Where to eat and drink in Otranto

Otranto is such a lovely seaside town in Puglia with lots to see and do. For me, an important part of any holiday is having great food! I like to research and plan where to eat so that we can make reservations ahead. There’s nothing worse than going out for dinner without a reservation and everywhere that looks really nice is full… especially in peak holiday season. Luckily there are plenty of restaurants and bars to choose from. Here’s where I recommend to eat and drink in Otranto.

Where to drink in Otranto

Let’s start with where to enjoy a drink as aperitivo in Italy is one of my favourite things to do! If you’re not familiar with the concept of aperitivo, it’s a pre-dinner drink that is usually accompanied with some food. Sometimes it’s just snacks like olives, peanuts and crisps and sometimes it’s more substantial, like focaccia or little savoury tarts. The food is usually included in the price of your drink.

Il Maestrale

Who doesn’t love sipping a drink whilst looking at the sea as the sun goes down? Il Maestrale, which is set along a pier overlooking the beach, was definitely one of our favourite places in Otranto to enjoy aperitivo. It has a cool vibe and on the weekends there’s a DJ.

They had a good range of wines from Puglia on their menu, including sparkling wine, which made me love it even more as I try to drink local wines where possible. There’s no need to book but you may have to wait a little bit, especially if you want a table right by the water.

L’Ortale

No sea views at L’Ortale but it’s still a gorgeous setting. It’s a cute little wine shop and deli that has a secret garden tucked away behind the shop that serves drinks and food.

It does get very busy so I recommend booking a table – especially if you’re looking to eat here too. We didn’t have a booking but they managed to fit us in, although it was right at the back of the garden. The better tables are near the front but we didn’t mind as we were only having a drink.

They are also open in the morning and during the day if you fancy a coffee or a fresh fruit juice. You can also buy local olive oil and soap to take home with you.

Masseria dei Monaci

Located less than a 10 minute drive from the centre of Otranto is Masseria dei Monaci. We actually stayed here for two nights when we visited. A ‘masseria’ is typically an old, fortified, farmhouse that dates back centuries and there are many around Puglia that are now hotels and guesthouses. You don’t need to be a guest to visit and enjoy aperitivo. You can even book dinner too, however at Masseria dei Monaci they only serve a set three course menu.

Where to eat in Otranto

Before I move on to restaurants for lunch and dinner, I want to share where to go for breakfast. In Puglia, there’s a very typical breakfast pastry called ‘pasticciotto’. It’s a filled pastry (that’s more like a biscuit in my opinion) which is originally from Lecce. They have lots of different fillings such as pistachio, ricotta with chocolate, lemon cream – to name a few. And the best place to have them is Martinucci Laboratory. They have a few locations around Puglia, and in Otranto their bakery is right on the beachfront with indoor and outdoor tables. We love them so much, we had one every day!

LaltroBaffo

We discovered LaltroBaffo when we visited Otranto on a day trip from Lecce. We had lunch and loved the food so it was the first restaurant we booked when we were planning our holiday in Otranto. This time we wanted to go for dinner but what we didn’t realise when we booked it is that they have a rooftop!

The food is absolutely amazing and beautifully presented. One of my favourite things to eat when I’m in Puglia is mussels gratin and the ones from LaltroBaffo were fantastic and creative.

Another dish you have to try when in Puglia is orecchiette, which is a shape of pasta typical to the region. It’s called ‘orecchiette’ because they look like ‘little ears’, which is the English translation. The orecchiette I ordered, with raw prawns, was absolutely delicious. If you’re looking for a sophisticated meal in a lovely setting, with great service, book a table at LaltroBaffo!

Patronale

Patronale is a lovely restaurant tucked away in a corner of the old town. It’s very popular so you will definitely need to book a table if you want to eat here. The decor is quite modern and stylish with low lighting at night.

Whenever we’re on holiday by the sea we always have to indulge in seafood! The linguine with astice (lobster) was absolutely delicious. This was our first meal in Otranto and it didn’t disappoint!

Ristorante Fronte Mare

Sometimes when we travel we make all our restaurant bookings for dinner in advance and sometimes we leave a night or two to book something on the spot that takes our fancy. We only booked this restaurant when we arrived in Otranto as we really liked the decor and the setting – it overlooks the beach (as the name suggests!). The decor is very modern and stylish.

They had excellent wine choices – including local wine – and the wine was decently priced. The food was fabulous and beautifully presented and the service was attentive and professional. If you’re looking for a sophisticated meal by the beach, then definitely book a table at Ristorante Fronte Mare in Otranto.

Terrazza San Pietro

As the name suggests, Terrazza San Pietro is set on a terrace with a lovely view. They do also have tables downstairs on street level (pedestrianised, no cars!). I took this photo during the day when we went to book a table just so I could show the restaurant without loads of people in the photo.

At night the lighting is lovely, with individual table lamps and no overhead lighting – which is exactly how we like our restaurants!

The restaurant specialises in seafood but there are other non-seafood options on the menu. We love seafood, so basically all of our courses had seafood in it! We started with a tuna tartare to share, then we each had pasta with seafood, followed by a whole fish to share, which they expertly filleted table-side for us.

Terrazza San Pietro has a lovely ambiance, great food and excellent service.

Postofisso Pucceria Agricola

When in Puglia you have to try a puccia, which is very typical of Salento. It’s a slightly toasted sandwich made of pizza dough that is filled with different fillings – from vegan to meat and fish. Postofisso Pucceria Agricola is a very unassuming little restaurant that specialises in puccia. It’s great to grab a quick, filling and delicious lunch. They even serve beer and wine!

Marinero Ristorante

If you look this restaurant up on Google, the reviews aren’t great. We hadn’t looked it up at all and simply chose to have lunch here one day. I, personally, wouldn’t book it at night because the lighting was quite bright but it was perfect for lunch.

We found the food to be pretty good and the service was good too. We also liked that you could order just a half bottle of wine. The setting was really cute, although it’s inside the town so no sea view. It wasn’t our favourite meal but it was decent enough – I would return again for lunch.

So those are my recommendations of where to eat and drink in Otranto. I hope it was helpful!

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