Trattoria Nonna Tetti — Restaurant in Lecce

Read this review if you're not local.

As one might notice, I'm not a very active reviewer. It's those edge cases - either very good or very bad - that pique my inspiration to review, write and inform other fellow visitors in the area.

This place was recommended to us by a local.

I shall start by saying that whilst I'm not an Italian myself, I've lived in the country for some time to understand many different cultural aspects and dynamics of Italian life, obviously speaking and understanding the Italian language myself.

One might think why all this introduction is relevant for a Google review of a rather non-special, pretty ordinary yet recommended trattoria in Lecce. The short answer is that it sets the scene.

We went for lunch on Wednesday. It was around 12:40, the place just opened and there was one Italian couple in front of us waiting to be seated. The waitress - who is the main antagonist in this review - approached us with a warm greeting in English and gave us English menus. We continued the conversation in English. We had roughly three minutes to chose. We were rushed. When I asked whether the red wine she had recommended (which goes well with roasts, meats and other types of similar dishes etc.) will go well with a seafood pasta, the response was 'It is going to be just perfect'. This type of red wine does not go with seafood. And then she took the menus away. I was in for the game.

The place started to fill up with locals and several other foreigners. The same waitress' attitude towards locals was completely different. Better recommendations, more offers, better and rational suggestions, no rush, even a little chit chat - everything one would expect from a good service - were all notable. She was visibly arrogant towards people who, according to her rather uneducated guesses, were foreign. It felt, and actually was, discriminatory. Also, her ignorance was rather perfectly evidenced in a moment of embarrassment when she had guessed incorrectly that a couple of ladies were foreigners, gave them English menus and started going through the same drill in English as she did with us, when in fact one of the guests interrupted and started talking to her in Italian. The change of the waitress' attitude was pretty amusing.

The food itself was pretty good, but nothing really special. We were rushed through antipasti. Pasta was served whilst still finishing our antipasti. We got our coffees served whilst still finishing our bottle of wine - clearly not what we had asked for. It wasn't pleasant at all.

Hope this long-winded post will be useful to my fellow non-Italian visitors. Please think twice if you're looking for a local food and experience. Especially whilst this waitress will be serving the guests, there are better alternatives elsewhere. A lesson for me is that sometimes, a tourist trap is defined not by the quality of food one gets, but by the professionalism and attitude of people who work there. If you're non-local, take your service elsewhere.

It is not the type of atmosphere and 'attention' one wants to get whilst enjoying the city/region or the country itself. It is unfortunate and disappointing to be treated like this. It was not welcoming. It is not the Italy I know....

We went here for some good authentic local food in the second week of August. First some information on the professional/ethical code: we were greeted in the small entrance and placed close to another big table. The young 3 waiters weren't wearing a mask (that's the law, not an opinion) and no vaccine certification was asked before we were seated. In the meantime an older couple was having a fight over the non existent security measures of the place. 5 minutes after they left claiming to go to the closest police station for a formal complaint the waiters put the masks on their faces. While some younger customers started a very unpleasant conversation mocking the lady about her concerns nobody did anything. That was very very unpleasant and surreal. About the food: I wanted to have some cold cuts but when asked I was told they weren't local, "they are industrial" said the waiter. Which in a Trattoria doesn't really make sense. Ok, then, I've picked the appetizers. It came in 5-6 small plates, most were vegetables (grilled sweet peppers on 4 small plates cutted in different ways, same taste). I wasn't impressed. My friend got the mixed fried appetizers and the tipical meat rolls "bombette". Not impressed either. When I told the waiter that one of my appetizers (the 4th plate of grilled sweet pepper..) was inedible because of the very salty taste, his reply was "yes, this is this kind of sweet pepper". No buddy, there's no such thing in the regional cuisine as "over salty sweet pepper". Every single plate on the table was chipped. Now, we usually go to trattoria to taste simple authentic honest food at reasonable prices. Not tasteless, slammed on half plates bunch of badly cooked fodder. I was the one who recommended this place to my friend, go figure how bad I felt about the whole experience. Don't even know it's still open, we left before the police...

Welcome to Trattoria Nonna Tetti—where the cockroach drama is more riveting than the food. Our evening began with a lone scout roach, casually exploring the dining room like it was on a leisurely food tour. It boldly climbed up a guest's chair leg before the staff finally decided to intervene and crush it.

But the saga didn't end there. Enter the second roach, clearly enraged and seeking vengeance for its fallen comrade. It darted around with a fury that had us all on edge. After what felt like an eternity, the staff managed to deal with this one too (because settling payments was a higher priority than quelling the roach insurgency).

Just when we thought we could finally eat in peace, the grand finale arrived: a baby roach, seemingly searching for its lost parents. It was a tragic, tiny spectacle that sealed our decision to leave immediately.

Look I get it, old buildings have their quirks, but the staff’s utter indifference was the real stomach-turner. If they’re this blasé about visible pests, I shudder to think what’s lurking in the kitchen.

Now what about the food? Overpriced and downright dreadful. The ricotta cheese pasta tasted sour, like it had been aging since Nonna herself was a toddler. We couldn’t stomach more than a single bite before abandoning our meals entirely.

And the staff? Utterly indifferent. No apologies, no refunds—just another day in roach paradise for them. If you enjoy dining with pests and terrible pasta, this is your spot. Otherwise, do yourself a favor and avoid it...