Migration
Grangusto in Naples offers healthy selection and modern ambiance
Stars and Stripes
July 19, 2018
Bacala (cod) cooked at a low temperature with asparagus and nuts. Grangusto in Naples, Italy offers a variety of gourmet-style seafood dishes. (Scott Wyland/Stars and Stripes)
Bacala (cod) cooked at a low temperature with asparagus and nuts. Grangusto in Naples, Italy offers a variety of gourmet-style seafood dishes. (Scott Wyland/Stars and Stripes)
Raw salmon salad with green olives and juicy, sliced tomatoes. Grangusto's diverse menu includes many healthy seafood dishes. (Scott Wyland/Stars and Stripes)
Insalata di Mare (seafood salad) with mussels, shrimp and octopus. Grangusto offers fine seafood along with meat dishes, pizza and and huge wine selection in a setting with a South Miami Beach flavor. (Scott Wyland/Stars and Stripes)
Grilled octopus in a mild puree. Grangusto has an excellent variety of seafood, meat dishes, pizza and wines. (Scott Wyland/Stars and Stripes)
Grangusto has a large wine selection. The restaurant is part of the Market Grangusto, which has a supermarket, a bakery, a wine shop and a bar. (Scott Wyland/Stars and Stripes)
Grangusto is ideal for those who want healthy, well-prepared seafood and meats or a diverse selection of pizzas while visiting Naples’ waterfront and historic districts.
The restaurant is part of Market Grangusto, which has a bakery, wine shop, fish market, grocery store and bar. Its white-and-cream decor is reminiscent of South Miami Beach.
And like many South Beach restaurants, you’re close enough to the bay to feel a warm, salty breeze but can’t see the water. Still, what Grangusto lacks in scenic views, it makes up for in fine cuisine and a hefty wine selection.
For a light dinner, we ordered insalata di mare (seafood salad) for 12 euros ($14). It was a blend of mussels, shrimp and octopus and was quite tasty.
On another occasion, after spending an afternoon exploring Naples’ nearby grand cathedrals, we again went for seafood.
My friend ordered grilled octopus in a puree for 10 euros. I got a raw salmon salad (8 euros) and baccala (cod) cooked at a low temperature with asparagus and nuts (12 euros). The glass of Italian red wine I ordered for 5 euros was just dry enough.
The menu is varied, and you can have a satisfactory meal at a relatively low price. You have your choice of appetizers from the sea or from the mountains, which range from 7 to 14 euros.
The first courses are mostly pastas and average about 10 euros. The smaller second courses run from 10 to 16 euros.
However, the larger second courses jump in price. For instance, one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of steak or fish costs 40 to 60 euros. The most expensive items are spiny lobster (120 euros) and a Japanese ribeye steak (260 euros).
The menu devotes several pages to pizzas.
Grangusto’s website touts its fish as being wild and not farm raised, and its vegetables as being regionally grown. It says the salts used in preparing the food come from the Himalayas, Hawaii and Sicily.
In any case, you’ll find Grangusto not your typical dining experience, even in a city brimming with good restaurants.
Location: Via Nuova Marina 5, Naples, Italy 80133Hours: Lunch noon – 3:30 p.m. Dinner 7:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.Parking: At on-site garage, along the street and at nearby Port of Naples.Phone: +39 081 1937 6800Website:gran-gusto.it/ristorante.php (English version)