Lecce’s Best Pizza

Lecce is one of the most important cities for food in all of Puglia (and arguably Italy)… and when it comes to Pizza, it's no exception. Your choice of pizza shop in Lecce is about as good as it gets anywhere in the world. From great value traditional pizza options like La Rosetta and La Perla to more modern pizza places such as Uemé or 400 Gradi, you can find any iteration of southern Italy's pizza culture here in central Lecce. The best pizzas of Lecce listed here range in different sizes and shapes, but all share the same deliciousness in their nature.

This is a guide to the most delicious round pizza in Lecce, pizza by the slice and fast food options are covered separately in the Street Food Guide here. For pizza experts, and people who want to learn a little more about the different types of pizza found in southern Italy, see below for a more thorough guide, of all the different categories.

Lecce Pizza

If you want to try the best pizza actually from Lecce, brimming with local toppings including the traditional Pugliese durum wheat flour head to La Gigante.

Traditional Leccese pizza that’s been turned out for generations can sometimes be underwhelming when not given the same love and care as, for example, the Neapolitan pizzaioli give their pizzas. That is not the case at La Gigante, where incredible attention to detail is paid to making the humble pizza salentina as unique and special as any other pizza in the world. It’s a great place and really worth a trip to try something of real local provenance.

La Rosetta is another pizzeria which, on any given night, is absolutely rammed with city locals. This incredible value-for-money pizzeria is a go-to for well-made everyday pizza. In the old city, Ciro is a solid bet for a cheap and good quality pizza.

Wood Fired Pizzerias

As gas and electric ovens have evolved to emulate the same conditions as a traditional wood oven (but with better consistency in temperature), there’s no doubt that the ‘forno a legno’ is in decline. That said, there are still many purists out there whose love for the real thing will never diminish. And thank god here in Lecce, there are plenty of pizzerias keeping the tradition alive.

Best pizza-wise - my go-to place for wood-fired is La Succursale. The dough (or pizza crust) here is properly charred with plenty of delicious pizza ‘burnt’ bits and is soft and chewy in the Neapolitan style. If you don’t like any black bits on your pizza, don’t go there. It’s a proper wood-fired pizzeria and the pizzas come out like they’ve just spent a bit of time in a fire pit.

The two other wood-fired pizzerias worth mentioning are Rosetta and La Perla. Rosetta’s pizza dough/crust is also soft and charred, and their pizza is undoubtedly the best value for money in the city (hence the pizzeria is packed with locals, every single night). La Perla is the perfect spot for the thin and crispy pizza lover. It’s one of the 70’s style Italian joints, but a good one.

Neapolitan Pizza

Pizza Napoletana is bang in fashion at the moment and with good reason. Very few people (least of all me) doubt the now well-established narrative that this is the best pizza in the world. This is not thin pizza (it’s not deep pan either, but it’s not thin and crispy). In pizza Napoletana, the ‘cornicone’ or ‘bordo’ (or pizza crust as the Americans call it) is big and fluffy. This is due to the combination of well-proved pizza dough (with excellent gluten structure) and blistering heat (pizza napoletana should be cooked at least 400’c). It’s this cooking of the pizza dough that is, in my view, the basic criteria for pizza Napoletana. But in Napoli, where pizza comes from, they’ve gone a step further. For those who want to follow the strictest of rules, you can apply to get a ‘Vera Pizza’ sign (True Pizza) from the Association of Neapolitan Pizza Chefs, who set strict standards on the process and ingredients. Not all Neapolitan pizzerias have this logo (in fact some of the best ones don’t) because the rules can be a little constricting. However, if you want to know more about the Neapolitan pizza culture, it’s a good place to start.

For my money, La Citta di Pulcinella, Vicé and Bufala & Monzù are the best Neapolitan pizzerias in Lecce. I would also throw in 400 Gradi too, but some would argue their pizza is not really napoletana, but more Leccese.

Roman Pizza

Lecce as far as I know doesn’t have any out-and-out Roman pizzerias but if you long for the super thin and crispy pizza traditional to the capital I would definitely recommend a visit to La Perla. La Perla is a Lecce pizzeria, it’s not Roman, but the style is similar enough that it fits the bill, and it’s a great place (really old school).

Buzz Pizza

If you’re a trendsetter and like to feel that excitement in your toes when you head out for dinner, Uemé is the spot for you. Diverse and delicious flavour combos and a full cocktail bar make this a real fun night out. For the well-heeled, Uemé is really the one, but 400 Gradi errs on the chic side too.

Outdoor Seating

All the pizzerias in the top ten pizzas in Lecce list above have outdoor seating EXCEPT Uemé and La Perla.