What to Eat in Bari: Orecchiette, Focaccia Barese, and Puglian Seafood

Bari is the food capital of Puglia — a working port city where the eating is serious, the prices are honest, and the products are some of the best in southern Italy. The old city (Bari Vecchia) is where the most authentic eating happens.

What to Eat

Focaccia barese — the best focaccia in Italy by most arguments. Thick, oily, chewy, baked with cherry tomatoes pressed into the dough and olives throughout. The olive oil content is aggressive. Eaten for breakfast, lunch, or as a snack. Bakeries in Bari Vecchia sell it by weight.

Orecchiette — “little ears” pasta, made fresh daily by nonnas in the alleyways of Bari Vecchia (especially Strada Arco Basso). You can watch and buy. Served with cime di rapa (turnip tops) and anchovy — the classic Puglian pairing.

Tiella barese — a baked dish of potatoes, rice, and mussels (patate, riso e cozze), layered with onions, tomatoes, and olive oil, baked in a terracotta dish. A Bari institution. Found in trattorias and rosticcerie throughout the city.

Crudo di mare — raw seafood. Sea urchin (ricci di mare), oysters, clams, and raw shrimp sold directly from the fish market or from street vendors in Bari Vecchia. The Adriatic catch is exceptional. Eaten with lemon, no sauce.

Polpo alla barese — octopus braised slowly in its own juices with tomato, olives, and capers. A Sunday dish in Bari homes. Very different from the quick-grilled octopus of tourist restaurants.

Sgagliozze — thick slices of polenta fried in olive oil. Sold hot from street vendors in the old city. Ancient street food, eaten standing.

Taralli — small ring-shaped biscuits made with olive oil, white wine, fennel seeds, and salt. Crunchy and addictive. Found across Puglia but the Bari version is the most famous. Buy directly from bakeries.

The Fish Market

Bari’s fish market (Mercato del Pesce) operates on the seafront, south of the old city. Open from early morning; by 9am the best selection is already moving. The freshest crudo in the city comes from here — vendors will crack sea urchins and shuck clams for immediate eating.

Wine

Primitivo di Manduria and Negroamaro are the dominant reds of the Puglia coast. Both are powerful, full-bodied, and suited to the grilled meat and seafood of the local kitchen. The whites — Verdeca, Bombino Bianco — are lighter and less distinctive, but work with the seafood.

Locorotondo and Martina Franca DOCs produce clean, dry whites from Verdeca grapes — good with the raw seafood.

Where to Eat

Bari Vecchia — the old city — is the place to eat. The narrow lanes around the Basilica di San Nicola have the most concentrated selection of trattorias, friggitorie, and street food vendors. Eat standing wherever possible; it’s what the city does.

The new city (around Piazza del Ferrarese and Via Sparano) has more modern restaurants and bars — better for aperitivo; the old city is better for serious eating.