Martinucci
Martinucci is well known in Salento and across Puglia as a chain of good quality pasticcerias with large sites in all the main tourist hotspots, and even an outpost in Rome.
Their new site in Lecce has revitalised the former McDonald’s, smack bang in the middle of Piazza Sant’oronzo and it’s backed up by their reliable pasticcerie, which are always outstanding across all their sites. It’s hard to argue the selection of pasticciotti aren’t some of the best, if not the best in all of Lecce.
An excellent range of gelato is on offer here too (as if the 3 other massive gelaterias within a stone’s throw weren’t ample selection enough). It’s also a good place to pick up a top-quality sandwich (panino) or sit down for a little aperitivo/snack.
Delia
Delia is about a 10-minute walk from Piazza Mazzini, the most fashionable part of Lecce, and it lives up to the area’s reputation with bang-on-trend pastel pink/teal interior, mid-century style chairs & lighting and decent-sized bright wood tables. So good a place is this to come with a laptop I am actually bashing this in on my keyboard now. Also, so hot a place is this to come for a coffee that I’ve already bumped into several people I know. Not that I’m the man about town who knows everyone (far from it) but you know what I mean.
They have a simple selection of elegant pasticceria, it’s not the place to come for an enormous cream-filled coda (crispy pastry tails), it’s more of a mini torta with meringue/perfectly glazed fruit/chocolate-ganache twirls type of place, as well as the usual breakfast selection, including Lecce’s famous pasticciotti, all of which is well made.
Settimo Cielo
Settimo Cielo is a pretty small and old school gelateria and there’s something about it that fondly reminds me of a sea side ice cream parlour of my childhood…not any place in particular but that kind of vibe. I love it. Ten out of ten for vibe. It just feels extremely unpretentious in a city full of quite ostentatious gelato joints (that often are perhaps a little too focused on looking good rather than tasting good).
And the gelato here tastes banging. In fact on my visit I was tasting Settimo Cielo head to head against another gelateria, and Settimo Cielo was noticeably better on both the flavours, which is quite rare (in the gelato tasting game, it can end up all tasting the same).
Cioccolati Gourmet
Cioccolati Gourmet has a BIG WALL OF CHOCOLATE. It’s massive. They’ve obviously been to see a Willy Wonka movie, and made some notes. Creamy liquid chocolate oozing down an entire wall. If you’re stood anywhere near the building you can’t possibly miss it. It’s like a statement of intent. And if you’re in the chocolate business, which evidently they are; it’s a pretty good statement to make.
Baldo
Baldo is nestled on the corner of a side street just down from Santa Croce. It's from this little road you can cut up to Porta Napoli and out to the north of the city. It's a humble little gelateria, simple and clean inside, without too much fanfare and bullshit.
Probably the worst kept secret in Lecce is that Baldo does the best gelato in town. And they do. Trust me, I've eaten a lot of it. And a lot of others.
Citiso
Pasticceria Citiso feels like the kind of place that Shoreditch graphic designers come to visit on research trips (and then recreate -badly- for buzz London restaurant companies looking for the edge in the world of restaurant fashion). Everything from the signage, to the fonts on the awnings and sugar packets is so on point that it really is an extremely entertaining place to sit and have a drink/something sweet. It has a creamy marble/mid century concrete look, with mirrors everywhere, tables laid up with actual table clothes (and glass tops); windows lined with rows of classic cakes, and Romanesque columns each side of the door as you walk in. Even if I’m sure essential refurbs will come along in the future, I hope that from a design perspective nothing about this place ever changes.
Pasticceria De Leo
You’ll find Pasticceria de Leo about three quarters of the way up Via di Leuca (heading towards Castromediano from Porta San Biagio). It’s a humble place with a classic Italian bar interior that looks like it hasn’t been touched in well over 50 years. There’s a kinda brutalist concorse infront of it on which they’ve created a lovely little seating area. It really is a surprising relaxing spot for a morning coffee.
Natale
Natale has some really fancy pants chocolates in it’s window and some extremely elegant pastries. Peering through the glass, you see lovely tall ceilings matched with an early twentieth century vibe (a tad deco), which help to bring life to a building that would otherwise probably be quite insignificant in that area.
And life they do bring, and lots of it. Natale is usually rammed, and with good reason. They do by far the most tasteful range of sweets/chocolates/cakes and ice cream in the old city of Lecce, and they are all very delicious too.
Tentazioni (Piazza Sant’Oronzo)
On the wide paved path that joins the smaller Piazza Castromediano Sigismondo onto the grand Piazza Sant’oronzo, you’ll find the smart outdoor seating area of Tentazioni. It’s a fantastic spot to stop for a quick coffee/drink or ice cream, and watch the comings and goings of the locals & tourists through the heart of the old city.
Caffè Alvino
Caffè Alvino sits in the middle of Piazza Sant'oronzo, right opposite the Roman Amphitheatre, in the heart of the old city of Lecce. You'd of thought it hard for any Cafe to feel historic amongst the Roman ruins and the baroque glory of Lecce. But Alvino has been there so long (I've no idea how old it is but I wouldn't be surprised if it dates back to BC) and is such a fixture of Lecce that, nothing can touch this place in terms of Leccese old school vibes.
Pinti
Pinti is not strictly Leccese, its actually a Neapolitan Pasticceria, and has a dangerous selection of Neapolitan cakes and sweets which, if you wanna max your daily calorie limit in about 15 minutes, will blow your mind.
The interior is a simple bar/counter (cassa left / sweets & cakes middle / coffee bar right), tastefully littered with neo-antique Italian furniture (Pinti is not actually old, I think it opened in 2017). The team are generally helpful and speak plenty of languages between them.
Outside, Pinti comes into its own as it spills out onto the large paved space in front of Porta San Biagio. Here I have whiled away many many MANY mornings with a coffee & pasticciotto, reading my book or relaxing in the sun.