If you’re traveling to Puglia, Italy and looking for gluten-free friendly restaurant or road trip ideas, including the best food and beaches, this guide is for you.
Puglia, also known as boot heels, has been on my travel bucket list for years. Since the region includes a stretch of coast that spans two different oceans, there are many wonderful Mediterranean beaches and delicacies pulled from the coast to explore.
We visited friends at their home massage shop. This is the term for the farmhouses in the area, usually dating back to the nascent period of the oldest olive trees in the area. It’s the perfect starting point to explore some of the nearby white towns like Mesagne, Grottaglie and Galipoli, and see what gluten-free friendly restaurants they have to offer.
Puglia is fairly spread out, so it’s easiest to plan your car trip and use a hotel or two or massage parlors as your home base. On the second stop, we stayed in the beautiful baroque city of Lecce, where we were able to reach some southern sights such as Otranto and Grotta della Poetry.
Like I mentioned in my guide to gluten-free restaurants in Venice, Italy is one of the easiest places to eat gluten-free. For some tips on how to navigate the menu and communicate with waiters, check out the tips in my gluten-free guide to Rome.
Here’s what we’ll be covering in this gluten-free guide to Puglia:
How to eat gluten-free in Puglia
Some of Puglia’s most famous delicacies aren’t gluten-free, but as with most places, even smaller towns often have gluten-free pasta or bread behind for celiacs.
The region is famous for orecchiette, handmade ear-shaped spaghetti and taralli, round sweet or savory biscuits. It also has some of the best focaccia in Italy, often fluffier than northern varieties and garnished with cherry tomatoes and olives.
What you can eat if you’re gluten-free in Puglia: Fresh artisanal mozzarella and stracciatella. We were even able to witness these fresh cheese balls being pulled in front of us at the restaurant and delivered warmly to the table.
You’ll also find plenty of fresh fish and seafood on Puglia’s menus, including red snapper, oret, razor clams and mussels in a spicy tomato sauce (cozze alla Tarantina).
Of course, if that sort of thing speaks to you, it’s horsemeat. Yes, horse meat. You’ll find this on many traditional menus served in bolognese or stew. Needless to say, as a proud horse girl, I didn’t participate!
The best gluten-free restaurants in Puglia
Since there are so many wonderful towns to explore, I’ve organized recommendations by places we’ve been to.
Where to Eat Gluten Free in Mesagne
Type 1 – Our wonderful hosts discovered this pizzeria and called ahead to make sure they had gluten free options. They were happy to be notified, and it was one of the best crusts on the trip: soft and chewy – just like they did slightly north of Naples. I got a basic buffalo, but my partner tried some more creative pies, many of which had nduja and burrata on top.
Gold Bar Ice Cream Shop – The cones at this ice cream shop are gluten free and well trained on cross contamination, making sure I use a fresh scoop for my cones. Both nocciola and figs are sweet (in a good way) and very tasty.
The best restaurants and natural bars in Grottaglie
Vineyard facing south – If you need a break from shopping in the ceramic capital of Puglia (Enza is the best place), stroll into the charming old town and enjoy a few glasses of natural wine in this quaint square. The ladies who run the wine bar have great taste. We bought 6 bottles to take home and they were all delicious, funky and fun. They have gluten free breads to go with meat and cheese plates, but you have to ditch the bruschetta and sandwiches. It’s a great place to stop for an aperitif, but not a full meal with a gluten-free package.
Vico 51Bistrot – We happened upon this small family restaurant on our way back to the car and decided we had to have another dinner. There’s a guy outside pulling mozzarella and a sissy making fresh avocado. While I obviously couldn’t taste the latter, the mozzarella was worth a visit. It arrived at the table very warm, salty and dripping with latte. I had a gorgeous side of grilled tuna and grilled veggies (best contoni on the trip) while others loved their pasta and I wasn’t disappointed. I’m sure other places in Grottaglie have gluten free pasta, but this restaurant is worth a visit just for the quality of the other local ingredients.
The best gluten-free seafood restaurants in Gallapolis
Fort Restaurant – Old Gallapolis is a very small island, which means that many of its restaurants are perched on the city walls, overlooking the water. The place is picturesque and has gluten free pasta. They served me seafood gnocchi. My husband had the fish ravioli without cheese. We shared a beautiful fish with tomatoes and capers, and rosemary potatoes as our second dish.
Trattoria la Puritate – Here’s another suggestion from our friend. It’s not suitable for being on water, so we opted for Bastione. But wanted to mention it in case you wanted to explore another low-key and inexpensive option.
Note: You will need to park on the outskirts of the island/Old Town and walk to these restaurants. Just look for a stop sign before crossing the bridge and abandoning your car.
The best gluten-free restaurants in Lecce
mom elvira kitchen – Mama Elvira is a bit of an institution for modern Italian food and great wine in Lecce. If you are looking for dinner make sure you book at cucina not enoteca. We made that mistake, but it was a pleasant process as we got a nice plate of vegetables at enoteca and started shopping around the restaurant. It’s basically the only gluten-free dish at enoteca other than the meat and cheese platter (which is delicious!) but there’s more to the main outpost. They have gluten free bread and pasta. We shared a lovely fava bean mash and endive, then I had the meat ragu and macaroni.
Scarpetta – Don’t be fooled by the entrance: the interior of this restaurant has a gorgeous courtyard, creating a very romantic upscale dining experience. They make their own gluten-free bread at home and have pasta and macaroni as pasta options. I slathered mine with fresh red snapper red sauce. For our second course we shared branzino and lots of potatoes and roasted vegetables.
christmas pastries – This is the best ice cream shop in town, and luckily most flavors are gluten-free. They also offer gluten free cones and carefully swap out the scooping utensils for new ones.
The best gluten-free restaurants in Otranto
another mustache – This restaurant was the best meal of the trip, hands down! This includes our time in Rome and Venice. Worth a visit to Otranto, it’s almost at the heel of the boot, just to eat here. The menu is modern Italian with exquisite ingredients and creative pastas. My husband had a very decadent uni carbonara, but we both agreed that my humble pasta with smoked fish and gazpacho sauce was the clear winner. The gluten-free pasta cooks to perfection, and the starchy water mixes with the paprika for a light, smoky sauce. It’s perfect. First, we shared their raw fish tasting, and for our second course, we sliced a beautiful fish fillet topped with beet leaves and served it with pickled lemon preserves. I rarely end up liking a more modern Italian restaurant – I usually prefer mom and pop osterias and bistros. Lalrobaffo is a major exception.
fish – Ee didn’t go here, but I starred it through the Find me gluten free app as a more casual alternative to seafood sandwiches and gluten free breads. However, we recommend splurging on laltrobaffo!
The best beaches in Puglia
Poetry Cave – This is probably the most famous swimming hole in Puglia. If you’ve ever seen people jump off a cliff into the incredible turquoise sea, it’s likely done here. We were worried it would be crowded with tourists because of this, but getting there before noon meant it wasn’t too overspend yet. If it’s too crowded, the neighboring Torre di Roca usually has a low subscription, and it’s free! You have to pay 3 euros per person to enter the grotto. With no shade, you probably won’t stay too long, just enough time to muster up the courage to try your hand at the central swimming hole. Or, in my case, one from the lower side along with all the bambini!
Borakota – If you are looking for a flat sandy beach to swim in, this place is a local favorite. Note that you will need to bring your own kit – towel, umbrella, etc – as there are no beach clubs with chairs nearby. It makes for a more enjoyable experience if you are prepared!
Bear Tower – Between Grotta della Poesia and Otranto, this is a great place to grab a beach chair and hang out for the day.
Step Beach – In the center of Otranto town, this city beach is actually a great place to spend the day. It can be crowded but the water is very quiet and perfect for swimming. There are several beach clubs on the water where you can rent a chair.
ponta de la suina – After lunch, we stopped for a swim at this beach near Gallapolis. Mind you, you shouldn’t go to the beach club advertised in the car park – it’s an asset, not a great place to swim.
Punta Ham – We didn’t go to this beach in person, but it was recommended by a few friends. They have my name. I hope we have time to check it out!
Have you been to Puglia, Italy? I’d love to hear anything you recommend in the comments so we can plan our next road trip!
