La Cucina di Mamma Elvira — Restaurant in Lecce

Eggplant rolls with salted baccalà were delicious. Ceci e tria was ok, a little gluggy and overpriced at €15. I asked for dessert recommendations and was recommended the semifreddo with pistachio, unfortunately it was so sickly sweet and not to my taste despite having a sweet tooth. It was like syrup and I couldn’t taste the pistachio. I sat inside at 7:30 because they said they had nothing available (fine by me) but when leaving at 8:30 the terrace was still empty except for one table so that felt a little odd. Ambience was ok but restaurant felt empty, lacks the warmth of other places. A candle or light on my table would help. They also turned away 3 other girls who also arrived at 7:30 opening time saying they were booked until 9:30 but it looked like they could have served them in the time I was there. Restaurant was only 20% full and gives an odd dynamic when so many tables are unused. Very expensive, glass of wine was €10 and ceci dish at €15 should be cheaper and given €3 bottle of 750ml water for one person, a smaller option would have been appreciated as I can only drink so much liquid in one sitting. Really dislike the QR code menus, makes it feel cheap (and I am a young person haha). Nice staff. Overall good food but very expensive for...

Located in the centre of Lecce, this beautiful restaurant has both outdoor and indoor seating areas. We were walk ins, and the staff managed to accommodate a perfect table for us outside with just a short wait prior. We did message via the WhatsApp number, prior to arriving, however there was no reply. (So just be advised if you try this, you may not receive communication for bookings) Drinks orders were taken quickly and we went for one of the local, Puglia rose wines, which the staff recommended to us. It was one of the most delicious rose wines we have had! For food, we decided to try the Gnocci and linguine dishes. Both were served quickly and were delicious. One of the staff members was a little forgetful first bringing bread with no accompanying plates or oils, and then offering us cheese for the pastas (but never returning with it) However this did not spoil what was otherwise such a nice dining experience. Prices are also affordable. Overall a great visit and we highly recommend for anyone visiting Lecce. We are returning for a large wedding next year, so will sending all of our...

Mamma Elvira is an well-established name in the city of Lecce, with several hubs around town that offer local dishes and delicacies. They sell wine in the "Enoteca", seafood in the "Corte", but a friend of mine recommended to stop by the "Cucina" for lunch. It's located close to the center, and I took place on the beautifully decorated terrace.

As primo piatto, I took the Tubetto di Gragnano pasta with tomatoes, tuna, octopus and cod. The pasta was boiled to perfection and perfectly "al dente". You get a complementary bag of bread before the meal with high-quality oil and vinegar, salt and pepper. Be sure to save some of the bread to sop up the delicious sauce from your plate (the "scarpetta", as Italians say).

As main course I was curious to try the horse meat, a local specialty, and took the sweet & sour eggplant on the side. The meat was tender and melts in your mouth. I personally found the tomato sauce a bit too salty though, and it diverted my attention away from the meat. The eggplant was slow-cooked in cane sugar and vinegar, and complemented the...