Top Lecce Dining Experiences

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.

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.

Delve into the world of Puglian wine without leaving Lecce’s old town with this wine tasting experience in the heart of the Baroque city. Take a break from sightseeing and relax at a local wine bar for a guided tasting featuring four different regional wines paired with local specialties. Learn about Puglia’s winemaking history and culture as you sip and enjoy views over the pretty lane lined with traditional “palazzi”.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Immerse yourself in a private dining experience at a local's home, enjoy an exclusive show cooking and taste authentic recipes from Varese 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 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.

Learn how to make an authentic Turinese meal during this 3-hour private cooking experience. Discover Italian cooking techniques and get hands-on experience preparing a 3-course meal with your instructor. Try your hand at makes dishes such as amaretti cookies, gnocchi, truffle risotto, and more. Then, enjoy the fruits of your labor perfectly paired with local red and white wines to complete your experience.

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.

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

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.

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.

Would you like to discover the most authentic side of Italian gastronomy and share it with other enthusiasts of the “cucina italiana”? Enjoy this shared Market tour and typical Dining experience. Visit the vibrant local market and learn about the seasonal produce and secret ingredients. Then, head to your Cesarina’s house to enjoy a 3-course dining experience, showcasing the authentic regional dishes stored in the cookbooks of your host. You will take part in an experience which is so much more than just a lunch or dinner. You will make new friends, feel like one of the family and live like the Italians do.

Lecce is known as the food capital of Puglia, and you can experience the city’s rich culinary culture with this food experience that takes you from market to table with a local “Cesarina”, or home cook. Stroll through the market with your host and then watch as she prepares traditional dishes in her kitchen. Afterwards, it’s time to sample these recipes yourself over lunch or dinner served with Puglian wines and espresso.

Discover the true taste of Lecce with an immersive, hands-on cooking experience focused on Focaccia Barese. Learn to prepare the dough from scratch, create a rich mix of toppings, and bake the perfect focaccia under the guidance of a skilled local cook. As you shape and layer the ingredients, you’ll understand the delicate balance that makes this dish so beloved in Puglia. While the focaccia bakes, enjoy a small aperitivo and explore Lecce’s culinary traditions, soaking in the warmth of Italian hospitality. Finally, savor your homemade focaccia, paired with a glass of regional wine, for a full, flavorful experience. Hosted by Cesarine, Italy’s oldest network of passionate home cooks, this experience offers an authentic, local perspective that no restaurant can match. Join us in Lecce to cook, taste, and enjoy the flavors of Puglia like a true local!

Connect with a local cook to learn how to make both pasta and tiramisù in her home kitchen with this private cooking class, ideal for both adults and kids. Discover the secrets to turning out two types of fresh pasta and luscious tiramisu made from scratch during this hands-on lesson, then relax over a festive meal to sample the dishes you’ve created together, paired with wine.

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.

Lecce is famous for its pasticciotto and espresso at the bar — fast, standing, and delicious. This experience offers the opposite: a full sit-down brunch in a relaxed local venue, with a complete menu, real choices, and time to enjoy it. No tourist buffet, no rushed café stop — just a proper brunch, freshly prepared and served with care. You choose your dish, sit back, and enjoy a slower, more authentic side of the city. Designed for travelers who value comfort, quality, and atmosphere, this experience offers a curated selection of dishes in a welcoming setting just outside the historic center. It’s not just breakfast — it’s a moment to slow down and start your day in Lecce the right way.

Combining the creative act of decorating with the Italian tradition of aperitivo creates a "dolce vita" moment that perfectly balances productivity with relaxation. This concept focuses on unhurried, enjoyable activity—a "warm-up" for the evening that turns a simple task into a social, sensory experience