santavoglia In Lecce

Fantastic restaurant, surprising dishes served by the chefs themselves with extensive explanations about the ingredients and preparation, giving you an even better dining experience. Highly recommended!

You need to go here - waiters are the chef and one of the best tasting menus I have had

A truly exceptional restaurant in Lecce. I came here once by chance, and in the end I had dinner at Santavoglia five times during my stay — every evening trying different dishes, including several daily specials. Antonio, the chef and owner, cooks with extraordinary passion, creativity and precision. Every dish has a story, and Antonio personally explained the ingredients, the spices and the inspiration behind many of them. His cuisine is refined, original and full of subtle Mediterranean and Middle Eastern influences, without ever feeling forced. Gloria, his partner, brings warmth, elegance and a very personal kind of service to the whole experience. Her wine recommendations were perfect with every course. Among the unforgettable dishes were the heavenly tuna tartare, the tuna steak, the pecan ragù pasta, and even a rare tuna delicacy Antonio kindly offered me one evening. From starters to desserts, every single dish I tasted deserves 11/10. I warmly recommend Santavoglia to anyone who truly loves extraordinary food at fair prices, especially if you are looking for something beyond the usual pizza–orecchiette combinations. This restaurant could be successful anywhere in the world. Its secret is passion, knowledge, creativity, the quality of the ingredients — and, not least, a deeply personal and attentive service. The restaurant also has a beautiful artistic soul: the paintings on the walls are by Gloria’s father, Giuseppe Corrado, a renowned painter and sculptor, which makes the place feel even more authentic and unique.

Top quality and impeccable service!

Warm yet discreet welcome. Amazing food and attention to details. The chef presenting the food. And of course, incredible dishes. Only 4* for atmosphere as we found the live music (outside of the restaurant control) a little bit annoying.

The team is fantastic. The chef is very pleasant, with original, fresh, and flavorful cuisine. The location and decor are worth the trip. I even managed to get my wife to eat horse meat, and that's priceless.

As soon as you cross the threshold of La Santa Voglia, time stands still. A delightful scent of incense delicately welcomes you, enveloping your senses in an almost sacred dimension, and you already know this will be a dinner unlike any other. The place is much more than a restaurant: it's an inhabited art gallery, meticulously crafted with refined taste down to the smallest detail. Every corner tells a story, every element is carefully chosen. The atmosphere is that of a space suspended between the sacred and the contemporary, sophisticated without ever being cold. But the true star is Chef Antonio. An exceptional figure, present at the tables with genuine warmth, he describes his dishes with an overwhelming, contagious passion, capable of transforming each course into a narrative. He is also extremely willing to adapt the menu to the needs and tastes of each guest—a rare generosity that makes each customer feel truly unique. His cuisine is a journey, and the dishes we tasted demonstrate this unmistakably. The red corba with stewed chickpeas and wakame is a revelation: a dish that speaks of roots and distant horizons at the same time. Then comes the mezza manica with ricotta scante, beef jus, and chamomile, and here words almost fall short. Simply another level, pairings bordering on genius. A dish that alone would be worth the trip to Lecce. Each course is constructed with original and never banal combinations, top-quality Apulian ingredients that dialogue with oriental and floral nuances with naturalness and intelligence. The impeccable and discreet service completes an experience that is difficult to find elsewhere. The prices are very fair, considering the level of excellence offered. La Santa Voglia is one of those rare places where everything—the art, the cuisine, the people—blends into something greater. A place you won't forget. Thanks to all the staff for the wonderful experience. Valentina & Paolo

Santavoglia is a place you'll return to every day for so many reasons: Gloria and Antonio are two fantastic hosts, and despite their young age, they are highly professional and exceptionally hospitable. There are no language barriers, as both speak fluent English, so even foreign guests feel just as pampered as others. The dishes offered by Chef Antonio are a journey between Salento and the Orient, an explosion of flavors in every bite. The exquisite ingredients, combined with culinary experimentation and a fusion of flavors, make each creation unique. The desserts are a fitting conclusion to this journey. The prices are absolutely reasonable compared to the quality of the dishes offered. Finally, I'd like to highlight the location: beautiful, elegant, and adorned with works of art that you'd pass by.

A fantastic find in beautiful Lecce- we had the tasting menu and it was interesting and delicious and a great dining experience and shockingly inexpensive. I heartily recommend it to anyone looking for a great restaurant experience in Lecce. I have no connection to the restaurant and only knew about it from a recommendation from our hotel and what I saw on- line

We opted for the six-course tasting menu and everything was delicious. The waitress was charming, and the chef even came to present the dishes to us. We highly recommend it.