Il Cortile
The Courtyard & The Table
la dolce vita
Sink into a chair by the fireplace. Look up — the stucco beams cross overhead in a perfect Christian cross, a reminder you've entered the historic 1921 El Paseo building.
Opened in 1990 by Chef Pèpe, Little Napoli has been considered the iconic Italian restaurant on the Monterey Peninsula for over thirty years — a pristine example of the Spanish Mission Revival architecture that defines Carmel's charm.
In the dining room, a sign hangs beneath an early-1900s family portrait: "God bless our home and peace to all who enter." Wander into the Sinatra Room and hear a family story — Pèpe's father was a childhood friend of Old Blue Eyes himself.
Canonically Italian-American and top-tier — the dishes Little Napoli built its name on, handed down from Pèpe's grandparents.
Contemporary and seasonal — perfectly ripe Frog Hollow peaches paired with a stunning stracciatella di burrata.
Not to be missed. Pèpe makes most desserts himself at his nearby Carmel Bakery — a baker first, a chef second.
Enjoy a brief trip to Italy — Italian country cooking and warm hospitality as you remember it, right in the heart of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Come hungry.