Best Restaurants in Lecce

In our restaurant, strengthened by the carefully selected natural materials and the creativity of our young chefs, we experiment with new gastronomic techniques related to the traditions of Salento flavors. The menus vary periodically according to the freshness and seasonality of the ingredients to offer you the sun, the sea of Salento and all our passion in each dish. The restaurant is located on the outskirts of Lecce and offers an elegant and elegant location, ideal for a dinner with friends or a romantic one.

In the heart of the historic center of Lecce, surrounded by the old and unchanging charm of historic buildings and a few steps from the central Piazza Sant’Oronzo, stands the Alex Restaurant, where creativity and raw materials chase each other in a dance of emotions on the plate. A refined and welcoming environment, enriched by a refined furniture, gives the atmosphere the right balance between warmth and sobriety where, to make the difference, are the dishes coming from the kitchen, the realm of chef Alessandra Civilla, from whom she amazes with a kitchen Mediterranean and contemporary that respects and enhances raw materials by playing with contrasts and imagination. In addition to the large dining room, the restaurant has an outdoor area perfect for lunch or dinner on beautiful spring and summer evenings, enjoying the baroque harmony of the historic center.

A typical restaurant in the heart of Lecce, the Osteria degli Spiriti has now become a fixed stop for lovers of good food and the most sophisticated gourmets. A restaurant with a pleasant, warm, romantic, and welcoming atmosphere, near the historic city center. At the Osteria degli Spiriti you will find the best Salento and Apulian specialties. Tiziana and Piero, the owners of the restaurant, use high-quality raw materials for their cuisine, coming exclusively from local producers of proven trust and reliability. Let yourself be amazed by a cuisine linked to the territory in which tradition blends, renewing itself, in modernity.

Il Vico del Cuciniere is located near the historic center, a few steps from Piazza Mazzini, near the beautiful Basilica of Santa Croce. The restaurant offers typical Italian, Mediterranean, and contemporary cuisine, with a rich menu based on first and second courses of sea and land. The atmosphere of the Vico del Cuciniere is warm and welcoming, with a refined interior ambiance.

All our plates are prepared with the highest quality natural materials from our beloved land. Our preparations respect the seasonality of the products and some dishes are prepared and served only on certain days of the week to always guarantee the freshness of the raw material. Coda alla Vaccinara, Pajata, Tripe, and various other courses are prepared with slow cooking methods, as per tradition, exclusively in clay pots and pans. Bringing True Roman Cuisine to Lecce for us means making known the Heart, the flavors, the colors, the heart, and the Aroma of our City.

Tabisca was born from an idea that slowly became a vision: creating a magic place where eating and drinking represent a remarkable experience, in the heart of a beautiful city. A continuous and selective search of our Ian, a man of great culinary experience, with a unique talent and a sincere and reliable Sicilian soul. A small square that looks like a small living room can be reached via an alley from Piazza Santa Chiara. A hidden and welcoming refuge, sheltered from the enthusiasm of a city that is always on, but close to its beating heart. A natural terrace set in the heart of the Lecce Baroque.

The I Latini restaurant has always been located in one of the most famous and suggestive streets of the historic center of Lecce. Since we opened the doors of what was then a brewery in 1999, the time has worked with us to create a place that would offer people the familiarity, aromas, and tastes that they feel in their homes. Ours is a restaurant that focuses on the quality of raw materials and the enhancement of traditional cuisine, Salento, and Italian in general. Bring revisited features, which become original paintings on our table. We select the best natural materials to always guarantee quality dishes. Appetizers, first and second courses, side plates, and aperitifs: the menu of I Latini is designed for an enveloping adventure appropriate for all tastes.

The grandmothers of Salento, those of the past, were women capable of working miracles in front of the stove with the sole power of love and the choice of the most genuine raw materials. Setting up tables like a king, starting with a few spartan ingredients, became a mission that was always possible in their sturdy hands. This is how in 2009 the trattoria "Il Rifugio Della Buona Stella" was born, of the emotional bond for the family and for the good food that grandmother Stella had skillfully transformed into a family-run restaurant. Even more since a few years ago chef Maurizio, with his new management, gave the restaurant a second life, revisiting the best traditional plates with originality and skill.

For us, the taste experience is the great research and experimentation in doughs and recipes, no longer a simple garnish but a real immersion in the best products and natural materials of the artisan supply chain. The experience is the Drink, with a beverage card and a selection of drinks in a gastronomic combination with food, and food pairing. From mixology to great Italian craft beers, to wines that are the expression of contemporary Apulian wineries. Sharing in a special, harmonious environment, to enjoy a complete and satisfying experience in every nuance. This for us is the real Tastexperience. "Uemé is time and space, it is enjoying the moment. It is the expectation of taste, it is taking the time to try new flavors, and find together those of classic gastronomy, made of great raw materials and the art of knowing how to treat them with care. It is the sense of the contemporary: experimenting with tradition. "

Small restaurant of about forty places a few steps from the center. We bring to the table the distinctive elements of Salento, and those of the Mediterranean and its diet. Our every moment relies on the craftsmanship that is the basis of the preparation of the plates of typical cuisine. Homemade cuisine is where the adjective becomes an added value in terms of hospitality, welcome, and typicality. Almost a desire to feel at home. A place to rediscover the typical tastes, fragrances, and sensations of Salento.

In the heart of the historic city of Lecce, Osteria di Lecce offers a quintessential Italian dining experience. The restaurant is celebrated for authentic Apulian cuisine, honouring local culinary traditions and ingredients, making it a popular spot with locals and tourists. The Osteria di Lecce menu celebrates Puglia's rich culinary heritage. The restaurant prides itself on using fresh, local and seasonal ingredients to create traditional Puglian dishes with a modern twist. Among the standout dishes are the homemade "Orecchiette con le Cime di Rapa", a classic local pasta dish with turnip greens, and the "Fave e Cicorie", a hearty broad bean purée served with black cherries. Fish lovers will be delighted by the "Fritto Misto di Mare", a plate of mixed fried seafood with the day's freshest catch. The Osteria di Lecce offers a comfortable and charming environment. The décor features rustic Italian elements, with exposed stone walls and wooden furnishings. Combined with soft lighting and carefully selected tables, the restaurant exudes a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Arte Dei Sapori restaurant is located in the heart of the historic centre of Lecce. Warm and welcoming in winter, with its internal rooms with characteristic star vaults, typical of the buildings in the historic centre of Lecce, suggestive and romantic in summer, in a distinct corner of Leccese Baroque, you can spend your evenings accompanied by delicious food and excellent wines, under the starry sky of Lecce. Our cuisine starts from the typical Salento cuisine to everything the Salento sea offers. We will prepare the fish for you in the most varied ways of cooking, always accompanying the first courses with homemade pasta, the bread of our production, and delicious homemade desserts. The wine list exceeds 120 Salento and national labels. There is no more sincere love than the love of food. Please tell me what you eat, and I'll tell you what you are.

La Vecchia Osteria is ideal for those looking for a gastronomic point of reference in Lecce, where you can taste the typical Salento cuisine in a convivial and peaceful environment. Past and present mix like the flavours of this Osteria in a perfect food and wine journey among local products and zero-kilometre ingredients, which enhance their taste and beneficial properties. La Vecchia Osteria offers a vast menu, which embraces different flavours, but with a single leitmotiv: genuine Salento cuisine. A tribute to the old Lecce, which through the careful preparation of our chefs, offers a look at the past skilfully mixed with modernity. From the typical appetizers of the place to the specialities composed of first and second courses of land and sea, each dish is served with care and attention, prepared with typical ingredients of the Salento area.

Typical Salento products have been home for nine years now: the Fiori di Zucchini restaurant is a refuge for lovers of solid and genuine flavours seasoned with love for all-around necessity. Located in the southwest area of the capital, in a side street of Viale Marche, the Fiori di Zucchini trattoria recalls in its furnishings and, above all, in its welcome, that sense of familiarity that makes you immediately empathize with the owners, Bepi and Lucia. Crossing the restaurant's threshold is like entering the dining room of a close relative, where the kitchen's scents mix with the furnishings' warm wood, the jars of jam in the sideboard, and the dried tomatoes hanging from the ceiling. Inside there are 40 seats, plus 25 outside in the summer. The couple knows how to do the honours of the house with joy, putting at ease from the very first occasion all those who want to taste the authentic cuisine of Lecce. Bepi, like a true pater familias, has an attentive eye on the room and the dishes, of which she constantly guarantees authenticity and adherence to tradition. Lucia, a tireless and thoughtful chef, selects raw materials and recipes with care and love, keeping them like a family treasure. The menu, which changes daily based on the availability of products, is a riot of seasonal vegetables, local meats, cold cuts and cheeses, fresh pasta and desserts made with dried fruit, just like the grandmothers of Lecce used to make them. In addition to the characteristic courgette flowers in batter, the sage 'cannulate, the pieces of a horse with sauce, and the poached rape cannot be missing. The seafood menu is based on oily fish. At the end of the meal, here are the morsels of almond paste that melt in your mouth. But Fiori di Zucca is also attentive to health, having a separate hob for coeliacs to avoid contamination. Even the homemade pasta, upon request, is prepared with whole grains from organic farming with shallow gluten content.

The Zefiro Restaurant is a culinary jewel set in the heart of Lecce. Known for its innovative approach to traditional Italian and especially Apulian cuisine, it has garnered much praise from locals and tourists alike. Zefiro combines a passion for food with a commitment to the traditions of Italian gastronomy, making it an extraordinary food destination. Zefiro's menu is a testament to Puglia's rich culinary culture, with traditional Italian dishes reinvented with a contemporary twist. The chefs use high-quality, locally sourced ingredients to create their masterpieces. One of the menu's highlights is the "Risotto Zefiro", a creamy risotto dish enriched with local seafood and lightly flavoured with aromatic herbs. Also, try the "Cavatelli with mussels and pecorino", which combine land and sea in a delicious fusion of flavours. The Zefiro restaurant offers a sophisticated yet relaxed atmosphere. The interiors are elegantly designed with a blend of modern and traditional furnishings, creating an elegant and inviting environment.