La Lampara sits at the highest point of Corricella, attached to the Hotel La Corricella: you arrive from the climb, not from the quay. That means you look at the bay from above, with the pink and yellow houses stacked in tiers running down towards the boats. The view is the reason the place is full; the cooking, fortunately, stands up to the comparison. On TripAdvisor it is the best-placed restaurant on the island, with 4.3 out of 5 and about 1,400 reviews. You come here for the ricci, the sea urchins, when there are any, and for a table on the railing that you have to ask for when you book, because they will not give it to you of their own accord.
Where it is and how you get there
The address is Via Marina di Corricella 88, but do not let the name mislead you: the place is not on the quay with the other names. It is above, level with the hotel, on the last stretch before the road bends towards Terra Murata. From the harbour at Marina Grande it takes twenty minutes on foot uphill, or you take the public microbus and get off at Piazza dei Martiri; from there it is a few minutes. If instead you are climbing back up from the quay after an aperitivo, allow for the stairway: these are real steps, not a symbolic bit of height. With the wrong shoes you will notice.
In the evening the last stretch of road is poorly lit. It is not dangerous, but a torch on your phone helps, especially if you are going back down to the harbour on a full stomach. If you have mobility difficulties, ask when booking where to stop the taxi: you can get very close to the entrance, whereas the classic walk between Terra Murata and Corricella involves stairs upon stairs.
What to order
The signature ingredient is the sea urchin: here you find it both in the tortelli and in the linguine, and it is the reason many people book. Before you get your hopes up for the spaghetti ai ricci, though, ring. Urchin harvesting is subject to limits for sustainable fishing and it is not a dish that is available by definition: in August you may find it and you may not. Asking beforehand saves you the disappointment at the table.
The other things the place is known for are the tuna with pistachio, the caponata di mare and the grilled octopus. The caponata di mare, if you have never eaten it in the bay, is not the Sicilian one with aubergines: it is a base of soaked hard biscuit bread, fish and vegetables, a poor dish turned into a starter. The grilled octopus is the measure by which I judge a seafood kitchen in these parts: either it is tender inside and charred outside, or there is no excuse that holds.
What you will not find, here as elsewhere on the island, is a menu built on the limone pane. It is a shame, because that is the only genuinely Procidan ingredient: if something with the local lemon appears on the menu, order it without thinking twice. For the real insalata di limoni you have to go down to the Chiaiolella.
The table on the railing
Not all the tables are worth the same, and here the difference is large. The places on the railing looking over the bay are booked well in advance: in high season we are talking weeks, not days. The other tables are comfortable and you can sense the view, but you pay the same bill for a different photograph. When you ring, ask explicitly for the outside table on the railing and accept the time they offer you, even if it is early.
A practical tip: the first dinner sitting, while there is still light, is the one where the bay gives most. The sun goes down behind the ridge and the houses turn pink for twenty minutes or so. Afterwards, in the dark, what is left is the reflection of the boats — lovely, but it is not the same thing. If you have come for Corricella and for the photograph, dine early.
What you spend
No published average figure exists for La Lampara, and I have no intention of inventing one: we are in the mid bracket, like almost all the island’s fish restaurants. Fish by weight is the item that blows the bill everywhere in the bay, here as on Ischia: if you order the grilled catch of the day, get them to tell you the price per kilo and the size before it goes to the kitchen. It is not rudeness, it is standard practice.
If you want an honest numerical reference, the only verified figures I can give you on the island are those of Caracalé and La Conchiglia, around 40 EUR a head, and of Da Girone, between 20 and 40 EUR. La Lampara sits in that zone, but that is a placing, not a quote.
When to go
Procida closes a great deal in winter: from November to March a large slice of the restaurants pull the shutters down or open only at weekends, and the hours change without notice. For La Lampara I have no verified opening calendar, so the rule is always the same: ring before you climb up. It counts double if you are on the island off season or if you are on a day trip from Naples with the ferry time already decided.
From June to September the problem is the opposite: there is room only if you have booked. The most useful advice I can give you is to fix dinner as soon as you book the ferry, not on the day itself. If instead you are looking for a plan B a couple of steps away, Fuego is down on the quay and it is the only pizzeria with that view.
Is it worth it?
Yes, on two conditions. The first: that you have booked the right table, because half the value of this address is the position and the other half you are paying for anyway. The second: that you come for the sea urchin or for fish cooked simply, not expecting signature cuisine. La Lampara is an excellent panoramic fish restaurant, with a management that handles high numbers without wobbling, and it is the island’s first in the travellers’ rankings.
If, on the other hand, you are on the island for three days and want variety, alternate: one evening here, one at Assafà to spend less with the same view from above, one at Re Ferdinando if the fish has worn you out. The full round-up is in the guide to Procida’s restaurants.
