Puglia is a southern Italian region that has garnered a lot of attention in recent years for good reason. She’s dreamy. But while most people know to come here for the region’s impeccable beaches, where many fail to do proper research is knowing what to eat.
Puglia, like every Italian region from the hidden gem of Le Marche to the least visited region of Valle d’Aosta, has specific food and drink that can only be found here. And even more so, each city and town is known for a niche dish, like crispy and spicy pasta, or custard-filled pastries.
If you’re making a plan to come to Puglia, there are two things to keep in mind. One: while you can navigate quite easily via train, a car is extremely helpful here. I used Discover Cars to get around the region at my own pace. Two: you need at least a loose plan for food, whether it’s a check list of dishes, or a more specified list of actual restaurants. Luckily, after having visited the region five times in the last few years, I’ve done my fair share of field research.
So, without further ado, here’s how to have a foodie road trip through fabulous Puglia.
Bari
I deserve some type of punishment for how long I waited to travel to Bari. Though I had transferred through Bari many times, whether through the airport, the train station, or simply getting off to hop on a bus, it wasn’t until 2025 that I finally understood the charm of the Puglian capital.
Bari is perhaps my favorite city in Puglia, and at the very least, one of. my favorite cities in the country. The Old Town is just as magical as other Puglian towns and cities, but the authentic charm is tenfold. And, as we are here to discuss, Bari has some of the best food in the region. You can take a food tour with a local to do less navigating, but if you want to take the self-guided route, here’s where to go.
Focaccia at Panificio Santa Rita
I promise you’ve never had the best bread in your life if you’ve never been to Panificio Santa Rita. It still blows my mind how bread can be that good. This small bakery just about always has a line, and has a list of rules to adhere to on the front door. Once you finally make your way inside, order the focaccia of your choice (I highly recommend just ordering whatever is freshest) and be prepared to have the crispiest-on-the-outside yet fluffiest-on-the-inside focaccia, which is filled with succulent oily tomatoes.
- Address: Str. dei Dottula, 8, 70122 Bari BA, Italy // Closed Sundays
Orecchiette at Strada Arco Basso
One of the most exciting things to do in Bari is head to Strada Arco Basso to watch nonnas hand-rolling orecchiette. Strada Arco Basso is simply a street, and not a restaurant, but it is a must-see when in town. However, there are some factors to keep in mind; for starters, the nonnas are not always out. My friend and I went around 1 or 2 p.m., and though we could see tables full of hand-rolled orecchiette, we didn’t actually see any women doing the rolling. We were advised to come later in the day, so around 5 p.m., we headed back, and voila. We saw several women rolling pasta, and it is as charming as it sounds. You are able to purchase orecchiette to take home if you’d like, either fresh or dried.
- Address: Arco Basso, Bari, Italy
Gelato at Gelateria Gentile
I’m a tough critic when it comes to gelato, but the pistachio gelato at Gelateria Gentile quickly wound up in my top three favorite gelati I’ve ever tried in Italy. Yes, really. It’s that good. A lot of locals recommended this spot, and the reviews across the board are generally stellar, and I can confirm it’s worth it.
- Address: Piazza Federico II di Svevia, 33, 70122 Bari BA, Italy
Aperitivo at La Bitta
If you’re looking for a locally-owned bar for aperitivo, I am a big fan of La Bitta. The owner just about always there, and is happy to provide recommendations down the Puglian coast. In fact, that’s how I got some recs for further cities in this list, and I can confirm that he didn’t disappoint with where he advised me to go. Pro-tip he makes a great negroni, and they have a solid focaccia if you haven’t gotten your full fix yet.
- Address: Via Re Manfredi, 36, 70122 Bari BA, Italy
Spaghetti all’assassina at Antò Ristorante
Two dishes that you MUST eat in Bari are Spaghetti All’assassina and Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa, and one of the most popular places to get them in town is at Antò Ristorante. Spaghetti all’assassina is an incredibly robust pasta dish, made with pasta cooking in a tomato paste and water stock in a shallow pot, adding more as you go (think similar to the method of risotto), creating a crisp texture on the spaghetti, similar to a soccarat of a Spanish paella. As the pasta continues to cook, chilis are added for a nice kick.
Orecchiette con cime di rapa is simply orecchiette with broccoli rabe, a bitter green, and many versions in Bari have sausage, too. The portions at Antò Ristorante are massive, and be warned that they basically won’t let you pay without imbibing in a shot of limoncello or Amaro.
- Address: Strada Palazzo di Città, 14, 70122 Bari BA, Italy
Polignano a Mare
Perhaps the most picturesque town along the coast of Puglia is Polignano a Mare. Its dramatic cliffs really do have the ability to take your breath away, and a boat tour through one of the city’s many famous caves is pretty much a requirement. Unfortunately, because of its picturesque nature, Polignano a Mare is the most touristy town in Puglia (right up there with Alberobello), so it can sometimes be tough to find a solid meal here.
Because of that, I would personally just recommend an afternoon in Polignano a Mare, where you can have lunch at one of the most famous restaurants in Italy, and have some supreme gelato.
Picturesque lunch or dinner at Grotta Palazzese
I’d like to preface by saying I have never personally eaten here, however, this is the “famous cave restaurant” you’ve likely seen all of over your Instagram and TikTok feed. It’s a restaurant literally built into the caves of Polignano a Mare, and though the views are unbeatable, the reviews are pretty mixed on the food (the general verdict is that the food is overpriced and subpar, at best). However, if you want to tick that bucket list of eating at one of the most famous restaurants in the country, it’s worth it to try to snag a res here.
- Address: Via Narciso, 59, 70044 Polignano a Mare BA, Italy
Gelato at Caruso Gelateria
Further proving that asking locals for recommendations almost never will steer you wrong, I wouldn’t have known about Caruso had it not been recommended to me by a bartender in Bari. Caruso Gelateria is a lovely, family-run gelateria with some of the best fondente gelato I’ve had in Puglia. Though I didn’t try many other gelaterias in Polignano to compare it to, I can confirm that this one is well worth paying a visit to.
- Address: Via Martiri di Dogali, 3, 70044 Polignano a Mare BA, Italy
Monopoli
Oh, my dear Monopoli. I have a soft spot for this fairytale-like city, forever etched in my heart. Monopoli is more worth spending time in than Polignano a Mare. The city is more compact with a lot more solid options when it comes to dining. Whether it’s sandwiches that are the size of your head, panzerotto that are *also* the size of your head, or a great bar for a spritz, Monopoli has some prime options for wining and dining.
Panzerotti at Madia
Madia is a small walk-up window serving massive, freshly fried panzerotti. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, so I personally love their classico with just pomodoro and mozzarella, but if you want to get funky, you can go for the “Kiss Me” with onions, black olives, capers, and mozz, or the “Pistacchio” with mozzarella, pistachio, and mortadella. Note that they do close for low season (early November to March), but if they’re open, this is a quick, cheap, and hearty snack to give you a local taste of Puglia without breaking the bank.
- Address: Via Orazio Comes, 19, 70043 Monopoli BA, Italy
Puccia Sandwich at The King Street Food
Puccia, the Puglian bread with the funny name, is a legal requirement to try when visiting Puglia. I’ve had puccia sandwiches all along the coast, and my favorite is at The King Street Food in Monopoli. Puccia bread is made with leftover pizza dough, since the region was historically poor and had to make the most out of all ingredients, scraps and all. So you can expect bread with a similar texture to pizza dough, as in crusty on the outside and dense yet soft on the inside. This makes for Puccia sandwiches to hold up well with a heap of ingredients. For a true local taste of Puglia, go for a seafood sandwich with pulpo (octopus) and burrata, another staple from Puglia. It might sound strange but I promise, it’s good.
- Address: Via Orazio Comes, 31, 70043 Monopoli BA, Italy
Aperitivo at MiCasa
Is MiCasa fairly overpriced? Yes. But will you find a better place to sip a cocktail while watching the sunset over the Adriatic Sea? Nope.
I have fond memories of MiCasa, mainly because I was in Monopoli when I got a tattoo of a tortellino, and then 20 minutes later received a phone call that I was being laid off from my job. It was an interesting series of events, to say the least, and with a phone that was dying, I had far too much adrenaline to go back to my room to charge it (and made the crucial error of not bringing my power bank with me). So, I went to MiCasa, had them plug my phone in behind the bar, and drank my sorrows away while watching a magical sunset. For aperitivo, they provided caciocavallo cheese bites, potato fritters, and other snacks to soap up some white wine in the sunshine.
- Address: Largo Castello, 17, 70043 Monopoli BA, Italy
Lecce
Dubbed as the “Florence of the south,” Lecce doesn’t make it on many Puglia itineraries since it’s a slight pain to get to. But I promise Lecce is worth the trek (just do yourself a favor and give yourself at least two days). The city is immaculate, filled with intricate limestone-carved buildings, giving the feeling of walking through an art museum. You can see the city’s best Baroque architecture on a walking tour. While many cities and towns in northern Puglia have that quintessential white tufo architecture in every direction you look, Lecce’s look truly replicates Florence with a much sleepier feel. It’s an art lover’s dream, but even more so, it’s a foodie paradise, and one of the best places in the region for cuisine.
Pasticciotto at Natale Pasticcieria
Trying pasticciotto, a custard-filled handheld “pie” (the crust more closely resembles a crisp buttery brioche than a traditional puff pastry) in Lecce was a nostalgic fever dream for me. I grew up in an Italian-American household with southern Italian roots, and we ate pasticciotto at every family gathering (we still do!), and it was our go-to dessert any time we visited the local bakery. In Upstate New York, these are called “pusties,” but the Salerno Province of Puglia is where they originate, and Natale Pasticceria in Lecce is one of the best places in the region to eat them. They have a wide array of flavors, so I’d recommend getting a classic to try the real deal, and then something more innovative like chocolate or rum.
- Address: Via Salvatore Trinchese, 7, 73100 Lecce LE, Italy
Ciceri e tria and burrata at Alle due Corti
One of my favorite dishes in Puglia, ciceri e tria, has origins in Lecce. Lecce was known for “cucina povera,” translating to “poor kitchen” due to its impoverished past. While the city, and the region, has come a long way, some of those traditional dishes still live on, and a prime example is ciceri e tria. This humble yet hearty dish is made with chickpeas, boiled pasta, and fried pasta, slow cooked in its own starches to create a soup-like sauce that best resembles chicken soup from mom on a cold, sick day. Alle due Corti is the place to try it, and though I went there simply because it looked like the best old-school joint in town, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it was also Bourdain-approved, with Tony himself having visited the small restaurant in 2017.
Aside from ciceri e tria, you’ll want to try burrata here. Burrata has roots in Puglia, and the one at Alle due Corti is plump, filled with creamy and stretchy stracciatella on top of a bed of lettuce and sprinkled with arugula and vegetables because, you know, health.
- Address: Corte dei Giugni, 1, 73100 Lecce LE, Italy
Gelato at Gelateria La Romana
Last but certainly not least, it’s time for more gelato. La Romana is a chain all over Italy, and the one in Lecce does not disappoint. Plus, it’s open late — I was there in November and every night, it was open until 1 a.m. with some nights being open until 2 a.m.
- Address: Via S. Francesco D’Assisi, 1, 73100 Lecce LE, Italy
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