06/08/2025: I was there this evening with my family, the typical Neapolitan setting is very nice, the food is excellent: gnocchetti alla sorrentina, octopus and broccoli rabe, calamarata, aubergine parmigiana, starters: sbirra and seafood guappo, the price is super considering the quality and quantity, the only thing I can recommend is a smile from those who serve these delicacies, plus they are friendly and polite, I want to say, but that typical particularity is missing.
05/08/2025: On a cool evening in Termoli, we chose to dine at La Sbirra, a trattoria that embodies the soul of authentic Neapolitan cuisine. The restaurant is simple, informal, yet welcoming. Here, the decor doesn't matter: it's the heart that counts. And you can taste it.
Welcoming us is the owner, a kind and passionate Neapolitan who has made his hospitality his strong point. He's almost terrified of keeping customers waiting, of leaving unexpected guests, but I want to tell him one thing:
Art takes its time, and those who come here are not in a hurry. They know that behind every dish there is attention and care.
His wife, a daughter of an artist, works in the kitchen, and you immediately sense that the dishes aren't just made: they are lived. There's respect for tradition, for flavor, and for those who sit at the table. Cuisine made with the heart, without compromise.
We began with a series of seafood appetizers, served one after the other, all generous and carefully crafted.
The octopus tentacles with broccoli rabe were tender, almost melting in the mouth, and the broccoli rabe were fried in true Neapolitan tradition, pre-cooked without boiling, so they'd be available year-round.
The baby octopus Luciana-style with crostini was one of the highlights of the dinner: flavorful, balanced, perfect. A dish that, honestly, is hard to find even in Naples made this well.
For the first course, a fresh pasta dish with clams, mussels, and scampi: fragrant, perfectly creamed, with fresh, carefully prepared ingredients.
Next, a dry, crispy, and abundant mixed fried fish dish with cod, calamari, shrimp, and anchovies—a thoroughly successful second course.
Even the details are noteworthy. Our table marker bore Sophia Loren's name, alongside Massimo Troisi. All the tables feature icons of Neapolitan culture, with hand-painted stall-style signs: a simple yet authentic and distinctive idea.
The service was attentive, with cutlery changed between courses, a sign of care even in the smallest gestures.
And right here, you understand that this isn't just any business: it's a lifestyle choice.
To run a place like this, private life inevitably merges with work.
And what comes out of it is something that can't be bought or replicated:
authenticity.
⸻
A personal note to the owner:
Don't fear time.
Those who come here know how to wait, because they recognize the value of what you do.
And above all: don't change.
Stay true, authentic, simple, welcoming.
That's what makes you special.