Polignano A Mare is the sweetest beach town in Puglia, Southern Italy. Every corner is filled with white-washed walls, potted plants, and beautiful sea views. 

When to visit:

The best time to visit Polignano A Mare is the spring! Summer is absolutely packed with tourists, and during winter a lot of shops and restaurants are closed. Fall is a great option as well, but you may miss out on some restaurants that are only open from May to September.

Why Puglia is amazing for vegans: 

Many traditional Apulian dishes just happen to be plant-based already, highlighting their freshest ingredients like eggplant, zucchini, artichokes, fava beans, and tomatoes. You’ll find that most restaurants cook in olive oil instead of butter, and fresh pasta is made without eggs. For all these reasons and more, Puglia is a vegan paradise!

What to order:

If you’re lost on what to order, most restaurants offer sides that are clearly vegan, like grilled vegetables or roasted potatoes. For appetizers, a very common dish is fave e cicoria (fava bean puree with chicory), or you can’t go wrong with bruschetta.  For a main course, one of Puglia’s best known dishes is orecchiette con cime di rapa, an ear-shaped pasta with olive oil, garlic, and broccoli rabe. This sometimes contains anchovies, so be sure to ask if you need to modify it. 

Now on to where to eat!

Best Gelato & Pastries: Martinucci Laboratory

Martinucci Laboratory was an every day stop for me in Polignano A Mare. At most gelato shops, you’ll find 2-3 vegan flavors – typically dark chocolate, lemon, or strawberry. Martinucci has all these, but they also offer a whole line of vegan flavors called “fior di riso“ (made with a rice milk base). Hot tip: these are actually stored separately behind the counter, so be sure to ask what’s available that day. If you’re lucky, they’ll be stocked with pistachio, vanilla, chocolate, and something just called bianco (white), which is so good! I was skeptical of a rice milk base, but trust me it’s amazing.

Beyond the gelato, Martinucci makes some incredible pastries, including vegan cornetti (croissants) and pasticciotti (a regional specialty). Pair it with a soy milk cappuccino and you’re in heaven. If I had to pick one favorite thing from here, it would be the cornetti. So fluffy and buttery with a slight orange/almond flavor. Don’t miss out!

Best Cafes:

Specialty Coffee – Habitat Cafe 

This cafe is tucked away from the touristy center of Polignano A Mare, and has such a cute vibe! They offer a selection of non-dairy milk for their drinks, as well as several vegan pastries. I recommend trying their charcoal croissant filled with vegan chocolate or their mini orange carrot cake – both are incredible. The baristas here are also very helpful in pointing out vegan options for their customers. 

Authentic coffee experience – Bar Luna

Chaotic and quirky, Bar Luna sits on the corner of a busy cross section right in the heart of Polignano A Mare. There’s a real sense of community here, and you’ll often find the baristas gossiping with locals and dancing behind the counter.  While their patience for tourists is low, their soy cappuccinos taste like espresso clouds, and the vegan croissants are flakey and rich. If you don’t have the guts to ask about vegan options, at least enjoy un caffè (espresso) and some people watching.

Best Focaccia: Focaccia Del Corso

This focaccia spot comes highly recommended from locals, and does not disappoint. This region’s focaccia is known for its extra springy texture and crispy base. The secret? Mashed potatoes mixed into the dough! Proving once again that potatoes are magic. I could eat this every day for the rest of my life and be happy, it’s that good! My favorites are the ones topped with tomato and olives, or potato and rosemary. 

Best Brunch Spot: Joya Canti di Stagione

Another great spot for people watching, Joya Canti di Stagione is a small vegetarian cafe best known for their crepes and frozen yogurt. While the giant menu feels a little overwhelming, once you spot the vegan crepes you’ll be just fine. My favorite was their jam-filled crepe with fresh strawberries, but their dark chocolate filling was also quite good! The crepes have more of a “healthy” whole grain taste, but that works well with the sweet toppings. You’ll also find several specialty coffee beverages, which can be made with latte di avena (oat milk). Always a treat to find oat milk in Italy!

Best Pizza: Il Quadrifoglio 

I truly cannot get over how incredible the pizza crust is at Il Quadrifoglio. Set on the characteristic street of Via Roma, this pizza place is perfect for a lively evening. Or, take your meal to-go and enjoy it by the ocean! Their Vegetariana pizza has a yellow tomato base, and is topped with black olives, basil, sun dried tomatoes, and zucchini flowers. I don’t think the photo does it justice, but it really is lovely and bursting with flavor. I also highly recommend their house white wine and french fries! Don’t skip the fries, they are life-changing.

Best Authentic Dinner: Il Grottino

Il Grottino is also highly recommended by locals, and I can understand why! From the moment you walk in the door, you feel like the most important guest. While the vegan options are limited, the chef is very accommodating and even brought us several complimentary dishes. I enjoyed fresh local veggies, orecchiette con cime di rapa, and grilled vegetables. For dessert: oven-roasted walnuts, lemon sorbet, and an espresso. While it might not be marketed to vegans, it was a truly memorable experience – by the end of the evening, I felt like part of the family. 

Runner up: Primi & Vini:

I have to give a shout out to Primi & Vini as well! The clearly-labeled menu will put any vegan at ease, and the chef, Ana, is an absolute sweetheart. Here you can enjoy an orecchiette pomodoro, and vegan pudding made with almond milk!

Best Place to Take Your Non-vegan Friends & Fam:

All of the above! But also…

La Locanda Porta Picc

This is the funniest recommendation, but hear me out. This restaurant is best known for giant steaks and seafood – their instagram is filled with pictures of men holding up huge slabs of raw meat. Not exactly appealing to vegans, but let me tell you about the pasta. Oh, the pasta. While there are a few pasta options, you absolutely must try the Trofie con Funghi Porcini. You’ll need to ask for it senza formaggio (without cheese), but I promise it is still a creamy, fresh, absolute dream of a dish. My non-vegan fam said it was the best dish there, even after trying several seafood dishes! Definitely a great place for lunch or dinner if you are traveling in a group with varied diets.

Tomarito by Pescaria

A great lunch stop with your non-vegan crew is Tomarito by Pescaria! If you’ve grown tired of pizza and pasta, you can enjoy a fresh Poke Bowl here. Their vegan option contains perfectly-made sushi rice, avocado, pineapple, cucumber, edamame, sesame seeds, and crunchy onions with a teriyaki sauce. Ultra refreshing, and perfect for a hot day.

Honorable Mention: Mint Cucina Fresca.

This is probably the first search result you’ll find when looking for vegan food in Polignano A Mare. It’s a small spot (reservations required) with creative and veggie-centered dishes. I didn’t get a chance to go, but would love to check it out next time.

A note on Groceries:

Finding staple vegan groceries is no problem. Even the smaller convenience stores have soy yogurt, non-dairy milk, and some frozen vegan burger patties. I didn’t see any vegan cheese or mock meats, but I had plenty of other food to enjoy. Keep an eye out for dark chocolate hazelnut spreads, interesting potato chip flavors, and of course tarallini. Tarallini are small circular snacks from southern Italy –  they have a similar texture to breadsticks and come in all different flavors. Most are vegan, but double check the label since a few of them contain strutto (lard).If you want to have a night in and cook, I suggest finding some fresh pasta, basil, olive oil, garlic & lemon to whip up an easy pasta dish. Everything here is so fresh, that sometimes the simpler, the better!

I hope you found this guide helpful! Life is short, enjoy all the pasta!

xoxo
Allegra