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 :)

ABSOLUTELY UNFORGETTABLE!! The best gnocchi I’ve ever tried, with impeccable atmosphere and service! Alessandro was extremely attentive and provided us with a wonderful evening. I truly recommend this lovely restaurant!!!

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.

We ordered a Burrata with local cold cuts (very good), Polpo Salento Style, and Polpo with Ratatouille. Unfortunately, both octopus dishes were quite salty — even the vegetables in the ratatouille. The staff was kind and replaced one of the dishes with pasta at no extra cost, which we really appreciated. However, when the second octopus dish also turned out too salty, we were told it couldn’t be changed because “only one dish can be replaced.” That policy felt strange and not really fair, especially since the food simply wasn’t good. The waiter explained that the octopus was fresh, not frozen, which might explain the difference in taste — but I’ve had octopus several times recently, and it was never this salty. I’m sharing this as kind feedback, because the restaurant itself is lovely, the service was polite, and the Burrata was truly delicious. With a bit more flexibility and attention in the kitchen, it could easily be an excellent experience for everyone.

A lovely courtyard setting, lovely food and wine. A good find just tucked off the Main Street. Worth making a reservation as it was very busy on a Sunday evening. Excellent pasta and burrata too

We have been in Puglia for 10 days now and in Lecce for 2 and our meal here last night was probably the best we have enjoyed so far. It is a little more expensive than some, but only a little and the extra is so worth it. The staff could not have been more friendly or efficient and the food was exquisite.

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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