Warning: This blog post may make you hungry!
Last year I wrote about my foodie adventures during my snowbird stay in Naples, Florida. Most recently I shared my favorite culinary experiences during my 2025 winter in Sarasota.
While Sarasota is a nice place to vacay, when friends in Naples invited me for a visit, I immediately said “yes.” I knew they would hunt out the best eateries. I also did research and made a few restaurant suggestions.
More Great Places to Eat in Naples Florida
So dear readers, if you’re headed to Southwest Florida anytime soon here are three great places to eat in Naples.
Pazzo! Cucina Italiana has delizioso Italian food
The food at Pazzo Cucina Italiana on Fifth Avenue South is delizioso. The owners say: “Our name means “crazy,” but there’s nothing wild about our passion for quality. From handmade pastas to thoughtful nightly specials, every plate reflects decades of tradition and a deep love for authentic Italian cooking.”
Pazzo Homemade Butternut Squash Ravioli (Image credit: Pazzo Cucina Italiana)
The nightly special for $39 includes 2-courses and a glass of wine. I chose the Homemade Butternut Squash Ravioli with toasted walnuts and citrus sugo for my first course and Pan Seared Snapper with roasted zucchini, squash, tomatoes and basil as my main. It was so good, so good, so good.
Service was excellent and attentive.
Bold flavors abound at bha! bha! Persian Bistro
The New York Times rated bha! bha! “Persian perfection” while spending 36 Hours in Naples, Fla. As they said “Good ethnic food doesn’t usually come to mind when one thinks of a city as ethnically homogeneous as Naples, but bha! bha! Persian Bistro (the name means yum yum in Farsi) is a culinary offering downtown that could easily compete in Los Angeles or New York.”
bha! bha! dishes exude “aromas of delicate fragrant spices, sweetness in the air of simmering fruits, and the perfume of jasmine from the garden.” There were so many interesting drinks, appetizers and entrees — it was tough to decide what to order.
bha! bha! Persian Bistro Pomegranate Laquered Fresh Salmon
Our group split the Trio of pomegranate walnut olive tapenade, cucumber yogurt and chopped shirazi salad
(tomato & cucumbers) as an appetizer. For main, I selected the Pomegranate Lacquered Fresh Salmon
chargrilled, on a bed of lentils, tossed with apricots, raisins, caramelized onions, and served with grilled vegetables & asparagus. OMG my palate was on a high from all the fabulous flavors. With every bite I kept saying this is so good, so good, so good.
I’m definitely going back in winter 2026 to try other items on the menu! And I’m saving room for dessert too.
Bicyclette Cookshop brings creative cuisine to Naples
I had read about Bicyclette Cookshop in a local magazine and knew that its chef had been nominated for a 2025 James Beard Award. (Sadly she did not win.)
“Let’s make reservations for lunch,” I told my boyfriend E when we were planning to meet friends for a midday meal in Naples. “The menu looks amazing.”
It’s all credit to “Kayla Pfeiffer, chef, partner, and culinary badass” as it’s website says. “She’s complex — an intense blend of intuition, experience, and creativity. In that way, she’s a bit like how we describe our cuisine. “New American”–hard to explain; easy to taste.” Kayla is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and has an extensive culinary resume.
Onion Rings from Bicyclette Cookshop
The menu is quite eclectic with unique food and flavor combinations. We shared Bread & Good Butter with goat butter, guava crumpets and Onion Rings with iberico ham, manchego. I ordered a Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich with crunchy fried potatoes for my main.
This time we saved room for dessert which the waiter said we had to try. It was a Fancy Soft Serve with Olive Oil and spices. Wow-o-wow, it was so good, so good, so good.
Now that winter 2025 is over I’m starting a list of foodie establishments I want to visit and revisit in 2026. There’s always more room in my tummy.
Judi
Ooh, ooh, ooh, guess where I’m headed today? I’m going to Italy! Yep, haven’t been in six years. There will be lots to share about my trip when I return.
