Villa Dario - Lecce

Villa Dario is an institution among the Leccesi, and you won't find a tourist within miles of the place. (Mainly because it's only easy to find after the first time you've been there. Don't be expecting restaurant service, you'll be sorely disappointed. At Villa Dario you head up to the cashier (usually Dario himself , he gives you a sheet to fill out, and you check off the boxes (pizza Margarita, pizza Capricciosa, etc. along with the quantity of each item. Then do the same with the drink sheet.... and appetizers... get it? Then take the filled out sheets back up to the cashier, he gives you a number, and you get your drinks and antipasti (great bruschetta and fried items and wait at your table, letting your rowdy kids play with the local brats on the ample playground, until your number is called over the crackly loudspeaker. Then go up and pick up your pizzas, right out of the stone oven, partake and don't forget to bus your own tables at the end. Prices are very affordable, as Villa Dario is more of a philosophy than an actual pizzeria. Two thumbs up from a local!

The four of us (2 adults and two children) have been to Villa Darios 3 times now on two separate holidays to the region. If you are looking for somewhere very family (and young children) friendly this is the place. Initially tricky to get to, you could drive past the sign on the main Lecce to San Cotaldo road, it is set back in a pine wooded area at the end of what seems to be a never ending pot-holed back-street. but keep going until you get to some gates that take you to the restaurant. Once there, grab a menu (which also doubles as your order sheet) and your cutlery and table cloth and head down to get one of the numerous tables outdoors. The kids loved having to fill out the order which is in italian only. Take this up to the kitchens and get your number which is called out over the speakers (again in italian). The drinks are cheap and good. A bottle of very passable wine (chilled red or white) is very local and cheaper than a can of coke! The pizzas are good and my nine year old daughter loved the horse steak! It's not Michelin by any stretch of the imagination but a real experience and a local secret. Four of us ate what ever we wanted for under 26 euros total. Then, with bellies full, off to one of the many festas in the nearby towns. Bellisimo!

Ristorante rustico immerso in una vasta pineta, con tavoli all'aperto e all'interno con servizio self-service. Pizza incredibile, carne mista e ottimi antipasti. Ci torneremo volentieri.