Panificio Santa Rita

Panificio Santa Rita is at 8 Strada dei Dottula, among the lanes of Bari Vecchia, roughly between the Cathedral of San Sabino and the Saint Nicholas area. The bakery has been known since 1921 and occupies an old building within the medieval street pattern; its current fame is tied to Bari focaccia and the line that often forms outside. Unlike Fiore, whose space retains columns from a former church and stands beside the basilica, Santa Rita offers a stop deeper inside the residential maze. Plan it as street food rather than a visit with guaranteed seating.

Reviews focus mostly on thin, crisp focaccia topped with sweet tomatoes and olive oil, with a well-browned base; some also mention versions with olives and other ingredients. Some visitors describe waiting their turn as part of the neighbourhood experience, while others feel the anticipation exceeds the food or find the ordering system unclear. The practical approach is to allow for a queue, ask for a slice fresh from the oven and avoid leaving the purchase until closing, when less may remain. The directory lists two daily service windows on several days, a shorter Thursday morning and Sunday closure; confirm before setting out, since listings for nearby bakeries do not always agree.

The address works well in a walk through the old quarter: from Saint Nicholas, reach it on foot through squares and narrow streets, then continue towards the Norman-Swabian Castle or back to Piazza Mercantile. The listing checked associates this branch with 4.7/5 from 5,113 reviews; positive comments focus on flavour and hot focaccia, while criticism mentions the queue, ordering system or a gap between reputation and product that not everyone finds worthwhile. The score does not mean everyone will enjoy the stop: it best suits visitors willing to wait for a local bite and eat it on the move.