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Founders of Cu.Qu. Cucina di Quartiere in Naples
In Naples, the best meals are often hidden in plain sight. Cu.Qu. Cucina di Quartiere sits quietly at the entrance to the Spanish Quarters, its name nodding both to geography and to philosophy. This is not a restaurant built on spectacle or on the weight of culinary trends. It is, instead, a return to something essential: food that feels like home, food that tells you where you are without saying it.
The idea belongs to three partners: Elena Gargiulo, her husband Francesco, and their friend Gianluca. Fifteen years ago, Elena left behind a career as a lawyer to follow what she calls her true vocation: “not in courtrooms but in kitchens, with hands in dough and imagination guiding flavor.” Today, she is the engine and the soul of Cu.Qu. Her cooking is instinctive and curious, marked by a deeply feminine sensibility. Francesco, a sommelier, curates the natural wines selection, while Gianluca, in the kitchen, translates their shared vision into the language of cooking. Together, they have built something that feels less like a business and more like a family home.
“Above all, it was the love for simple, genuine cooking, the kind you find at home, the kind that stays in people’s hearts,” Elena explains. “We saw a food world that had become too standardized and sensationalistic, while people around us were asking for simplicity. And simplicity, we believe, is often the hardest thing to achieve.”
Although the name Cu.Qu. began as a play on location, right at the entrance to the Spanish Quarters, it grew into something larger. “For us, 'quartiere' means family, an extended neighborhood where everyone shares a common sense of Naples. We were inspired by the old osterie, places where food and community were inseparable.” That sense of intimacy is what makes Cu.Qu. different from other Naples restaurants. Many showcase grandeur or chase the iconic; Cu.Qu. remains quiet, personal, attentive to detail, giving guests the rare feeling of being welcomed into someone’s home.
The cooking itself is a balance of memory and invention. “We often revisit the dishes of our childhood, adding ingredients that are close to our hearts or indulging in personal taste desires. Our travels, especially in Sicily, influence us as well, inspiring our vision and new dishes.” Seasonality shapes the menu with discipline. “Our strength lies in personally choosing ingredients, almost always through direct relationships with producers, and always with respect for seasonality. Parmigiana belongs to summer, never to January, says Elena.”
What should you order at Cu.Qu.? The answer depends on the moment. Parmigiana in July, certainly; on cooler days, perhaps a plate of almost-forgotten vegetables, or anchovies from Cilento, fished with the traditional menaica nets whose wide mesh lets the smallest slip through. Elena tells the story of Donatella and Vittorio, the couple behind those anchovies. “They fish and process them with extraordinary care. Their work is both a treasure and a reminder of the human connections behind every dish.”
The path to opening the restaurant was not without challenges for the trio. "We worried about being hidden, though that later became a strength. And we weren’t entrepreneurs in the strict sense, which made it daunting. But through passion and hard work, we achieved what we are most proud of: shaping the strong personality we always wanted for Cu.Qu.”
That identity is inseparable from Neapolitan culture. “We all work in the restaurant because we see it as welcoming people into our own home. In the kitchen, we stay faithful to old recipes, even the humblest ones that our grandmothers used to cook with pride. Forgotten vegetables return to the table, and menus avoid tourist-trap dishes in favor of authenticity. Visitors deserve more. They deserve the real culture of Naples.”
So what makes a meal here memorable rather than just a meal? “The real experience lies in human connection,” Elena says. “I always hope that guests remember not only our dishes, but also the people who shared their stories and the emotions they sparked.”
The vision for Cu.Qu. extends beyond its walls. “We imagine a dynamic future, where our cooking leaves the kitchen and enters unexpected places — an artist’s studio, a hidden courtyard, a workshop steeped in history. To dine there is to experience food in a dreamlike dimension. We’ve already begun experimenting with different dining experiences. It's just the beginning.”
This vision has found practical expression through Cu.Qu. 's partnership with Eleit.it and DLISH, offering curated tasting experiences, cooking classes where guests learn traditional Neapolitan techniques, and culinary gift experiences that bring visitors deeper into Naples' authentic food culture. These collaborations allow the restaurant to extend its philosophy of intimate, story-driven dining beyond traditional restaurant boundaries.
Some of the restaurant’s most cherished memories come from such moments of improvisation. When a Swiss architecture firm arrived for a dinner reservation on the same night that a technical issue had forced Cu.Qu. to close, the team refused to disappoint. “We invited everyone to the terrace of our home instead. The evening unfolded with laughter, shared dishes, and late-night toasts. They didn’t want to leave. That’s the spirit of Cu.Qu.”
Menus are created with the same sense of instinct. “We let ourselves be guided by emotions, by weather, even by the colors of flowers. The menu shifts with what feels right. We always ask: what would we want to eat today to feel well, to feel whole?”
For those visiting Naples for the first time, Cu.Qu. is a way into the city’s heart. Not postcard Naples, but lived Naples — its warmth, its rhythm, its sense of being welcomed as family. That essence carries through the details: the hand-painted glasses by Casa Cometa, ceramics from friends, sauces made by Sabrina, another long-time companion. “Every choice reflects relationships and friendships. That’s what fills the space with warmth and makes it feel like home.”
Being Neapolitan, Elena reflects, means bringing joy and grace into daily life. “It is demanding, but it is also a privilege. It guides the way we welcome guests, the way we cook, the way we see the city.” Women, too, remain at the heart of the project. “Working with women means bringing grace and beauty into even the smallest details. Often, with just one glance, we know how to make something more beautiful.”
For anyone searching for the best Neapolitan restaurants in Naples, Cu.Qu. offers something rare. It is not about postcard dishes or predictable flavors, but about intimacy, about tradition carried forward, about the sense of being invited into a home. In the Spanish Quarters, a part of Naples known for its raw energy and layered history, Cu.Qu. has created a space that feels both timeless and deeply contemporary. To sit at its tables is to experience the essence of Naples — generous, resilient, alive.
To read more stories about culinary traditions and the people preserving them, explore DLISH Magazine. To learn more about DLISH Experience Gifts and Tasting Experiences, click here.
