La Torre di Merlino

This restaurant is very popular with locals, which is always a good sign. It has a lovely outdoor terrace that's perfect for sunny days, but the indoor space is just as charming, especially when it's cold outside. They are especially proud of their focaccia, and rightly so; I recommend trying one. We also had the burrata, and it was one of the best I’ve tasted in Puglia — creamy, fresh, and full of flavor. Unfortunately, the orecchiette was a big letdown. It was overcooked and had very little taste, which was disappointing. Luckily, we had also ordered the tagliatelle with crispy guanciale, mushrooms, and parmesan fondue and that dish was a real highlight. Rich, well-balanced, and delicious. One area that could really be improved is the wine list. Being in Lecce, I expected a better selection from the excellent local wineries nearby. It felt like a missed opportunity.

Amazing night at La Torre!! Incredible service, delicious food, and the resident cat Bella was adorable. The higher pasta prices are well worth the attentiveness and overall experience that you get with the meal, as well as the quality of the dishes. Don’t skip the burrata! Would go again if we could :)

Our first night in Lecce and we stumbled across this place. Will be hard to beat - great food and wine. Highly recommend. Great location/setting. Very authentic, and some superb wines to match the quality of the food. Best carbonara ever (whatever the secret ingredient might be!!)

Loved the courtyard setting. The service was excellent and our food was fresh and tasty. The prosciutto and melon was very filling and generous portion of prosciutto. The ravioli was done just right. Not a huge wine selection but plenty of good choices. Our server Aexandro was the best. Made the evening even more enjoyable.

Nothing special! Pasta looks ok,but tuna ttaki is just a grilled tuna with cold salads and mayonesa, bacalhau is boiled in a red sauce and horse pieces are in fact a stew boiled 4 hours in tomatoes sauce. The taste is like any meat stew,nothing special

great place for lunch or dinner! food is top notch! I recommend the Vitelli tonato and pasta carbonara! I was blown away! I totally recommend it!

We have had a month in Italy and this was the best pasta meal(s) we have had. The house special was to die for, as was the tagliatelle Bolognese. All the appetizers and entrees were a delight. The wine was great and the service was excellent. Magnificent. VictorB

Very expensive compared to other options nearby. The food was okay but not great, the portions were somewhat small, and the food came out lukewarm and very fast. The service however was very poor, it was difficult to get a waiter, we were not given a wine list to begin with and, after we requested a list and asked for a bottle (of which 4 of the listed bottles were unavailable), it never arrived. This was removed from the bill, though. The manager explained when we paid that they were very busy that night, however, I wouldn't recommend this. I've read this is popular with locals, but as a tourist, this wasn't a good experience. Reading other reviews, I think we perhaps just got unlucky.

So I was on a tasting vacation with my Girlfriend in Southern Italy this past May. If you have not been to southern Italy, and you want a relaxing time with great food, check it out. While we were in Lecce we came across La Torre di Merlino. It had a Michelin guide sticker, and we wanted a fancy meal, so we went in, and sat outside. It is in the old city center, and it is a great place to be outside. Usually, when I eat at this level of a restaurant, I like to let the chef decide what he wants to make me, so I say to the server, "chef's choice." That gives the restaurant the chance to either move things they want to get rid of, but more often it allows the chef to show what the restaurant can do, and it usually is off the menu. Upon my order of chef's choice, the waiter rolled his eyes, and decided to pick items from the menu himself. To his credit, the food was good. But the server's air of arrogance for the rest of the night because he was put out at having to pick things from the menu was almost too much to take. Needless to say it ruined what should have been a great meal. I will say the food, by itself, would be worth trying it again, and it would probably be great. But I only have this one experience to go on. But DO visit Lecce. Cheers, David

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