081

081 Pizzeria is the Esposito-family-run Neapolitan wood-fired pizza institution on Viale Università — five streets from the medieval city walls — and is the village's most serious pizza programme. The Esposito family are originally from Naples (the dialing code '081' is Napoli); the chef Salvatore Esposito trained at L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele in Naples (the most institutional Neapolitan pizzeria in Italy) before opening the Lecce branch in 2014.

The menu is canonical Neapolitan wood-fired. The dough is a 24-hour Caputo-flour-and-Neapolitan-water programme; the wood-fired oven runs at 480°C; pizzas cook in 90 seconds. The headline pizzas are the marinara (tomato, garlic, oregano, EVOO), the margherita DOP (San Marzano tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, basil), and the famous 'salentina' — a Lecce-pizza with caciocavallo, tomato, fennel sausage and Salentine olive oil. The starter sharing-plate of fritti misti (Neapolitan deep-fried antipasti) is the canonical opening.

The wine list is short and Italian — Negroamaro and Primitivo from the Salentine peninsula, plus a tightly chosen Lambrusco section that pairs better with pizza than the regional wines do. Glass pours start at €3.50. The beer list runs to a half-dozen Italian craft brewers — Birrificio Italiano, Baladin, Birrificio Lambrate.

The room is intentionally simple — exposed brick walls, marble counters, an open wood-fired oven at the back of the room visible from every seat, and forty-eight covers across two rooms. Service is family-run and Neapolitan-warm — the captains have worked the room for years. 081 is the dining room that visiting Italians, Salentine families, and university students all use as a default address.

081 Pizzeria is the team-dinner room in Lecce — the pizza format is shared-style, the room's volume on a Saturday night is celebratory rather than precious, and the wine list is forgiving on a multi-bottle dinner for eight. It is also the right answer for a small-group birthday celebration or a casual first-date dinner. Book the long table at the back closest to the wood-fired oven.