, 80134 Napoli NA, Italy
Where to have a drink with a view in Naples
For a view, we go up to the Bidder Terrace Bar, a hotel terrace high on Corso Vittorio Emanuele where the bay runs from Capri to Vesuvius. Chiaia residents bring visiting friends here when they want to show off the city. Plan your visit for sunset, between May and September.
The bar is on the sixth floor of the Grand Hotel Parker’s, with cocktails, a wine list and hotel prices to match. Reserve a table for around seven, when Vesuvius turns golden across the water. Weekday evenings are quieter and give the clearest look toward Capri. The seasonal signature drink is built around local citrus.
Bidder Terrace Bar
Hours: Mon–Sun 07:00–00:00
Address: C.so Vittorio Emanuele, 135, 80121 Napoli NA, Italy
Treat the list as a route rather than a checklist: one aperitivo stop and one place for later, ideally in the same area. Book L’Antiquario a week ahead, message Astronomia before you go, and reserve the Bidder terrace for sunset. Opening days vary a lot from place to place, so look at each card before you set out.
