As Baroque jewel of inimitable beauty, Lecce at the table continues to hand down a humble but tasty cuisine that makes use of wild vegetables, pulse, oily fish and horse meat. And then there is a series of street food items that is perfect for enjoying while strolling through the city streets, starting with the legendary rustici. Here is all the street food places in Lecce to try.
The best street food in Lecce
Caffè Alvino
Overlooking Piazza Sant'Oronzo is this old bar that is also something of a city institution. The entrance, with its shop windows, remains almost identical to what it was in the 19th century. In front, a dehors is always crowded, whether for a good coffee on ice and pasticciotto or for a spritz, perhaps accompanied by the typical rustico leccese, one of the best in the city and baked several times a day. Delicious at all hours, also to be tried at breakfast.
Caffè Alvino – Piazza Sant’Oronzo, 30 - Facebook
Cime di Rapa Urban Street Food
Cime di Rapa is a brand made in Lecce that invests in biodiversity and promotes Italian gastronomic culture, created by Vita Basile and Elio Dongiovanni. Born as an educational and social inclusion tool, it has also turned into a container of delicacies, from pizza alla pala to potato pitta, and then bread and artisanal crackers.
Cime di Rapa Urban Street Food – via Guglielmo Oberdan, 55 – Facebook
Il Pizzicotto
The decisive element of this pizza is the crispness of the base, with a light, soft interior. This is probably why, since opening in the city centre, success has been immediate. And certainly also for the toppings, from the most traditional to the most creative, always well calibrated and with a good compromise between seasonality, territoriality and some yielding to the exotic.
Il Pizzicotto – via degli Ammirati, 14 d - Facebook
L’Angolino di via Matteotti
The puccia leccese - soft and “hollow” inside - was born in the 1970s and is already a consolidated tradition in the city. Its characteristics make it a treasure trove of ingredients, which here at Angolino are territorial, seasonal and well selected. The variations on offer are very good, but it is worth having fun composing your own puccia as you prefer - with unlimited quantities of ingredients - indulging your tastes and curiosity. A must-try, then, is the pezzetti di cavallo, the typical local, slightly spicy horse meat stew.
L’Angolino di via Matteotti – via Giaccomo Matteotti, 31 - Facebook
Mezzo Quinto Cibo di Strada
Right in the historic centre, a few metres from the cathedral and opposite MUST, the Museo Storico Cittadino (City History Museum) overlooking the Roman theatre, is an address where you can find a concentration of Salento culinary tradition. Pieces of horse meat (on a plate or in a sandwich, as is the local street food tradition), meatballs with sauce or genovese, traditional fifth quarter, parmigiana (Salento style, with batter-fried aubergines) and even orecchiette.
Mezzo Quinto Cibo di Strada – via degli Ammirati, 16 - Facebook
Si.Se Schipa
This historic address is always packed, first and foremost for its excellent breads and local pastries: rustico leccese (rustic bread from Lecce) is baked continuously, as are pucce and pizzi, sandwiches enriched with onions and tomatoes, also in a spicy version. The local bread here is flanked by good versions of Altamura bread, and Bari focaccia also has a large fan base. The desserts are also excellent, pasticciotti and almond pastries in primis.
Si.Se Schipa – via Taranto, 27 - Facebook
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