400 Gradi

££££│ Pizza, Beer & Wine - Eat in or Takeaway

Evenings │Directions & Opening Times on Google

A lot has already been said/written about 400 Gradi online… and with its status as Lecce’s only super-buzz, world-class, Neapolitan-pizza-scene pizzeria I won’t lie; it’d be very entertaining to have a go at bursting the bubble. Somehow it feels like the Juve or the Man United or the Real Madrid of Lecce, and let’s face it everyone hates those kind of super clubs.

But the thing about 400 Gradi is that unlike Juve/Man United/Real Madrid - it’s actually consistently good. In fact, it’s consistently excellent. The pizza list is both different and samey enough that you can find something that you’ve never had before and it won’t be weird AF. Flavour combinations are really good and look like they’ve been properly worked out and tasted rather than just thrown together (‘developed’ I guess would be the lingo). The dough and cooking are extremely consistent. With regards to the cooking, I was really surprised to see all this pizza mastery coming out of an electric oven, the new generation of which seem to be able to compete toe to toe with their gas and wood counterparts.

Service is not something I usually talk too much about as I generally think people who care about service are superficial moaners who don’t know how to enjoy themselves (lol just kidding…I mean not entirely but…just don’t take it too seriously). So, if you are a superficial moaner who doesn’t know how to enjoy yourself - once you get into 400 Gradi it will be perfect for you!! They are seriously nice in there and they are seriously professional too… especially if you’re from a remarkably efficient country and are sick of Italy’s culture of being left to wait for ages at your table. It’s also good for people who don’t give a shit about service because…it’s just service who freakin cares.

The decor is like a child’s jungle scape crossed with a circa 2010 chain refit of a unit at Westfield. I know … doesn’t make any sense. But go there. You’ll see. And it’s not bad decor btw either it’s kinda amazing. I also feel like a load of what’s in there (a lot of wood basically) makes a difference to the sound, which might be another reason why it’s such a nice experience. There’s good booze options and safe choices/good quality homemade desserts.

One thing that’s very important to mention is that 400 Gradi doesn’t take bookings (and it gets very busy) so if you go after 7.30 pm expect a long wait. There’s not much around there in terms of bars to grab a drink in so if you have to wait more than 45 minutes I’d say it’s worth the 10-minute walk down to Porta Napoli and getting a drink on the corner of Viale dell'Università and Via Taranto (drink tip: Il Barroccio is a lovely spot for a cocktail/aperitivo, and if you get pissed off enough waiting for 400 Gradi/pissed enough while you’re in Il Barroccio, there’s also the outstanding ‘La Succursale’ for pizza or ‘Il Pizzicotto’ for great slices to go).

400 Gradi is a pain in the arse to get into. But it’s worth it. The pizza is truly fantastic and the service friendly and professional. Whenever I have anyone I really care about in town I always take them there because it’s just the best.