Where to eat in Gallipoli: fresh fish, pittule and port-side trattorias in the Salento

Gallipoli: Salentine cuisine between two seas

Gallipoli, the "beautiful city" of the Greeks, is a gem of the Ionian Salento that juts into the sea like an island connected to the mainland by a seventeenth-century bridge. Its cuisine is that of the purest sea: fish caught in the morning and served at lunch, shellfish arriving at the table still fragrant with brine, preparations that have crossed centuries unchanged. If you are looking for true Salentine seafood cuisine, there is no better place than Gallipoli.

The food neighbourhoods

The old town (the island)

Gallipoli's old town is a labyrinth of lanes on a fortified island. Here trattorias are often housed in former cellars or noble palazzi, with tables set in inner courtyards or on sea-view terraces. Restaurants along the walls serve dinners with Ionian views that alone are worth the trip.

The fishing port

The fishing port, right below the Angevin Castle, is where the catch arrives every morning. Fishmongers sell fish just unloaded from the boats, and some have a counter where they prepare raw seafood to eat on the spot. This is the most authentic place for a Gallipoli food experience.

Corso and the new town

Across the bridge, the new town along Corso Roma offers pizzerias, rotisseries and trattorias patronised by residents. Prices are lower than on the island and the cooking is equally good.

Must-try dishes

Scapece gallipolina

Gallipoli's most distinctive dish: small fish (bogue or pupiddi) fried and marinated in layers with breadcrumbs soaked in vinegar and saffron, arranged in large wooden tubs. You will find it at the fish market and in the old-town trattorias. The tangy, spiced flavour is unique.

Raw seafood

Gallipoli is one of Italy's temples of raw fish. Sea urchins opened on the spot, raw red prawns, thinly sliced octopus, marinated anchovies: the port fishmongers and the island restaurants serve it with the freshness only an active port can guarantee.

Pittule

Pittule are leavened-dough fritters that can be plain or filled (with olives, capers, tomato, salt cod). They are Gallipoli's quintessential street food, sold at fry shops and bakeries in the centre. Hot and crispy outside, soft inside.

Spaghetti with sea urchins

When sea urchins are in season (November-April), spaghetti ai ricci is the dish every Gallipoli restaurant serves with pride. The dressing is utterly simple: urchin flesh, garlic, oil, parsley. Quality depends entirely on freshness.

Pasticciotto and sweets

The Lecce-style pasticciotto (shortcrust shell filled with pastry cream) is the Salento breakfast, and Gallipoli's pastry shops make it to the original recipe. Also try the fruttone (almond-paste casing filled with jam and coated in chocolate) and caffè leccese with almond milk and ice.

Markets and food shops

Gallipoli's fish market, beneath the Castle, is small but vibrant: early in the morning freshly caught fish is sold here. The tubs of scapece are displayed like works of gastronomic art. The old-town bakeries turn out friselle, pucce (Salentine bread rolls) and oil taralli.

Budget tips

Pittule at fry shops cost 1-2 euros and make a meal
A filled puccia (Salentine sandwich with grilled vegetables, tuna or octopus) costs 4-6 euros
New-town trattorias serve fish lunch menus for 12-18 euros
Raw seafood at the fish-market counter costs half the restaurant price
Caffè leccese with almond milk costs 1.50-2 euros and is the perfect afternoon pick-me-up
In summer many island trattorias raise their prices: check before sitting down

Where to stay and what to see

To complete your visit, consult where to stay in Gallipoli for accommodation in the old town and along the beaches, what to see in Gallipoli in 2 days for an itinerary through the island, beaches and baroque, and how to get to Gallipoli for train, bus and Salento airport information.