Currently the place to be seen eating (or picking at a few lettuce leaves) on Capri, this 120-year-old family-run restaurant had a design makeover in 2006. The old-fashioned trattoria decor has been replaced by a warm, urban minimalism that plays on dark brown and cream hues, with soft lighting and an ambient soundtrack. The owners, the D'Alessio family, greet major and minor celebrities like old friends, leaving nonentities like us to the waiters, but that's par for the course on Capri, and the service is, in fact, extremely professional. Aurora's nip and tuck has not carried through into the menu, which offers decent renditions of Caprese standards such as spaghetti alle vongole, grilled fish of various species, and specialty thin-crust pizzas.

Closed November through April.

Situated on the ruins of the ancient Greek walls of old-town Capri, this bright and cheery café just off the Piazzetta serves good grilled fish, pasta, and authentic high-rise Neapolitan pizzas. It also has an extensive wine list that won't break the bank.

Closed Mondays and December.

Get away from the tourist crowds in this lovely family-run trattoria perched on the southern cliffs to the west of Monte Solaro. This is a place where Caprese come to tuck into dishes such as spaghetti with clams or the signature coniglio alla cacciatore (spicy stewed rabbit), along with white wine from the proprietors' own vineyards. Before or after your meal, you can take a dip in the huge pool for a few euros; there are also six simple bedrooms for those who decide to make a night of it. Gelsomina is an appetite-building 20-minute walk along a pretty path from Anacapri; alternatively, ring ahead and you can get picked up from Piazza Caprile.

Closed Tuesdays from October through April. Closed January and February.

It's a little out of the way, just off the path that leads to the Arco Naturale, but this place is well worth scouting out for its well-priced gourmet spin on the cuisine of the Bay of Naples. Try top-notch dishes such as scialatielli (homemade pasta twists) in a clam-and-pumpkin sauce or pezzogna (a member of the bream family found only in these waters) either baked or poached all'acqua pazza (in a court bouillon of fresh tomatoes, white wine, onions, and parsley). The owner long ago sold off part of his huge wine cellar to the Capri Palace hotel, but there's enough left to keep the rest of us happy.

Closed Wednesdays and mid-September through February.

Although it's a magnet for the red-carpet crowd—which has included, at various times, Jackie O., Gianni Versace, Giorgio Armani, Dustin Hoffman, and Julia Roberts—this tavern-style restaurant in town has managed to stay refreshingly unstuffy over the decades. The warm, professional welcome of the De Angelis family, which has owned the restaurant since 1951, is one of La Capannina's charms; another is the spot-on local cuisine, which includes specialties like ricotta-stuffed eggplant and ravioli Caprese. Desserts, such as torta caprese (a rich chocolate-and-almond sponge cake) and mulberry crêpes, are not to be missed; there's also a wine list with more than 200 labels. If you can, score a table on the veranda with hanging vines and ferns; it's romantically candlelit at night.

The Tarantino family's fabulous cooking is worth the 20-minute walk from town. This rustic idyll is one of the few restaurants on Capri to champion the rural, land-based cuisine that so many islanders subsisted on in the days when fish was a rare and expensive treat. In a peaceful garden shaded by orange and lemon trees, you can sample scrumptious linguine alla Eduardo (with anchovies, capers, and tomatoes), coniglio alla Poppea (rabbit in a wine sauce garnished with rosemary) and ravioli alla Caprese (ricotta ravioli simply prepared with fresh tomatoes, basil, Parmesan and garlic). Combine your meal with a trip to nearby Villa Jovis, once the summer home of Emperor Tiberius. It's off the beaten path, so ask for directions.

Closed November through March.

The Piazzetta's most secret bar, Pulalli hides up a flight of steps next to the clock tower (the proximity is brought home every time the bell tolls the quarter-hour). To get there, head through the tiny arch to the right of the newsstand, and keep on up the stairs to the top. There are just four tables on a small terrace overlooking the square—making it a great place to sip a glass of wine (try a Campanian white, such as Fiano or Falanghina) while observing the beau monde below. They also offer a light Caprese lunch and dinner menu, including lemon risotto or straccetti all'aceto con grana (beef strips braised in balsamic vinegar served with shavings of Grana Padano cheese). If the terrace is full—or the weather contrary—head inside for more views, this time over Monte Solaro and the Bay of Naples.

Closed Tuesdays and December through February.

This bustling place just below the Via Roma bus terminus in Capri Town is popular with tourists and locals—always a good sign. The large main dining room, with its colorful murals and framed pictures of Napoli's soccer dream team of the 1980s, has views over Marina Grande and the sea; behind it is an equally spacious pergola-shaded terrace. But though they pack 'em in here, they don't skimp on quality: The ravioli caprese are homemade, filled with fluffy, tangy sheep's cheese and served with generous lashings of fresh tomato sauce, and the seafood—a delicious sauté of mussels and clams—comes from that morning's catch (in the rare cases where they use frozen ingredients, they say so on the menu). Service is friendly and efficient—you can be in and out of here in under an hour if you have a boat to catch.

Open daily noon to 3:30 pm and 7:30 pm to midnight.