Top Lecce Dining Experiences

Explore Lecce through its flavours—and uncover spots you'd likely miss alone—on this guided food and drink tour. Skip the guesswork as your local guide leads you down hidden streets and past highlights such as the Cathedral and the city’s oldest square. Along the way, stop at top foodie spots to sample traditional pizza, taralli, and local drinks. It's the perfect way to see—and taste—more of the city.

You can taste local cooking during this exclusive dining experience at a home in Gallipoli. Watch as your host prepares your meal and lets you in on their culinary secrets. Taste authentic recipes from family cookbooks cherished by real Italian mammas. Then, enjoy a 4-course menu, with drinks included, and connect with locals to feel the warmth of Italian hospitality.

Lecce is famous for its baroque architecture and authentic cuisine. With this cooking class in the heart of the city’s old town, experience the best of both. Meet your hosts at an “osteria” set on one of the most charming lanes in the historic center and discover the secrets to rolling and shaping fresh “orecchiette” pasta, a traditional specialty from Puglia. Then relax over a guided wine tasting paired with regional delicacies.

Immerse yourself in a private dining experience at a local's home, enjoy an exclusive cooking demo and taste authentic recipes treasured in family cookbooks passed down by real Italian Mammas. Feel the warmth of Italian hospitality as you connect with local people. Enjoy a 4-course menu including starter, pasta, main course with side dish, dessert with drinks included (water, selection of red and white wines from regional cellars and coffee). This experience is held by Cesarine: Italy’s oldest network of 1000+ home cooks all over the country in more than 500 cities. They are passionate and welcoming hosts that open the doors of their own homes to curious travellers for immersive culinary experiences.

Italian cuisine is as much about ingredients as it is about recipes, and with this experience you can join a local “Cesarina” (home cook) as she shops at the local market and then watch as she prepares authentic dishes from Otranto in her kitchen. Learn about Puglia’s food traditions as you cap off your time together with a family-style lunch or dinner served with regional wines and espresso.

We are more than a Traditional Restaurant, but a refined Puglia Heritage Restaurant, a place where people can learn hands-on how a historical dish comes to life. The origins of a dish go beyond the recipe. They encompass the history of a region. Over the years, many of our customers have rediscovered flavors long lost in their memory. Forgotten tastes that have touched their hearts, bringing back vivid memories. Currently, our Maestro di cucina is Giorgio Grassi. He learned everything from Rosalba De Carlo, his mother, a great expert in Puglia’s culinary culture. She belongs to the noble baronial family Andriani De Vito of Corigliano d’Otranto. Being also in close contact with the peasants of her village, Rosalba has deep knowledge of both the rich and the humble versions of the same culinary tradition. For this reason, a conference with the UNESCO Patronage chose her as a Case Study in 2010. Rosalba is a great treasure to our Restaurant, but above all a precious jewel of our family.

A unique opportunity to explore the food and wine tradition of Puglia through a guided tasting of wines and local specialties. Savor four glasses of typical wine, including two reds, a white and a rosé, while delicious taralli and friselle flavors with fresh tomato enrich the experience. An industry Expert will share fascinating stories about Apulian wine and culture, making every sip and bite a journey into the heart of Salento.

Learn how to make two different types of pasta as well as a traditional Italian dessert—tiramisu—with this small-group class. As well as having lots of fun, it’s a great way to learn special techniques from a local cook that you wouldn’t find in a recipe book. After an Italian aperitivo, enjoy a hands-on class, followed by the chance to eat all of your culinary masterpieces.

Step into Lecce's only 1920s-style speakeasy, hidden in a baroque building facing a stunning 16th-century Greek church. SaloonKeeper 1933 recreates the glamour and mystery of the Prohibition era, with original vintage furnishings, Chester sofas, low lighting, and the sound of Jazz and Blues filling the air. Whether you choose to sit on one of Lecce's most beautiful piazzas or sink into a vintage armchair indoors, this is an aperitivo experience unlike anything else in the city — crafted cocktails, curated flavors, and an unforgettable atmosphere that transports you straight to the Roaring Twenties.

Embark on a pasta-making adventure with Enza! Don your apron and uncover the secrets of crafting authentic Italian pasta. Together, we'll create 'Orecchiette and Maccheroncini' using Enza's secret recipe and locally sourced ingredients for an unbeatable flavor. Afterward, indulge in a delightful feast featuring local fresh vegetables, cheeses, and our homemade pasta dishes. Plus, savor the taste of Salento's finest wines and our refined homemade limoncello for an unforgettable culinary experience!

Discover Salento through its food in a relaxed and welcoming family-run setting. This experience offers a generous selection of local flavors inspired by the culinary traditions of Southern Italy, with dishes prepared according to season and availability. Depending on the day, you may taste local cheeses, cured meats, vegetables and other traditional Salento specialties, accompanied by local wine or a non-alcoholic alternative. team will be happy to introduce the dishes and answer questions about local ingredients and food traditions. Because we work with fresh and seasonal products, the selection may naturally change throughout the year. Relax, enjoy good food and discover genuine Salento hospitality in a warm and informal atmosphere. What makes it special is the combination of generous portions, seasonal ingredients and personal attention from a local team, offering an authentic way to experience Salento’s food culture.

Go deeper than is possible on most food tours. This private tour is an immersive culinary experience. First, you’ll visit a local market in the company of your local host, then you’ll go to their home to get a hands-on experience making three authentic regional recipes. Afterward sit down to enjoy your meal together, accompanied by a glass of local wine.

Skip the usual restaurant scene for this small-group pasta cooking class in a carefully selected private home in Otranto. Meet your host in their home, warm up with an Italian aperitivo, and learn how to make two kinds of fresh pasta and one of Italy’s most iconic desserts, tiramisu. Choose between lunch or dinner time classes and enjoy your meal with wine, water, and coffee.

Aperitivo in Italy isn't just a drink — it's a daily ritual. But not all aperitivo is the same. In Lecce, it means real food, local flavors, and time to slow down. This experience gives you the authentic version: a full aperitivo served at your table, not a buffet. One cocktail of your choice and a generous selection of Salento specialties, ready when you arrive. No standing at the bar. No waiting. No guessing what to order. You sit down, relax, and enjoy a complete experience built around comfort, quality, and genuine local products that change with the season. This is how locals actually enjoy aperitivo — unhurried, social, and centered around good food. Unlike a standard bar stop, this is a sit-down experience with table service, real Salento food, and no rush. Perfect for couples, solo travelers, and small groups looking for a relaxed and authentic evening in Lecce.

The countryside around Lecce is thick with wineries and olive farms, but reaching these outlying estates is a challenge without a car. With this tasting, sample the best wines and olive oils from the Puglian hills right in the middle of the city. Relax at a local wine bar and sip a number of vintages while snacking on bruschetta and other olive oil-infused snacks.

This hands-on workshop is the perfect way to express your creativity while designing something beautiful. A gusto Tuo, quindi meraviglioso!

Immerse yourself in a private pasta and tiramisu-making class in a welcoming home, learn the secrets of the region's most famous pasta dishes and tiramisu and taste the fruit of your labour for lunch or dinner accompanied by local wines. During this private lesson, you will learn how to prepare 2 pasta recipes and the tiramisu dessert from scratch. Your Cesarina will reveal the tricks of the trade of these iconic recipes. Have fun putting your cooking skills to the test and amaze your friends and family once home with an Italian meal! This experience is suitable for families with children of all ages. Le Cesarine is Italy’s oldest network of home cooks all over the country in more than 120 cities. They are passionate and welcoming hosts that open the doors of their own homes to curious travellers for immersive culinary experiences.

Enjoy a quiet experience away from Lecce's tourist crowds. In a cozy wine bar located in the old town with an inspiring deco, taste Puglia foods and wine with the locals. A special dinner in Lecce with a local sommelier!

Welcome to the tropics — right in the heart of Lecce. Querencia Exotic Bar is the only tiki bar in the city, a one-of-a-kind restaurant, cocktail bar, and cigar bar wrapped in lush exotic vegetation, colored lights, and a full pirate atmosphere. Two sprawling tropical gardens set the scene for an unforgettable dinner, where Caribbean-style mixology meets fresh, quality ingredients. With a selection of over 800 rum labels, this is a place that makes you forget the present and lose yourself in another world — without ever leaving Lecce.

Don’t let Italy’s cuisine be a travel memory. With this private cooking class, you’ll take Italian flavor home with you. In the home of a local chef (or “cesarina”), you’ll learn how to make three types of fresh pasta—all paired with local wines, of course. An immersive travel experience and a chance to stretch your cooking skills, it’ll also be one of the most memorable dinners you have in Lecce.

This is the only experience of Salento cuisine that offers you a taste of the real typical products of our region. I will be happy to explain to you the whole history and the food and wine culture of Salento while we will prepare lunch or dinner tasting together the best wines of Salento.

Every region of Italy has its own distinct cuisine and this private cooking experience focuses on the delectable dishes of Otranto. Meet your local host and learn to cook a variety of dishes from the region from start to finish. Then, sit down to a delicious meal paired with local wines and great conversation.

This authentic pizza-making class stands out for its truly hands-on approach and professional guidance from an experienced local pizzaiolo. Unlike standard classes, you will learn not only how to prepare pizza, but also the key techniques behind dough fermentation, flour selection, and traditional Italian methods. You will create your own dough from scratch using professional tools, while discovering the secrets that make Italian pizza unique. Since proper dough requires time to rise, you will also enjoy a freshly baked pizza prepared by the chef using matured dough, allowing you to taste the true final result. The experience takes place in a relaxed and welcoming setting, includes a drink, and ends with a certificate of participation. Perfect for food lovers looking for an authentic, immersive, and high-quality culinary experience in Lecce.