Just Desi
I’ve never visited India so I can’t speak to its real authenticity, but every plate I’ve had in Just Desi packs that classic spiced and fragrant flavour punch signature to indian food, whilst also being in someway lighter than I’m accustomed too. I’m used to eating really heavy curry, but after eating a takeway from Just Desi you don’t feel like you need to enter a deep, 6 month, digestion-hibernation period. It just doesn’t destroy you like that.
Samosas are big, super crispy and well spiced. Chicken Curry is similar to what gets labelled ‘Korma’ in the UK, but with a touch more spice and less creaminess. When you go in they have the currys on a dispense counter, so I tend to just point at things and have a little chat and decide that way. We usually get another chicken curry with a rich and spicy vegetable sauce, but I’ve no idea what its called I’m afraid. Dahl is wonderful, although a tad thin for me, but its still so good I order it every time.
Takeaway portions are massive, eat-in portions are pretty small, I believe the prices are the same. I leave you to work out where the value for money is there.
Re Artù
Puccia (a particular type of sandwich from Salento) is the main draw here, as they do it extremely well. Unlike the Puccia joints in the old city, which tend to have a paired back menu of 4 or 5 options, at Re Artù you can have whatever you want. Puccia is €7 (which is pretty pricey for salento), all the toppings are laid out and you point and ask (which is kinda more how the locals do it). Process wise (for ordering) it’s exactly the same as subway basically. I don’t think all the ingredients here are homemade, but a significant proportion probably are, which sit side by side with ketchup and mayo etc which people here love a bit of in their Puccia. You can make it as highbrow or lowbrow as you like, it’s your Puccia, its up to you.
Pizza is by the slice (or rather by the square) or you can order a whole pizza. I’ve only had squares of pizza here and they’ve been pretty good. It’s that old school pizza that kinda reminds me of our school canteen, aka white fluffy style of pizza base (but with much better toppings).
Il Pizzicotto (#2 Via Taranto)
On it’s day Il Pizzicotto is easily as good as any of Rome’s world renowned Pizza al Taglio joints (their potato and truffle cream & mortadella and stracciatella are notably good) and on other days simply has a good selection of tasty bites. It sometimes suffers from thinking it’s a little bit better than it really is. However, all of the staff are super helpful and speak several languages and will talk you through all the toppings. Sometimes they’re not forthright about which was the pizza that most recently came out of the oven, or if it was cooked that day, so you have to use your eyes to judge.
Il Pizzicotto (Original Location)
On it’s day Il Pizzicotto is easily as good as any of Rome’s world renowned Pizza al Taglio joints (their potato and truffle cream & mortadella and stracciatella are notably good) and on other days simply has a good selection of tasty bites. It sometimes suffers from thinking it’s a little bit better than it really is. However, all of the staff are super helpful and speak several languages and will talk you through all the toppings. Sometimes they’re not forthright about which was the pizza that most recently came out of the oven, or if it was cooked that day, so you have to use your eyes to judge.
Mezzo Quinto
Mezzo Quinto sits in the middle of Via Degli Ammirati, which is a great little road to know about as you'll also find Il Pizzicotto, Bar Moro, and ‘00’ here.
If you want a fast bite of hearty local food, you literally couldn't find a better local spot. The core menu: polpette (meatballs), pezzi di cavallo (horsemeat stew), and parmigiana (aubergine) are the classics that generations of salentini have survived on. You can get a panino for 5€ or a plate for around 7.50€, there won't be any frilly bits, just rustic flavour and plenty of it.
If you can't be bothered messing around with restaurants, getting a table, waiting to be served, waiting in general, in Mezzo Quinto you have a quality, local, authentic, and cheap option- what more could you want.
Il Salumaio La Massaia
A stone's throw from Porta San Biagio is Il Salumaio La Massaia. From the outside it's pretty easy to miss so do have a look at the picture above if you can't find it.
We had no idea what to make of the place the first time we went, and I've been back several times since and still don't know either. What I do know, is that their food is freakin tasty, and though it's not quite on my walk to work, I often take a detour, just to grab a Panino - they're soo good!
Piadina Salentina
Undoubtedly the best Piadina in Lecce. But really? This place?
Let me walk you through it. On the corner of Piazza Sant'oronzo, opposite the Roman amphitheater; there's an unassuming takeaway joint, with a large, attention seeking, vegan kebab sign written on the front. It has the air of a place that dishes out lowest common denominator tourist kebabs, probably for an extortionate price.
But if you know, you know. And most of the locals do know. Even in the hey day of the 2021 coronavirus lockdown, the steps of Chiesa di Santa Maria della Grazia were still littered with eager lunch time punters, chomping their way through some of Lecce's finest Piadinas washed down with a beer.