Top Puglia restaurants and accommodation

With its myriad hilltop towns, hundreds of kilometres of Mediterranean coastline and thriving wine scene, Puglia makes an excellent destination for those with a taste for Primitivo and more. Adrian Mourby rounds up some highlights of the area...

Magazine: December 2019 Issue

Top Puglia Restaurants

Gran Bar Pugliese

A superb café and fish restaurant sitting on an old harbourside just 15 minutes from Bari airport. Ideal for a first – or last – meal in Puglia.

Address: Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, 62 – 70054 Giovinazzo BA
Open: Monday-Sunday (excluding Wednesday) 12.30pm-3.30pm & 7.30pm-10.30pm

Cala Masciola

A luxury, beach-club style restaurant on the Adriatic with swimming, sunbathing and great seafood. Open from May to September, and it makes for a lovely place to spend a sunny afternoon.

Address: Savelletri di Fasano, Strada Provinciale 90, 72015 Fasano Brindisi, Puglia
Open: Every day, lunch from 12.30pm to 5pm until October and dinner from 7pm to 10.30pm until September, 26th

Grotta Palazzese

Hidden beneath an unremarkable seaside hotel is the most dramatic restaurant in all of Puglia: a huge cave where the sea comes rushing in below you as you dine.

Address: Via Narciso, 59,70044 Polignano a Mare (Bari), Puglia
Open: dinner from 6pm-12.30am with a 2 hour time slot, to guarantee the availability of the table

Il Cortiletto

Enjoy al fresco dining in this hidden courtyard at a crossroads in the small roadside hamlet of Speziale. Every year, on the first Sunday of August, the village holds a unique food festival, the Sagra della Focaccia. Tel +39 080 481 0758

Address: Via Lecce, 91, 72015 Speziale BR, Italy

For the full travel guide click here

Accommodation

Borgo Egnazia

Ideal for families and for those seeking fine dining, this new-build masseria and ‘village’ in Savelletri di Fasano has done a great job of looking as if it were built centuries ago.

Address: Savelletri di Fasano – 72015 Fasano Brindisi Italia

Masseria Camarda

Outside the foodie town of Ceglie Messapica, a thriving farm that has also opened Palazzo Camarda, a hotel in the medieval town centre.

Address: Via Turco Camarda 31, 72013 Ceglie Messapica (Brindisi), Apulia

Masseria Naturalis Bio Resort

Simplicity and wellness are key at this restful masseria in Martano, where redevelopment has been kept to a minimum. Owner Domenico Scordari makes his own wine.

Address: Via Traglia, s.n. 73025 Martano

Masseria San Domenico

One of the first historic masserias to be turned into a hotel, San Domenico in Savelletri di Fasano is set in ancient olive groves and proudly serves its own extra virgin oil. Ideal for those looking for peace. No under-12s allowed.

Address: Strada Proviciale 90 – 72015 Savelletri di Fasano (Brindisi)

Masseria Trapanà

A 16th-century fortress-farm in Lecce near the Adriatic coast that has been transformed into a glamorous boutique hotel. Much sought-after by movie stars and celebrities.