Lecce, frequently called the “Florence of the South,” is a captivating city in Italy’s Puglia region. Celebrated for its Baroque architecture, its historic center boasts elaborate churches and palaces. The city is also known for its traditional papier-mâché artistry. Visitors can immerse themselves in a lively cultural scene, savour delectable local cuisine, and relax on nearby Adriatic beaches. Rather unusual in this historic environment is Bros’, the restaurant led by chefs Isabella Potì and Floriano Pellegrino. Though the couple originates from the region, they drew inspiration from international top chefs early on in their career, resulting in a very creative and unique culinary style. Their 25-course menu consists of very surprising and innovative dishes. Dishes which are at times maybe even slightly shocking. But they all have one thing in common : one by one, they are extremely delicious.

Concept & location

Bros’ is located in the heart of Lecce, a city full of history and tradition. The chefs behind the restaurant grew up in this place and even though they worked in cities such as London before, they felt that this was the best location for their restaurant. Lecce offers a charming contrast to the hustle and bustle of big cities. Its small size, beautiful architecture, and relaxed atmosphere provide the perfect setting for the unique dining experience that the chefs had in mind. While they were both working at the restaurant of Claude Bosi in London, an investor from Lecce approached Potì and Pellegrino with a partnership proposal. However, after two months, they came to the conclusion that they had different views about how the restaurant concept should look like, and they decided to not work together.  Determined to open their restaurant anyway, the chefs decided to fund their dream independently, borrowing money to open Bros’ in 2016, in the center of the city they were both born. Soon after the restaurant opened, they got strong guidance from Martín Berasategui, one of the most renowned Spanish chefs and their mentor.

Over the years, Bros’ has seen some changes. While the core approach has stayed the same, the concept and menu have evolved. The chefs continuously refine the restaurant’s décor and menu to enhance the dining experience. Bros’ stands out with its avant-garde style, influenced by art and fashion. The historic building, with its exposed old stones, creates a unique ambiance that blends old and new. The interior design is minimalist, embodying the “less is more” philosophy that defines Bros’. This not only complements the cooking style but also keeps the focus on the food. The minimalist and avant-garde cooking style highlights contrasts, offering a sophisticated culinary experience. This reflects the baroque yet modest nature of the region, blending opulence and simplicity.

The Chef & the team

Isabella Potì and Floriano Pellegrino are not only the owners, but also the chefs of Bros’.

Isabella comes from a family without any restaurateurs but with a deep love for food. She is half Polish, half Italian and was born in Rome, but she spent her whole life in Lecce. At the age of ten, she was already cooking for the family. Quite fast it became clear for her that she wanted to make a profession out of this passion. She went to a state culinary school in Lecce from at the age of fourteen. After graduating, she moved to London and started working in fine dining right away joining Claude Bosi. After six months, she moved to Martín Berasategui’s restaurant in Spain, where she worked together with Floriano. While preparing the opening of Bros’, Isabella did internships at Mirazur and Geranium.

Floriano is born in Lecce and he grew up in a family that owned an agriturismo. Helping out the family already from a very young age, he spent time in the kitchen from when he was still a child. Already at a very young age, he dreamed of opening his own restaurant. He attended the same culinary school in Lecce as Isabella and worked in local restaurants while in school. At the age of eighteen, he moved to Milan to work at a Michelin-starred restaurant. One year later, he would join the restaurant of Martín Berasategui in Spain as an intern. This experience totally changed his life. Berasategui gave him the possibility to do internships in top restaurants worldwide, including Noma, Azurmendi, Mugaritz, and La Grenouillère. After four years with Berasategui, he joined Claude Bosi in London. That’s when he decided to open Bros’ together with Isabella.

Gastronomy / Cooking Style

While some chefs get their inspiration from ingredients, from trying out new techniques or from traveling, for Isabella and Floriano, the most important element of inspiration is taste. Since the opening of the restaurant, their main goal has been to wow their guests with dishes that taste absolutely amazing. That taste-first approach guides everything they do in the kitchen. When creating a new menu, they think about which tastes are typical for the season. Once they have chosen around which flavours they want to work, they search for the right products that bring those tastes to life. In that process, they accept no boundaries. But even though they are open to sourcing from different places, they prefer to mostly work with products that can be found around the restaurant. Isabella and Floriano personally pick their suppliers and with the family background of Floriano being in farming, they know exactly where to go to find the best products for their restaurant.

The cooking style of both chefs is very technical. The creation of new dishes happens in their R&D kitchen and they experiment a lot. The conceptual creation of dishes is often done by Floriano while Isabella works on the technical creation of the dishes. The menu consists of twenty to twenty-five courses. We would describe the cooking style as very innovative and surprising. Even though there is clearly a strong focus on these aspects, also the taste of the dishes is really fabulous.

The kitchen team is very international and has a Japanese sous-chef. During high season the team consists of twelve people and that for only twenty-two covers. That the team is rather large for the low number of guests, is a consequence of their very technical and labour-intensive cooking style.

The restaurant serves lunch and dinner and has been awarded with a Michelin star.

Service & Wine

The main goal for the service team is to make guests feel comfortable, keeping a perfect  balance between being friendly and maintaining professionalism. They want diners to feel at ease, encouraging conversation and ensuring attentive service and they succeed very well in that. Both chefs have very outspoken personalities and you also recognize that in how the service team interacts with the guests and in the total dining experience. Also something we could not avoid noting during our visit, was their very unusual but cool music choice, which might not work in many fine dining restaurants, but which was fitting very well with the vibe of the food and atmosphere in the restaurant, and which was truly adding to the overall dining experience. The service team is made up of people from different backgrounds, including a head waiter from Spain, and consists in total of six members.

Taking into account that you taste up to twenty-five very different kind of dishes, the team recommends opting for the wine pairing. It consists of wines, cocktails, beer and sake and is very diverse. For who wants to choose a bottle of wine themselves, they have a wine menu with about three hundred different labels. Most of the wines in their cellar are Italian, but you can also find most other wine regions from across the globe.

Why go? 

Roaming the charming streets of Lecce is an adventure you won’t soon forget. In the midst of the city’s historic allure, Bros’ restaurant stands out as a symbol of creativity and originality. And that was exactly the mission of Chefs Isabella and Floriano. Let there be no doubt : the mission is accomplished. The vibrant personalities of both chefs shine through in every aspect of the restaurant, offering an experience that’s either a hit or a miss, depending on your willingness to be surprised. But for us, it was a total hit. The place oozes creativity right from the moment you walk in, and each dish brings a burst of unexpected flavours and textures. The vibe in the restaurant keeps you hooked, making sure there’s never a dull moment. But there is no doubt : it is the amazing taste of the food that steals the spotlight. In our view, Bros’ is a culinary treasure that deserves recognition worldwide.