8 x My top picks for food and drink in Bari

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Latest update: 16 February 2024

You have to eat anyway, so make sure it’s good, right? In Bari (Italy), there are so many places to eat that I get lost. Which restaurant should I go to? Check out my experiences with food in Bari here: good and bad.

Terranima: skip it

Let me start with the big disappointment. Restaurant Terranima is recommended in the Lonely Planet for its fabulous regional dishes. I want to try this with my mom! The welcome is warm, but then the service forgets us. When we are finally allowed to order, we go all out. We order an antipasti, a primi, and a segundi. The antipasti are fine (but what can go wrong with cheese and charcuterie). After that, it quickly goes downhill. The primi is somewhat soggy pasta with little taste. We both leave half a plate. In the meantime, we’ve run out of wine, but no one notices.

As for the segundi: my mother has to rechew the well-done steak strips three times. I expectantly take a picture of my lamb, but the bottom of the dish is blackened. I don’t even touch it anymore. The service doesn’t pay attention at all, and I only manage to send the dish back after fifteen minutes. Do I want a new one? No, I want to leave. Now. We get the bill, and the inedible dish is on it. After some effort, part of the amount is deducted from the bill. Unfortunately, Terranima turns out to be a big disillusionment.

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Ciclatera Sotto Il Mare: simple enjoyment

In the old town, along the harbor, one sunny terrace attracts the whole of Bari. People queue for a seat at Ciclatera Sotto Il Mare. So I’m going to stand in line too, why not? The queue is actually fun: a couple of Italians who have already secured a spot offer us a glass of rosé while we wait.

Once we are seated, we decide never to leave. The service is slow but friendly. The Happy Hour platter with various snacks is not very unique, but it is tasty. We have a beautiful view over the harbor, there is sun, and there is wine. What else do you need?!

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Do it yourself: street stalls in Bari

There are food stalls in various places in the old town. One sells pizzas, the other fried dough balls, and another olives. We end up at an elderly gentleman who generously sells us olives and dried tomatoes. He continues to hand us olives to taste.

In the old town, the local ladies make ‘ear’ pasta: orecchiette. Day in and day out, they make this pasta for their own use and for sale. In the orecchiette street, the pasta is drying in the sun, and you can buy the orecchiette. Want to have a look? From the Castello Svevo, walk under the small arches of Arco Alto and Arco Basso, and you’ll find the Via delle Orecchiette.

Salumeria: tasty and easy

There are many supermarkets and delicatessen shops in the city. These are called Salumeria. You can buy a tasty sandwich in these shops for a few euros. We get some snacks for the evening at a Salumeria near the Via delle Orecchiette. The friendly gentleman behind the counter lets us taste some things. I get a slice of sausage: it reminds me of being a little girl and going to the local butcher shop. We stock up: Parma ham, salami, mozzarella, another cheese, some bread… and all for only 8 euros.

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Avamposto: good coffee

Avamposto is a meeting point near Bari station. People quickly pop in for a take-out coffee. It is a coffee bar as we know it everywhere: a group of students here, someone behind his MacBook there. A great place to relax or to get an Italian breakfast. Phew, that breakfast… I can’t get used to the meager offer. I like a cup of coffee and a croissant, but it’s not filling enough for me.

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Bacio di Latte: smart coffee chain

Bacio di Latte has several coffee shops in Bari. It’s a coffee chain with lots of pastries, sandwiches, and salads. The store is light and freshly decorated. It has a bit of a hipster vibe to it, but the crowd is very mixed. This is not a place where you will spend hours but just a brief visit to recover and continue your day.

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Jérôme Cafè: France in Italy

Jérôme Cafè feels a bit upscale. And maybe it is because it’s in the vicinity of some expensive shops. It’s a little fancy, with smartly dressed servers, high ceilings, and beautiful pastries. With my tea, I get hourglasses, so I let the tea bag sit in the hot water just long enough. To complete the French feeling, I order macarons. And I can recommend that to everyone.

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Ristopizza Al Cantuccio2 da Ivan: fast and plenty

Ristopizza Al Cantuccio2 da Ivan is a long way out of town. But it’s a tip from a local. The restaurant is brightly lit, and has quite a few plastic chairs. But it is fully packed. There are only Italians, which is a good sign. We quickly agree to a tasting of local dishes because we don’t speak a word of Italian and the service doesn’t speak much English. It’s on the table in no time, and it’s a lot, A LOT. Some things we like, other things not so much. But it’s great fun to try different things, even if we don’t always understand what we’re actually eating.

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Do you have tips for drinking and eating in Bari? Share them in the comments for other readers.
And please check out what else you can do in Bari.

First published: November 2017. The article has been updated since.