Lecce-inspired cafe and wine bar to open in Covent Garden

Family-run Italian bakery and wine bar Capilungo will be opening in the heart of Covent Garden on 13 December. 

Capilungo’s offering will focus on quality ingredients and provenance with a menu championing Lecce’s hyper-local delicacies, including freshly baked Italian pastries, cured meats, and Pugliese wines and cocktails. 

Co-founded by Lecce born brother and sister duo Gianluca and Asia Capilungo, their uncle Luca Capilungo, and Asia’s partner Huzefa Sawajal, the new concept will be an entirely familial affair. Inspired by their uncle, who has run his own Lecce bakery in 1991, the pair sought to bring his passion for typical Lecce cuisine to London. 

Uncle Luca will now be Capilungo’s head chef, whilst Asia will oversee the management of the venture and Gianluca will bring his mixology knowledge to the venue, concentrating on aperitivo-style cocktails.

Situated on Long Acre, the 15-cover Capilungo will serve a concise menu centred around the ‘pasticciotto’ and ‘rustico’ pastries which can only be found in the Italian city of Lecce. As the day transitions into evening, a concise cocktail list, and selection of wines exclusively from Puglia and the neighbouring region of Salento, will be served alongside traditional Lecce-style bar snacks and small plates. 

Capilungo’s inviting interiors are designed by Love Poploskie Studio and feature a calming colour palette of soft terracotta and olive green, reminiscent of the hues of Lecce’s streets. The cafe’s high ceilings, cacti pendants, glass windows and stone-washed linen curtains create a bright and airy space flooded with natural light, with counter seating offering a relaxed eating and drinking area for those wanting to stay a little longer.