salumeria upnea - napoli, italy

Rating:  8 / 10

"Check out Salumeria Upnea, it's nearby", was the recommendation from the bartender at La Fesseria. We walked a couple blocks, got shown a table by an amicable waitress and ordered the ragu. If you think you've eaten "Al Dente" pasta, but not been to Italy, you're in for a suprise. I'd guess 70% of tourists would have sent back the plate claiming it was raw, but this is how they serve the pasta when paired with such a rich, heavy sauce.

I'm going out on a limb here, but it was probably the best ragu I ever tasted. Decadently tender, succulent, perfectly unctuous and screaming with deep flavours. The pasta took a bite to get used to, literally, but after that it was plain sailing.

To top it off, at the end of the meal while bills were being settled I asked the waitress her favourite pizza spot in Napoli, since if someone works at a great restaurant they usually have great overview, and she didn't hesitate for a second to bestow compliments on Da Attilio.

Little did she know, but 14 hours later I was eating my pizza at Da Attilio smiling like a cheshire cat.

These recommendations are just personal opinions based on my palate, things change, chefs get fired or replaced, places open-close, relocate, so take it all with a pinch of MSG  and discover your own gems too. But please do try a few of these, they have been researched exhaustively.