Giardino Segreto in Province of Lecce

"The staff is really nice. Cozy and intimate atmopshere. The garden is small and beautiful. I had the pasta with 3 types if zuchinni and it was delicious. The risotto were not as good, but that is only my taste. They have made fresh pasta with mushrooms and they were also very good. Absolutely reccomand this place!"

"Lovely dinner here this evening. Great service from the waiter who used pictures when necessary to help me understand the difference in certain Italian meats used in pasta, and his English beat my Italian! Had a great pasta, pesce spada (swordfish) and local wine. Everything was delicious."

"We came to try some fish on our first night in Lecce and what we had was a personalized dinner with a crudo di mare as the star dish. The owner was incredibly warm and made our night!"

"We had an exceptional experience from start to finish. The service and food were outstanding. Our waiter was incredibly kind and thoughtful, especially toward my 8-year-old. Without us even asking, he made sure my son’s meal came out immediately, which was so appreciated. I ordered the fish, which was light, delicious, and perfectly balanced — not overpowered by spices, yet full of flavour. My son and mother got the chicken which was fresh. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The entire staff were kind, patient, and very quick to accommodate any needs. We’ll definitely be returning."

"THIS is the restaurant to go to in Lecce. It is a little hidden from the main attractions, but only a few steps away. The owner is welcoming and the food is amazing. Very authentic. The food is fresh and they use herbs from their own garden in the restaurant. Wonderful experience. You must visit!!!"

"Gonna start with a small statement… one of the best meals of my life! I’m going to get to the food in a bit but I’m just going to set the scene. You know those stories you hear of people eating in these little hidden restaurants in Italy, no one speaks English, the family of the owners are in there eating too and the food is unbelievable? Well this restaurant ticks every box. The owner was the sole waiter of this 40 cover restaurant and I’ve never see someone work so hard and not stop moving for 2 hours showing how much he really cares about this restaurant. Sure, the service wasn’t perfect but it was good and that was all part of the charm. Watching one of the ladies in the family group go up to the kitchen and serve the families plates before sitting down and eating herself was so authentic and enjoyable to see! Now we get to the food, wow! I enjoy my fine dining and good food but honestly this comfortably sits in the top 3 meals of my life and easily the best I’ve had in my 5 visits to Italy. 1st we had Polpa alla Pignata… octopus with potato that is cooked in a clay pot with a tomato sauce. Both octopus and potato cooked perfectly with so much flavour. 2nd we have cicia e tria… which is half boiled pasta and fried pasta with chickpeas in some vegetable sauce. Honestly the appearance of the dish left me concerned but how the chef was able to add so much flavour to a seemingly bland looking dish was truly the work of a magician. 3rd we have bombette con crema di cipolla… sausages with meat wrapped around them with an onion cream piped through the middle in a Chardonnay sauce. The meat cooked perfectly with great flavour and the sauce left only one option, to be mopped up by the very nice bread given to us at the start of the meal. Every dish was unbelievably good, my partner agreed too, and this will be the first thing I tell people when I arrive home about my holiday. Oh yeah, did I mention the beautiful house wine was only €3 a glass, just incase I hadn’t convinced you enough. The meal came to €85 or €42.50/£36 each, I only wish I could eat such good food at such a low price back home."

"Giardino Segreto is well worth a detour. The menu, the presentation and the atmosphere are all top notch."

"We had a wonderful dinner here on a quiet side street. Don’t be deterred by the construction nearby. The service was great, the food excellent. They have quite a few seafood dishes. The special was a monkfish pasta with tomatoes, very fresh and flavorful. Sat in their beautiful garden, a quiet spot within the busy streets of Lecce. Highly recommended"