This was the last dinner in Lecce on our Puglia trip. Sometimes you just want seafood and this…read moreplace did not miss. We walked into the restaurant and was ushered to the seafood chest by one of the waitstaff. The waitress lead us through the process of choosing our seafood, deciding the cooking process, and then sat us down. We ordered tuna tartare which was fresh, tender, and delicate. I ordered fried seafood for my main and my friend ordered mussels and a ravioli. We were seated... the restaurant was dimly lit, white table cloths dressed the tables, and restaurant felt more romantic than a friendly local hangout. The food was amazing and I can't wait to go back and eat again.

Beautiful restaurant and unique experience where you pick out your seafood first and then it is…read moreprepared as you wish. Wonderful experience and you will be delighted.

The seafood here is fantastic. We had the seafood starter of mussels and oysters, mussels in a…read morewhite wine sauce, and mussels au gratin, and they were all delicious. The linguine with clams was also very tasty, as was the local white wine recommended by our waiter. The restaurant has a wonderful view of the sea and at lunchtime and dinner the place is always buzzing with customers and attentive waiters. I highly recommend.

Meh. We came here in a busy Saturday night on the recommendation of our B&B host. Everything was…read morejust ok. Never got the water we ordered, even after reminding the waiter about it. Seafood salad was pretty good, artichokes were okay, and our main dishes were also just ok. Beef carpaccio had some odd ingredients, and the porcini mushroom risotto was almost too hot to eat and a little bland. We came here very hungry and left unsatisfied.

So I was on a tasting vacation with my Girlfriend in Southern Italy this past May. If you have not…read morebeen 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

Se andate a Lecce evitate con cura questo posto...piace solo ai turisti di lingua inglese e a…read morequalche presuntuosetto professionista locale ...