Puglia is a region that cooks from generations of collective memory. There’s no shortage of fresh ingredients, with sun-ripened fruit and vegetables, an endless sea of olive trees, vineyards and 800km of coast.
Restaurants run the gamut from masseria (farmhouse) gardens, where lunch stretches into evening, seafood shacks known only to locals, family set-ups with nonni mucking in, and chefs who forage samphire before breakfast. All but the fanciest are child-friendly, in that families are welcome, rather than because of special facilities and menus.
All our recommendations below have been hand selected and tested by our resident destination expert to help you discover the best restaurants in Puglia. Find out more below, or for more Puglia inspiration, see our guides to the region’s best hotels, bars, things to do and beaches.
Find restaurants by type:
- Best all rounders
- Best for families
- Best for cheap eats
- Best for fine dining
- Best for walk ins
- Best for views
Best all rounders
Taverna del Porto
You’re almost at the heel’s end here, and Taverna del Porto, in the town where Helen Mirren co-owns a bar, is all about the food and views. Its windows frame the panoramas over the blue Adriatic and along the coast. Don’t be fooled by the interior’s rustic Greek-taverna looks and scrubbed wooden tables, this is very much rustic-luxe, with breads made on the premises and exquisitely cooked fish fresh off the boat each day.
Area: Tricase
Website: tavernadelporto.com
Price: £££
Reservations: Recommended
Alle Due Corti
Modest Alle Due Corti, in Lecce’s honey-hued historic centre, feels like eating at nonna’s house. The interior has limestone walls, there are white tablecloths and meals are served on Puglian ceramics. On the menu are cucina povera classics such as ciceri e tria (a historic dish of chickpeas with pasta, some fried, some boiled) and con cicoria (fava bean purée with wild chicory). Cookery classes are available.
Area: Lecce
Website: alleduecorti.com
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Osteria da Giuseppe
Head to the lime-white town of Ceglie Messapica, which has a concentration of foodie spots, including traditional Osteria da Giuseppe. White walls, decorative plates on the wall, gingham tablecloths. It’s the perfect setting for classic heaped plates of handmade orecchiette with a variety of sauces, Roman-style tripe, and plate after plate of antipasti, all served on traditional Grottaglie ceramics.
Area: Ceglie Messapica
Website: osteriadagiuseppe.it
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
La Locanda del Porto
Set back from Brindisi’s port, this much-loved local institution spills out onto a narrow, pedestrianised lane with outdoor tables offering glimpses of the cyan sea. Inside, it’s all locals, bustle and seafood aromas in an unfussy white-arched space. Staff in Breton stripes serve up traditional Puglian pasta, wood-fired pizza, and the freshest fish, including the light, crispy frittura. There are roasted meats too, and prices remain refreshingly modest.
Area: Brindisi
Website: lalocandadelporto.it
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Osteria Sangiovanni
Tucked away on a quiet backstreet in Monopoli, Osteria Sangiovanni is a locals’ favourite. The airy, high-ceilinged interior, complete with a soaring wine rack, feels smart but unstuffy, while the shaded terrace outside is perfect for people-watching. Portions are generous and traditional: zingy seafood pasta, meatballs and stews slow-cooked in rich, velvety tomato sauce. Come hungry, you’ll want to do scarpeta (“little shoe”) and mop up sauce with a piece of bread.
Area: Monopoli
Website: sangiovanniosteria.it
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Best for families
Trullo d’Oro
What kid big or small could resist eating inside one of Puglia’s iconic cone-roofed buildings? At the 15th-century “trullo of gold”, classic Puglian dishes are given some creative twists, indicating that this is no everyday trattoria. Baccala (dried cod), fava puree and orrecchiette (little ears) pasta are typical ingredients, with robust dishes such as Baccalà alla “San Giuannidde,” with cherry tomatoes, olives, capers and anchovies, or orecchiette with mushrooms, lardons, tomatoes and pecorino.
Area: Alberobello
Website: ristorantetrullodoro.com
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Lo Scalo
En route to the tip of the heel, on the Adriatic side, Ristorante Lo Scalo has tables set on terraces built across the rocks of the coast, with vast views. The menu is strong on seafood, with pasta allo scoglio and crudo di mare, but there are simple pastas to keep any fish-avoidant kids happy. It lies alongside a swimming spot, with translucent water, sunbeds, plus rock pools and coves to explore.
Area: Marina di Novaglie
Website: loscalo.net/en/restaurant
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Le Stanzie
In a rambling, rustic masseria, this countryside restaurant uses its own produce to cook hearty, iconic Puglian dishes, such as orecchiette with tomato sauce and slow-cooked lamb. Wander through gardens and see the farm animals before dining in cosy, fireplace-lit rooms – the walls hung with vintage tools. You can tour the farm, too. See an ancient cave and the underground olive mill, drying bunches of winter tomatoes, and olive oil and bread made on site.
Area: Supersano
Website: lestanzie.com
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Best for cheap eats
Porto Vecchio fish market, Molo San Nicola
Down by Bari’s port, fishermen sell their catch straight off the boats. It’s fresh, raw and ready to eat. When in season, sea urchins are the delicacy of choice, their orange, briny sweetness scooped straight from the shell. If they’re off limits, as fishing is sometimes restricted, opt for other favourites like tender octopus, calamari, prawns and oysters. Watch the local card games, crack open a cold Peroni, and savour a truly Puglian ritual.
Area: Bari
Website: turismo.puglia.it/bari
Price: £
Reservations: Not needed
Pescaria
There’s usually a queue for this takeaway venue. Patrons line up for its octopus panino – the octopus given a light tempura and paired with the bitter cime di rapa (turnip tops, a green leafy ingredient), anchovy oil and ricotta, frittura mista (fried seafood, again in light-as-air batter), and even fish and chips. As favoured along this stretch of coast, there’s plenty of raw seafood on offer, including oysters, shrimp and carpaccio.
Area: Polignano
Website: pescaria.it
Price: £
Reservations: Not needed
Al Vecchio Fornello
This is one of Cisternino’s fornelli pronti (ready ovens): dining areas attached to a butcher’s shop. The interior is simple, with wooden tables, benches and paper tablecloths, and there are gingham-covered tables outside, lining the narrow whitewashed lane. Make your choice, and it’s then barbecued in the kitchen: the classic delicacy is flavour-bomb bombette pork or other meats, thinly sliced then rolled, stuffed with bacon and caciocavallo, held together with a cocktail stick, and roasted.
Area: Cisternino
Contact: 0039 080 444 1113; facebook.com/alvecchiofornellocisternino
Price: ££
Reservations: Not needed
Best for fine dining
Masseria Il Frantoio
In the rolling green countryside outside the beacon-white town of Ostuni is the 500-year-old olive farm Masseria Il Frantoio, which also offers olive oil tastings and rooms. The menu features organic, farm-grown ingredients, and the surrounding gardens and ancient olive groves are an idyll in which to settle in for a multi-course meal using organic, homegrown ingredients. Diners enjoy freshly picked salads, handmade cheeses, artisanal pastas and rustic breads, and can finish the meal with a choice of 39 homemade liqueurs.
Area: Ostuni
Website: masseriailfrantoio.it
Price: ££
Reservations: Essential
Grotta Palazzese
This has been a destination restaurant for decades, in one of the world’s most dramatic dining locations. Tables are set in a long cave in Polignano’s seacliffs, with views directly over the Adriatic. As is often the case, the gastronomy never quite lived up to the setting, but this has changed under the steerage of Tarantino Martino Ruggieri, who, having gained awards and Michelin stars in Paris and Italy, has now returned closer to home.
Area: Polignano
Website: grottapalazzese.it
Price: £££
Reservations: Essential
Primo
In Lecce, a small restaurant led by self-taught, Gallipoli-born chef Solaika Marrocco, Italy’s youngest Michelin-starred chef, offers dramatic, spotlighted tables and inventive cuisine. Marrocco uses regional ingredients in bold ways and plays with traditional concepts. For example, her frisella with tomato gel, celery extraction and caramelised capers reimagines the dried bread once carried by farm workers. The result is a restaurant with deep roots in Puglia and fearlessly inventive contemporary Italian cooking
Area: Lecce
Website: primorestaurant.it
Price: £££
Reservations: Essential
Laltro Baffo
In Otranto’s creamy limestone historic centre, Laltro Baffo has a small terrace, minimalist white interior and a big culinary reputation. Chef Cristina Cante, raised in her father’s restaurant, has recreated it as her own, focusing on creating perfection with the freshest local seafood. Reimagined dishes include polpo in pignata (octopus stew) and deconstructed pasticciotto (custard-filled pastry). The five-course tasting menu offers exceptional value at €65 (£55). Pray that her silken standout sea urchin carbonara is available.
Area: Otranto
Website: laltrobaffo.com
Price: ££
Reservations: Essential
Best for walk ins
Ostuni Bistro
In Ostuni’s sun-bleached main square, Piazza della Libertà, this restaurant looks like a regular tourist trap, but it’s far from it. Tables fill steadily at lunch and dinner, it’s a perfect spot for people-watching, and the family-run kitchen turns out assured Puglian classics: briny mussels, roasted octopus, roasted potatoes and handmade orecchiette. The pinse, a type of pizza with a lighter, crunchier base, are truly outstanding.
Area: Ostuni
Website: osteriaostunibistrot.com
Price: ££
Mastro Ciccio
In Bari, Mastro Ciccio has a high-arched interior and lines of freshly made panini, fried food such as arancini and ready pasta. It’s a fast-food gem ideal for when you want a quick meal of local specialities on the go. With plenty of tables inside, a small terrace, and a lively, no-frills vibe, it’s legendary for its panino with grilled octopus and burrata, combining two classic Puglian ingredients in one sumptuous bite.
Area: Bari
Website: mastrociccio.it
Price: ££
400 Gradi
Lecce’s best pizzeria is a short walk to the north of the historic centre. It’s worth the distance for Neapolitan (thick crust and wood-fired) topped with fresh ingredients. The name, “400 degrees” reflects the ideal temperature for wood-fired pizza. The interior design is decidedly weird – wood with neon accents – but it doesn’t detract from the pizzas featuring airy, charred crusts and fresh, high-quality toppings. Signature offerings include ricotta-stuffed crusts and inventive fried cones.
Area: Lecce
Website: pizzeria400gradi.it
Price: ££
Best for views
Carlo Quinto
In Monopoli, this fish restaurant has a fantastic setting, with tables beside the port and views of the dark-blue Adriatic and the golden-stone walls of the historic port. It’s a splendid place to eat fresh fish and seafood, served on decorative local ceramics, and there’s a tiled cocktail bar for later on in the evening. Punters often take their drinks out and sit on the bastion wall.
Area: Monopoli
Website: carloquinto.it
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Al Trabucco
Perched above the Adriatic, close to Peschici on Puglia’s Gargano coast, Al Trabucco is a chance to dine on a historic wooden fishing platform, a complicated structure of pulleys and ropes. There’s been a restaurant here since 1975, when Mimì and Lucia began to restore their family trabucco. Today, it’s a place for sophisticated cooking, enhanced with the freshest fish, sea breezes and epic views. There’s a five- of seven-course set menu or a la carte.
Area: Peschici
Website: altrabucco.com
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Pavi Wine Restaurant
Pavi sits high on Locorotondo’s panoramic terrace, with almost bird’s-eye views over the patchwork of vineyards and olive groves that roll gently towards the Adriatic. While it’s known for its local wines, the food is also a draw. It’s the ingredients that make it sing, bruschetta with tomatoes, handmade local pasta, and platters of salami and cheeses. This is a great spot for sunset and for people-watching during the evening passeggiata.
Area: Locorotondo
Contact: 0039 333 581 0310; instagram.com
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
How we choose
Every restaurant in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who has visited to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets, from neighbourhood favourites to Michelin-starred restaurants – to best suit every type of traveller’s taste – and consider the food, service, best tables, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest opening and provide up to date recommendations.
About our expert
Abigail Blasi, Telegraph Travel’s Puglia expert, fell for the region – and her Puglian husband – over 20 years ago. She loves its spring flowers, summer sagre, burrata, and discovering hidden corners of Italy’s heel.