“Salentu: lu sule, lu mare, lu ientu.” The sun, the sea and the wind.
That’s the saying they use to sum up Salento, the sun-soaked heel of southern Italy. We’re not always so lucky with the sule here in Luxembourg, although October has been surprisingly kind to us this year. But after an afternoon at Salento in the city centre, I’d say its owner, Mathieu, brings plenty of sunshine to the place himself.
Tucked away on Grand-Rue, Salento is a small, laid-back spot where you can drop in for lunch, grab something to go, linger over a coffee and a sweet pastry, or even settle in for dinner. Mathieu opened it around three years ago. Before that, he spent a few years at Brasserie Guillaume, but the idea of running his own place never quite left him.
Eventually, he took the leap, and Salento was born. Both the concept and the name are deeply personal: his grandparents came to Luxembourg from Salento, and opening the restaurant was, in a way, his thank-you to them.
Let’s talk focaccia first, because I suspect it’s one of the reasons why the place fills up at lunchtime. It’s baked on-site and costs between €8 and €10 a piece. I went for the vegetarian one, and it tasted every bit as good as it looked. One piece is more than enough for a lunchtime bite, which makes it pretty good value too.
A little tip: if you’re planning to pick one up later in the day, go early. They can sell out by the evening.
I also couldn’t leave without trying the pizza, so I ordered the Mortadella, Burrata e Pistacchio (€23.50). Some of you will already know this combination, and it’s hard to go wrong with it. The portion of creamy burrata was very generous and the dough nicely crisp. All in all, a very nice pizza. Nothing to add!
If you fancy something a little different, the more “special” combinations include the Pancetta e Patate (€20.50), with mozzarella, pancetta, potatoes and rosemary, and the Radicchio Rosso (€22), with smoked scamorza, cooked ham and nuts. And if you’d rather let the kitchen decide, there’s a chef’s surprise pizza for €22 to €25.
Vegetarians are well catered for too, with toppings such as spinach, saffron and asparagus, so there’s no shortage of original combinations to choose from.
Mathieu also hopes to make more things from scratch in the future, including fresh pasta. For now, lasagna and gnocchi are already on the menu.
Very important: do NOT skip dessert here. There’s a whole selection on display, and I loved that everything looked homemade. Some of the treats come straight from Italy, including pasticciotti and rustici.
A pasticciotto is a traditional pastry from Puglia, particularly associated with Salento. It's made with shortcrust pastry and filled with a soft, usually custard-based filling. I tried both the cherry and the pistachio versions (dessert is my bottomless pit, after all).
The filling has a lovely texture, and I particularly liked the cherry one. Its slight tartness cut through the sweetness of the pastry, making it a really good match with a cuppa on the side.
I also sneaked a taste of the pistachio profiteroles, which were ah-so-good too… So if you’re stopping by for lunch, make sure you leave a little room for dessert!
There’s something genuinely charming about Salento. It’s casual yet personal, built around a love of good food and of the place Mathieu’s family comes from. And judging by the number of familiar faces popping in while I was there, that personal connection seems to be working just fine.
Also, if you're a craft beer fan, here's another reason to stop by: Mathieu is an ambassador for Salento beers, a range of craft beers from the region itself. Not something you'll find just anywhere in Luxembourg!
So whether you’re going for the pizza, the focaccia or, like me, the desserts, Salento is a lovely little spot to keep in mind next time you’re in the city centre.
Food quality: 4.5/5
Family-friendly: 5/5
Budget-friendly: 4/5
Date-friendly: 4.5/5
Veggie-friendly: 4/5
Carolina Reinertz, former RTL Today editor turned contributor, is testing every hotspot in Luxembourg with honest reviews on whether a place is date-friendly, budget-friendly, or worth the hype – so you can spend your money wisely.
