Where to eat in Polignano a Mare: fish on the cliffs, legendary gelato and seafood cuisine
Guide to restaurants in Polignano a Mare: raw fish, orecchiette with sauce, the gelato of Super Mago del Gelo and cliff-hanging trattorias. Where to eat well.
Polignano a Mare: eating on the edge of the Adriatic
Polignano a Mare is perhaps Puglia's most photogenic borgo: white houses perched above sea caves, a beach wedged between cliffs, poetry written on the walls. But Polignano is also a place where you eat extraordinarily well, thanks to a seafaring tradition that resists tourism and a gelato that has made Italian ice-cream history.
The food neighbourhoods
The old town
Polignano's old town spreads over a rocky promontory plunging into the sea. The lanes between Piazza Vittorio Emanuele and the Arco Marchesale host restaurants with vertiginous Adriatic terraces. Dining while gazing at the sea from natural caves beneath the borgo is an experience that exists only here.
Via Roma and the new town
The main street of the modern part hosts gelaterias, rotisseries, pizzerias and trattorias patronised by locals. This is where you will find the most reasonable prices and the most everyday food.
The coast road and San Vito
Along the coast towards San Vito to the south, you will find fish restaurants with sea-view terraces, often set in former caves or bathing establishments. The atmosphere is more relaxed and prices can be lower than in the old town.
Must-try dishes
Raw seafood Polignano-style
Polignano has a raw-seafood tradition that rivals Gallipoli's. The mixed plate includes sea urchins, red prawns, raw octopus, marinated anchovies, oysters and amberjack tartare. Old-town restaurants serve it with views over the sea caves.
Orecchiette with octopus ragù
Orecchiette dressed with slow-cooked octopus in tomato sauce is a dish that unites land and sea in a perfectly Apulian way. The octopus becomes supremely tender after the long cooking and the sauce concentrates.
Riso patate e cozze
In Polignano too, the tiella is an unmissable dish. The local mussels, gathered along the rocky coast, have a particularly intense flavour.
Grilled fish
Fresh grilled fish, simply dressed with oil and lemon, is the best way to appreciate the quality of the Adriatic catch. Sea bream, sea bass, squid and prawns cooked over olive-wood embers.
Polignano's gelato
Polignano is the birthplace of Salvatore Campanella, the Super Mago del Gelo, one of Italy's most celebrated gelato makers. His shop in Piazza Garibaldi is a compulsory stop. Flavours like gelo di campagna (almond, fig and cinnamon) or chocolate with chilli have set the standard. But the other artisan gelaterias in the centre also deserve a visit.
Markets and food shops
Polignano's weekly market is held on Thursday mornings: stalls of fruit, vegetables, cheeses and local products. The fishmongers in the centre sell the day's catch at accessible prices. Bakeries turn out Apulian focaccia and taralli continuously. Oil shops sell extra-virgin from the surrounding countryside.
Budget tips
- An artisan gelato costs 2.50-4 euros and is a gastronomic experience in itself
- Focaccia at a centre bakery costs 2-3 euros per portion
- Restaurants with cave terraces in the old town cost double those on Via Roma: choose by the occasion
- At lunch, set menus at new-town trattorias cost 12-18 euros
- Friselle with tomato and oil make a 3-4 euro snack
- Avoid restaurants displaying photo menus: they are almost always tourist traps
- Coffee with almond milk is the perfect breakfast for 1.50-2 euros
Where to stay and what to see
To plan your stay, also read where to stay in Polignano a Mare for accommodation in the old town and masserie, what to see in Polignano a Mare in 2 days for an itinerary through caves, cliffs and poetry, and how to get to Polignano a Mare for train, Bari airport and transfer information.