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INSIDERMediterranean Romantic

Reviews - Essencia Restaurant

9.3/10
672
Largo Santa Maria la Nova, 9, 80134 Napoli
Mediterranean
Average price €70
#2 in the Top50 Naples

Essencia Restaurant

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Reviews

9.3/10
Excellent671 reviews
9.3/10

Food

9.6/10

Service

8.9/10

Ambience

9-10

7-8

5-6

3-4

1-2

Real experiences from real dinersRatings and reviews can only be left by guests who have booked with TheFork.
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What diners said about this restaurant:

Good value for money
Short waiting time
Quiet
  • Caroline A.1 review

    September 9, 2024

    9.5/10

    Creative culinary delight and a friendly & knowledgeable service. I highly recommend this restaurant!

  • Ray F.24 reviews

    September 14, 2024

    9.5/10

    This restaurant seems to be underrated after reading some of the reviews on Trip Advisor, though it is more highly rated on The Fork. My wife and I had a very enjoyable and delicious experience. While the menu offers choices for those who are less adventurous, those who wish to try new combinations of tastes and methods of preparation will find this restaurant to be delightful. The service by Valerie and Natalia was excellent, as was Natalia’s knowledge of wines.

  • vickie g.1 review

    August 26, 2024

    10/10

    Excellent service attention to details.

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  • Leni R.1 review

    June 23, 2024

    6/10

    The service was well. There were only 3 tables occupied. The food was oké

  • Rodney W.4 reviews

    June 28, 2024

    10/10

    This restaurant is an absolute value at its current price point. Get in here before they receive a well-deserved Michelin star and the prices go up. All of the courses were perfect, service was top notch. We will return as soon as we can. They also handle gluten free diners without issue.

  • James J.

    James J.2 reviews

    May 30, 2024

    10/10

    Great restaurant. Updated look and warm feeling inside. Staff was very attentive and the food was fantastic. Tried the 5 course tasting and it was unbelievable. I would recommend this restaurant and visit again since they update menus often.

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  • Keith R.1 review

    May 9, 2024

    10/10

    That rare evening of complete perfection. The service was faultless; not stiffly formal but professional and friendly. The food was completely delicious, innovative and beautifully presented. A local Campania wine was recommended with an explanation of the differences between the three or four falanghinas in the list. Definitely an evening to remember and we shall certainly return whenever we are in Napoli.

  • Paul D.1 review

    April 28, 2024

    10/10

    I returned for a second time to this wonderful restaurant. The interior is beautiful, the staff are charming and the food absolutely magnificent. The imaginative choice of meats is appreciated when so few restaurants offer only variations of the same beef/chicken/veal. The first time I visited I had a frogs legs starter. This time I had capoletti stuffed with wild boar with a beetroot sauce, followed by wood pigeon with a sorbet to contrast with the rich flavour, absolutely divine. The chef is a genius, I urge you to go and try his brilliant creations.

  • Annick V.2 reviews

    November 23, 2023

    9.5/10

    Amazing restaurant. Amazing food. The chef is a hidden gem. The finesse and the ability to come with surprising and successful innovative combinations were a true pleasure. The service was amazing too very personal and kind we were very well treated. The wine choice was spot on and we enjoyed the twist away from tradition was great. All in all best since a while and we have been around! Amazing 360 degrees experience up for repeat. Maybe dim the light and music a bit and a star is in reach! Congratulations!

  • Royce J.1 review

    October 30, 2023

    6.5/10

    Trying too hard to be a Michelin star place-tiny portions of decent food, very awkward serving system - food was cool, and wine was only available by the server - few things worse than seeing one’s wine on a distant counter, and not available for the main course. Way too many steps for the server to do good job - and the food was in almost microscopic quantities.

  • Ray M.9 reviews

    November 4, 2023

    9.5/10

    Outstanding food, outstanding service. Quite expensive but you get what you pay for, 7 course menu turned out to be at least 8 courses.

  • Keith W.1 review

    October 29, 2023

    9.5/10

    Really creative cooking. Very clever combinations of flavours and tastes, all of which worked. Excellent, enthusiastic staff who knew the dishes and explained them well. As only one of us was drinking we took their suggestions of wines by the glass and the choices were excellent and well explained. This is a first class restaurant with seriously good food. The surroundings may seem a bit austere and perhaps too well lit for a romantic evening, but it is a comfortable restaurant with superb food and excellent service.

  • Bob T.8 reviews

    October 15, 2023

    10/10

    I’ve eaten at many Michelin starred restaurants and many working hard to obtain their first star. The experience is often better at those on the cusp of earning their first star. And Essencia prices the point! Every dish was creative in its conception, well executed and beautifully presented. Above all each dish was delicious. Our server was attentive but not overbearing and extremely knowledgeable about local wines to pair with each dish we ordered. There were a couple of balance issues - for example, the pasta with sea urchin and beef fat was - as expected - joyously rich and luscious but could have benefited from an acidic counterpoint. Also the fish of the day had a beautifully crisp skin that needed a bit more salt and the dryness of the fish needed a stronger flavored sauce. But those are mere quibbles about an otherwise outstanding meal! Give these guys their star!

  • Radomír K.1 review

    September 25, 2023

    9.5/10

    Highly recommended to visit. We rate the parsley salad with mustard dressing as a side dish to roast pork as a top gourmet discovery!

  • Harriet K.1 review

    September 20, 2023

    10/10

    Although extremely quiet on the evening we went to Essencia (Napoli were playing at home so a bar with a loud TV seemed to be the venue of choice!) we had a memorable supper at this delightful small restaurant. The venue, the ambience, the service, the ethos and (of course) the food were all exceptional as was the strong wine list. The food is a riff on local and Spanish fare which makes for a mixture of delicate and punchy flavours and textures. Homemade grissini and crunchy bread were accompanied by butter foam; fish was cooked perfectly, and a seared leek came with tuna prosciutto and a lemony sauce. We shall certainly go again if we return to Naples.

  • Gabrielle R.1 review

    September 8, 2023

    9.5/10

    The wait staff was incredibly attentive until an atrocity of a family of four from Ohio came in and monopolized their good will with an unending barrage of ignorance and questions that usurped every ounce of service from tables like ours. My respect for the staff only grew, despite being unavoidably left alone, as they deftly addressed these subhuman creatures with an unending amount of grace and class. I left full, happy, and impressed - but also embarrassed for being American from those miserable people that belonged at a Chili’s instead of this incredible dining experience.

  • Kate M.1 review

    September 6, 2023

    10/10

    This is a hidden gem of a contemporary twist on Napoli food with world influences. It was an intimate dining experience and highly recommend ordering the tasting menu to get a fuller sense of this upcoming chef’s artistic vision. I definitely predict this place is on its way to a Michelin star. The setting was eclectic , the service friendly and professional of high standard. The wine and overall experience left us feeling that we had truly tasted one JS the most delicious parts of Naples.

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  • Nelli J.2 reviews

    August 23, 2023

    10/10

    good food and very good waiter and sommelier. Great experience!

  • Paul W.6 reviews

    July 21, 2023

    9.5/10

    Delicious and inventive food - dolce was exceptional as well .

  • Sherif A.5 reviews

    June 24, 2023

    9/10

    What a fantastic little place. The staff are so passionate about their dishes which are extremely creative and delicious. Great meal and service - highly recommended.

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  • Talia R.1 review

    June 11, 2023

    10/10

    What an amazing place and experience! The food was excellent and exciting. The staff very clearly cares about your experience and their restaurant. 12/10!

  • Carlo R.2 reviews

    June 9, 2023

    9.5/10

    Great dinning experience, the food is simple but amazing, and the service is great. It was a bit to warm inside. Decoration and interior design could improve.

  • Millie C.3 reviews

    May 29, 2023

    10/10

    This was amazing!!!! Delicious food super yummy!totally worth it!!! ????????Trust me get 3 courses all of them are scrumptious!???? But there is five courses.

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  • Gad Y.3 reviews

    May 18, 2023

    10/10

    I have only one word for my experience in Essencia: amazing! The carrot cake dish is brilliant and so is the use of a tea in an unforgettable dessert.

  • Ferdinand S.1 review

    May 15, 2023

    5/10

    Taste was ok. Result was much worse, we all got diarrhoea till this day, 3 days ago we visited this restaurant and payed a lot of money for stomach cramps.

    Essencia RestaurantOwner

    Good evening. Considering that you’ve complimented for the taste of each dish, I strongly disagree with your review. Dishes that causes problems like yours are composed with bad ingredients and those are recognizable by their bad taste. Essencia Restaurant is particularly known for using first quality ingredients treated in best way we can. Probably you’re trying to compromise our image just because your stomach still hurts for bad for the bad meals you had in the days you stayed in naples! or have you come to Naples, making travel hours for lunch exclusively from essencia? would be very pretty as a thing,But I don’t think it happened that way! So.. in any case .. thank you so much for making known to the whole group of the fork your gastrointestinal problems!! we are very happy to know that you are now well and that the diarrhea has passed! See you Essencia restaurant

  • Nigel B.1 review

    May 13, 2023

    10/10

    Amazing experience , this restaurant combines an innovative menu with perfect execution. Great wine list , knowledgeable hosts describing every course and the bread!! My only problem was it’s my last night in Naples so can’t come back and enjoy the full tasting menu, A MUST do if you are in Naples.

  • Jean M.5 reviews

    May 5, 2023

    10/10

    Excellent discovery , a young and creative team behind this wonderful place. Simplicity , excellent natural ingredients and a impressive talent of the chef. My favorite tonight : how the chef works the 85% dark chocolat !

  • Ellen F.1 review

    April 17, 2023

    10/10

    A little jewel of exceptionally creative cuisine, beautifully presented, in a lovely, calm and unpretentious setting. We would return in a flash.

  • Christoph R.14 reviews

    April 12, 2023

    10/10

    Beautiful restaurant, excellent food in (positively) surprising combinations, great and anticipating service. If you spend one night in Naples, this should be your dinner destination.

  • Michal r.4 reviews

    April 8, 2023

    10/10

    A very good restaurant, really goid food.we took the set menu- excellent!!!!

  • Maddalena C.53 reviews

    March 25, 2023

    10/10

    I have been at Essencia during a weekend in Naples. This is not the usual kitchen you expect to find in Naples but more gourmet. There is great research in the dishes and presentation, high level quality of the ingredients and a lot of proposals “of the day”. We relay enjoyed it and suggest to go if you are spending some time in the city

  • David F.3 reviews

    February 24, 2023

    10/10

    It was excellent.

  • Maximilian K.1 review

    February 17, 2023

    10/10

    Amazing place. Thank you so much

  • Michal P.1 review

    February 11, 2023

    10/10

    Great experience.I was second time and menus are always different. They are really artists in cooking. ????

  • Philipp S.

    Philipp S.2 reviews

    January 6, 2023

    6.5/10

    It's an exquisite experience - the menu gets explained into detail - the understatement is lacking as does the taste palette of the chef. You wouldn't expect to get an aubergine that got literally burned and then smoked to hell and back again (although it was the best part of what we tried). Or to mess up a simple dessert with obnoxious amounts of vinegar. Servings are beautifully done. The are around is fun for party people. Vegetarians don't get enough of options. Non alcoholic beverage is coke.

  • Sapir L.2 reviews

    December 29, 2022

    7/10

    Food was very good, service was good as well. Atmosphere is a bit lacking.

  • Anna G.2 reviews

    December 19, 2022

    10/10

    Fantastic food and service! Atmosphere in the restaurant is very pleasant, too - it doesnt feel posh, but you feel the class. Special thank you for singing happy birthday!

  • Matt C.4 reviews

    December 11, 2022

    10/10

    Our experience was excellent - we did the tasting menu and the dishes were well timed and each a joy. We also asked for a wine recommendation which paired perfectly. We are from San Francisco and the same quality dinner would have cost us 500+ easily. One heads up: all said and done it took around 3h30m, though it certainly didn’t feel it!

  • Andrea Z.2 reviews

    December 5, 2022

    10/10

    Amazing food and wonderful service. Everything was perfectly presented. The service was fantastic- perfectly timed and attentive when needed. I’d highly recommend it!

  • Chesna H.2 reviews

    November 28, 2022

    10/10

    This restaurant well deserved the Michelin Star that it has. The staff was knowledgeable of the menu and what to pair with it. The presentation was very inviting and was amazing on each bite. This was an experience from start to finish.

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