Locanda Mamma Rita
I absolutely love the vibe of this place, I don't really know why, I think it's because it feels like one of those kitsch Italian restaurants that's been there for 30 or 40 years with the check tablecloths and the cheesy pictures on the walls, and the grumpy staff and the massive menu that's probably never changed forever. But it's also basically in a garage unit with a little forecourt out front so I think it equally appeals to my Hackney Wick/Tottenham warehouse vibe (London basically), even if it couldn't be further away from that in terms of culture.
As for the food, whilst it’s a pizzeria, it’s got a big pasta/main course list too. This is granny cooking, proper nonna plates like you get at a family dinner in Salento just served up in a restaurant format…
La Perla
La Perla is like a microcosm of everything that is fantastic and problematic about Italy all in one place. If you want to have a real traditional Leccese pizza experience I whole heartedly recommend dropping by. It’s amazing, and in its own way, very unique.
The pizza is properly old school rolling-pin disc pizza, with loads of tomato, the right amount of mozzarella, and oregano rather than basil on the Margherita.
Rosetta
Pizzeria Rosetta is about as an authentic a pizzeria as you can get in Italy. The pizza is cheap, and the quality (for the price you pay) is superb. It’s no wonder that it’s usually absolutely rammed with locals.
There’s no table service here, you have to go inside and order at the cassa (till). The woman that serves you is simultaneously super lovely/smiley and absolutely terrifying, all at the same time. She runs the phone lines and the queue by herself, and knows exactly when everybody has ordered and when. She’s incredible. She processes more orders than I’ve ever seen anyone ever process in my life, by hand (and I worked in restaurants for a long time). If only they could fire all the useless men in Rome and put her in charge of the country, they could probably half the Italian public debt whilst making everything run on time.