Coquus

Just eight tables, set beneath a vaulted brick ceiling, define this small restaurant in the historic centre of Lucera, housed within the former 18th-century bishop’s palace and, in fine weather, also offering pleasant outdoor service. Chef-patron Mirko Esposito stands out for joyful, sun-filled cooking built around Apulian ingredients from both land and sea. Particularly playful is his reinterpretation of the “prawn cocktail”: the shellfish are arranged individually on the plate, each covered with perfect alternating stripes of cocktail sauce and squid-ink cream.