Gran Caffè Gambrinus

Gambrinus claims the caffè alla nocciola, espresso with hazelnut cream, as "the first Neapolitan gourmet coffee". The Caffè del Professore on the same square makes the same claim, so try both and decide. The cafe also lists a pistachio coffee and the Brasiliano among its house variations.

From the pastry counter, order a sfogliatella or a babà; Gambrinus makes its own in its laboratories. Or keep it to a plain caffè and spend the time looking at the painted and stuccoed rooms.

Gambrinus is one of the places tied to the Neapolitan custom of the caffè sospeso, the "suspended coffee": you pay for two, drink one, and the second is left for someone who cannot afford it. The 2026 guide describes a large old coffee pot by the entrance where the receipts for suspended coffees are left.

The terrace on the square is pleasant, and the service charge is the price of it. In 2017, food site Scatti di Gusto paid €16 for a brioche and two ginseng coffees at a table, and complained about the service. In June 2023 Dissapore's reviewer paid €49.49 at a table for four coffees, a juice, five mini pastries, a Santa Rosa and three small bottles of water, and €13 on a second visit for a coffee, two pastries and a 25 cl water. The 2026 guide says a coffee and a pastry seated can pass €15. If you want to sit, sit for a reason: a long rest in the afternoon, or a drink as the lights come on across the square.

For a hot sfogliatella that costs less and tastes better, take a short walk to Sfogliatella Mary at the Via Toledo entrance of the Galleria Umberto I.