Bar Cotognata Leccese — Restaurant in Lecce

The thing that makes me the saddest about leaving Puglia is leaving this place behind. I have traveled worldwide, and this has become one of my favorite places ever. It’s just perfect, literally.

The food is life-changing. We stayed in Lecce for 4 days and came here for breakfast 3 times. We tried almost everything they have (pasticciotto alla crema, pasticciotto al pistacchio, rustico, panzerotto, fruttone). The only thing we didn’t like much was the bigné al pistacchio. All the rest was utterly mind-blowing. Also, if you’re looking for the best pasticciotto in town, look no more: it’s here (and I’ve tried a lot). All of this with super fair prices (they even round down the bill if you don’t have the exact change in cash). The first day we hadn’t taken the pasticciotto, and the guy brought one to our table to try it, without making us pay for it, and said, “I just want you to verify that it’s the best in town”. It was indeed (and he kept up his word and didn’t add it to the bill, which was a super nice gesture).

The staff is the best, too. Everyone working here is so friendly and efficient that it’s a pleasure to see them work and chat with. They will explain to you what every single item has and how it’s made with all the patience and passion in the world. They are incredible people for real.

If you visit Lecce, you MUST come to this place. You would miss out on an incredible local experience...

I realized too late that we were overcharged twice! My bf and I went twice to this establishment for breakfast. We really liked the pistachio flavored pasticciotti (they are very good, honestly). Nevertheless we realized today that we were always overcharged. In one case, a lot. Since the prices where we live are quite higher than in the south of Italy, we didn't catch you up on it immediately. I would never come back to this bar but if you go: -ask always for prices in advance -make sure they're charging you for the correct size of the pastries (and not for the large version if you got a small one)

If I didn't have a train to catch, I would have gone back and complained when I realized how much they charged my boyfriend for a bag of mostaccioli. It's a pity, since the...

One of the best "patisserie" in town; here you can find a selection of typical cakes from Lecce, above all "pasticciotto" but also cakes made of almond paste and, of course the "cotognata" a jam made with a particular kind of apple. You can also have an aperitif "leccese" made of a number of little snacks or try the "calzone" a fried paste filled with mozzarella and tomato or the "rustico", made of puff pastry filled with bechamel sauce, mozzarella and...