Have you noticed that “everyone” is in Puglia lately? Two decades of heavy investment in tourism marketing has paid off, but at what expense? Seems like every influencer on the planet is posting drone footage from the criminally packed beach at Polignano or fit checks from the brand new olive grove at their faux masseria accommodations. I don’t love it. The great news is, there are many, many places in Puglia that are still off the radar more or less–Noci! The interior of Salento!! The suburbs of Lecce!!!

If you go where everyone else is, you’re going to miss out on what truly makes Puglia special. I don’t want that for you! If you can, steer clear of the obvious spots and risk having a little adventure! Rent a car! Get lost! And don’t squander even a single culinary opportunity there. So don’t cringe when I tell you: eat pezzetti and involtini di cavallu. They’re horse specialties. Just do it.

Don’t miss Puglia’s non-equine treats, either, like pasticciotti (Puglia’s signature custard-filled cake), mustaccioli (cookies flavored with grape must), fave e cicoria (fava bean puree with sauteed greens), burrata, gamberi rossi di Gallipoli (sweet red shrimp), pane di Altamura (hefty loaves of artisanal bread), focaccia, tieddhra di cozze e patate (baked rice layered with mussels and potatoes), cozze pelose (local “hairy” mussels), taralli (the beloved ring-shaped snack), turcinieddhri (roasted or grilled lamb skewers), ricotta scante (tangy fermented ricotta), capocollo di Martina Franca, orecchiette con cime di rapa (orecchiette with brococli rabe), cavatelli con pomodoro e ricotta scante (cavatelli with tomato sauce and funky, aged ricotta), panzerotti (baked or fried hot pockets, basically), canestrato, la giuncata (a local soft cheese), rustici (savory little puff pastry pies), polenta fritta (fried polenta, snack-sized), crocchè/crocchette di patate (potato croquettes), purpu alla pignata (octopus, cherry tomatoes, and potatoes), and granita di gelso nero (mulberry-flavored granita, the best gelato-adjacent treat). Is your skin feeling taut just thinking about the food extravaganza? Good! The archive of Puglia articles on my site and my article for Australian Gourmet Traveller have the extended dish on where to eat all of these. Here’s an abbreviated round-up of where I like to go throughout the region :

Where to Eat

• L’Antica Locanda: This place in Noci serves the most sensational seasonal food. Chef Pasquale Fatalino is intensely devoted to the classic and disappearing dishes of the surrounding Valle d’Itria, and he refuses to compromise on food quality in this increasingly touristic part of Puglia. The antipasto misto features a parade of salumi, formaggi, olives, and vegetable dishes, while the soulful pastas celebrate the tomatoes and cheeses of Noci and its environs. Save room for grilled meat, Fatalino’s specialty. Via Spirito Santo, 49, Noci. 
• Da Tuccino: A Temple to Neptune if there ever was one. Set on the sea just north of Polignano a Mare (a town that has sadly spiraled into an influencer hellscape), this fancy fish restaurant serves some of the best pesce crudo in the Provincia di Bari. The spaghetti con le cozze is spectacular. At the end of the meal, the server comes to your table and cleanses your palate with this weird grappa spray, totally bizarre and intimate but strangely refreshing. Maybe more alcohol should come in aerosol form? Contrada Santa Caterina 69, Polignano a Mare.
• La Rotonda: A sort of restaurant-shack on the litoranea south of Monopoli serving ricci di mare (sea urchin, in season), cozze fritte (fried mussels), grilled octopus, and basic pasta dishes on a patio overlooking the sea. SS Savelletri-Torre Canne, Fasano.
• L’Aratro: Most restaurants in Alberobello make their living off of the unfortunate mass tourism that has transformed the area in the past decades–watch out for buses discouraging dozens of visitors clamoring to see the village’s signature conical buildings, trulli. L’Aratro is a welcome alternative, serving meticulously selected cheeses, cured meats, and wonderfully simply durum wheat pasta dishes. The owner is also a sommelier and prides himself on using Slow Food-recognized products in his menu. Via Monte San Michele 27, Alberobello.
• Di Cosimo: Pizza and u’ panzerrott’ (pizza dough stuffed with mozzarella and tomato sauce and deep fried) are the specialties at this Bari landmark. Queue up for take out or wade through the crowd and find a table in the side room. Via Modugno Giovanni 31, Bari.
• Lido Bianco: A beautifully situated restaurant in Monopoli, perched on a rocky outcropping above a cove bathed in turquoise waters. At the entrance, a large display of fresh fish serves as the restaurant’s menu. Lido Bianco’s crudi (raw shellfish) are delectable but the antipasto misto di mare is on another level: insalata di mare with zucchini, smoked salmon with orange zest and pink peppercorns, mushroom and shrimp crepes…It could be a meal on its own, though try, if you can, to leave room for primo and secondo. Fish this fresh is worth the effort. Via Procaccia 3, Monopoli.
• L’Orecchietta: This pasta shop and trattoria in central Guagnano sells fresh pasta and traditional dishes to take away, but if you want to dine in there are also dishes highlighting seasonal produce, local pasta shapes, and hearty meats. Via Vittorio Veneto 49, Guagnano.
• Panifico Fiore: Founded in 1912 inside a defunct 16th century noble chapel, this historic bakery sells wedges of wood-fired, oil-slicked focaccia topped with tomatoes and olives (watch for the pits!) and baked in pans dosed with liberal amounts of olive oil. The result is a flatbread with a crispy bottom, a spongy interior, and a sweet and salty top. Strada Palazzo di Citta’ 38, Bari.
• Farmacia dei Sani: The innovative dishes at this restaurant in Ruffano, a town deep in Salento’s interior, are inspired by the region’s ingredients, which are elevated by modern techniques and outside-the-box flavor contrasts. Piazza del Popolo 14, Ruffano.
• La Succursale: This busy pizzeria near Lecce’s university serves thick-rimmed pizzas with craft beer, as well as assorted salads, legume dishes, and cheese plates. Viale dell’Università, Lecce.
• Le Macàre: This friendly trattoria serves a survey of Salento’s sea- and land-based specialties, including roasted octopus with potatoes, eggplants stuffed with mozzarella or served atop creamy burrata, and ragù misto (pork and beef simmered overnight in puréed tomatoes). Via Mariana Albina 140, Alezio. 

Where to Drink Cocktails

• Quanto Basta: The award-winning craft cocktail bar in central Lecce is Salento’s first foray into the world of global spirits and serves excellent drinks combining foreign and domestic flavors. Via Marco Basseo 29, Lecce.
• Cubi: Opened in summer 2017, this craft cocktail bar from the team behind Quanto Basta mixes proper cocktails in southern Salento. Via S. Giuseppe 12, Maglie.
• Caffè Parisi: Come for its old-school café culture and large aperitivo snack spread, and stay for its prime position in Nardò’s elegant historic center. Piazza Antonio Salandra 38, Nardò.

Where to Eat Sweets & Drink Coffee

• Avio: An obligatory stop on any caffeine loving visitor’s itinerary, Avio is a  coffee shop near the Castello in Lecce that serves a special blend of the local Quarta coffee. The espressini freddi are a rich summer alternative to the classic caffè espresso. Corner of Via Trinchese and Via XV Luglio, Lecce.
• Alvino: This bar and caffè in Lecce’s central Piazza Sant’Oronzo is your one-stop-shop for local sweet and savory snacks like pasticciotti and rustici. There are better places to find both, but Alvino offers convenient quality. Piazza Sant’Oronzo 30, Lecce.
• Bar Cotognata Leccese: As the name suggests, this classic bar is renowned for cotognata, Lecce’s quince paste, but it sells a range of other sweet specialties. Viale Marconi 51 Lecce.
• Pasticceria Ascalone: Founded in 1740, this institution in Galatina, which is in its 10th generation of family ownership, attracts pasticiotti lovers from across Salento. Via Vittorio Emanuele 17, Galatina.
• Natale: Just around the block from Alvino, this much loved pastry shop and gelateria serves classic flavors of gelato as well as more creative ones inspired by local specialties. The pasticciotto and mustazziolo gelati are unique and I’ve heard good things about the stracciatella Thai, but have yet to try it. Via Trinchese 7, Lecce.
• Pasticceria Nobile: Located in San Cataldo, a run-down suburb of Lecce on the sea, this hole-in-the-wall pastry shop does nice pasticciotti. They are turned out of their pans piping hot all day long, and even in the dead of summer these heavy pastiera cream-filled indulgences are hard to pass up. Via Marco Polo 9, San Cataldo.
• Super Mago del Gelo: The inside of this gelateria specializing in granita (slushy fruit ice) looks like it was designed by Scarface’s interior decorator, but once you get past the coke den decor, pay for your granita at the register (be sure to specify if you want panna–whipped cream) then place your order with the barman. Each portion includes two flavors of seasonal, slushy bliss. In my opinion, nothing beats gelso nero (black mulberry) and mandorla (almond). Piazza Garibaldi 22, Polignano a Mare.If you want to cook pugliese dishes at home, check out my cookbook Food of the Italian South!