Puglia Restaurants: Reviews & Recommendations

[Stevarino]

After we left Brindisi, we stopped in Ostuni, mentioned earlier by Kevin72. It is called "The White Queen of Olives," as it is predmonitately painted white, and surrounded by olive groves. I was told they painted it white, because it gets so hot in the summer, the white helps to reflect some of the suns rays. The city sits on top of a hill, which makes it all that more impressive. Unfortunately, we were on a tight schedule, and couldn't take as much time as I would've like to, and if I make it back, I will try Il Frantoio on Kevins recommendation. I have photos of this really fun street carnival that was taking place. I would post pictures if I knew how.

[Kevin72]

Ooh, I forgot about that. When we went there it was cold and rainy. We went into Ostuni for dinner and some drinks and came back fairly late at night. Yet they had the fire stoked and waiting for us and a little tray of digestiivos with their own label on each glass. Wonderful touch.

Il Frantoio is a splurge, but worth every penny. They don't serve dinner year-round, though - if you're going off-season, you might want to ask. But the breakfast is amazing...more than a dozen kinds of cookies, soft-boiled eggs, yogurt with fruit preserves - all made from fruit grown on the estate - fresh fruit, toast, coffee, warm milk...

And every night on your way to bed you'll be offered a small digestif, from about twenty different flavors that they make from fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers (rose!) from the estate.

Here's their site: http://www.trecolline.it/english/index_eng.html

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[Kevin72]

Here's some previous travel threads on Puglia:

Restaurants in Marina di Leuca, Otranto, Taranto

A Nice Place to Eat In Lecce

A Week in Puglia

On the Tip of The Heel

Top 5 Meals from My Trip to Rome and Puglia

Tips for Puglia Anyone?

The Cooking and Cuisine of Puglia

Additionally, Franci, a regular poster on this board, is from Puglia and may be worth shooting a PM to to hear her input and insights.

[MMerrill]

Gia Sotto l'Arco in Carovigno is wonderful!

[Kropotkin]

We enjoyed a memorable dinner in Ostuni in October 2005 at a relatively new restaurant -'Osteria Piazzatte Catedrale'- right at the top of the old town. It has an astonishingly evocative setting in the small piazza outside the Duomo doors, and one rendered even more atmospheric by the misty autumn night when we visited.

Inside the cosy restaurant (just two smallish dining rooms hewn into the hilltop) the welcome was very warm. I can't recall exactly what menu we had but it included a very fine array of antipasti (including an excellent plate of mozzarella and pomegranate), and a deep, rich, local pasta dish. Their wine-list was also more extensive that anticipated, and we enjoyed an excellent Salice Salentino after their recommendation. The owner was very serious about his food and seems to be one of the very welcome, emergent breed of younger restauranteurs one finds scattered through the South. We'd be back in a flash.

And when we go we'll again stay at the Hotel La Terra simply for their striking and impressive rennovation of an old, labyrinthine monastery that was partially embedded in the same hilltop. Ask for a room in the rafters overlooking the white townscape (although don't worry about their breakfast, and there's no parking... at all...)

Edited April 25, 2007 by Kropotkin (log)

[Bull Terrier]

I live very close (10 km) to Lecce and I know most of the restaurants quite well. In my opinion one of the best pizzerie in Lecce is "Lussy" which is outside of the old quarters. The antipasti are truly outstanding and service is overall excellent. My favourite however is "Torre di Merlino / Bella Notte" (both are next to each other and the food is the same). The pizza here is more like Naples-style pizza. Prices are higher, but the pizza is the best in Lecce. If you go outside of Lecce, a superb (and truly massive) pizzeria is "Amadeus". It is on the road to Cavallino, just a few km outside of Lecce.

As far as restaurants go, my favourite places in Lecce are "Caffè Retrò", which is outside of the old quarters, "L'Osteria degli Spiriti", e "Il Giardino", the latter two being very close to the old quarters. Outside of Lecce there is an absolutely superb restaurant in a place called Veglie (about 20km from Lecce) called "Conte Cavour", where the speciality is sea-food. I highly recommend the skewers with mozzarella cheese and prawns, as well as all of the antipasti.

If you want a nice ice-cream (gelato) after your dinner then the very best two places are "Natale", which is probably the most famous, or else the new-comer which I actually prefer "Cuor di Gelato".

The general tendency in restaurants in Lecce is for very abundant antipasti, and then most people choose either a dish of pasta or rice, or else a second dish (meat or fish) possibly with a vegetable side dish or salad. Most restaurants tend to serve local dishes, without too many restaurants specialising in cuisine from other parts of Italy or else foreign restaurants, and the few foreign restaurants which do exist are normally shockingly bad.

[Stevarino]

This is a photo of a Tiella Barese.

Please forgive me while I painfully follow this learning curve. I have lots of photos to share from this trip, would love the conversation on the subject with all that are interested.

[hathor]

Stevearino: did you make the Tiella? What's in it? How was it? Details..we need details! Photos or no, please share with us!