Gaeta's most distinctive dish is the tiella — a double-crust flatbread stuffed with one of several fillings: octopus and tomato, escarole and olives, salted cod, or gaeta olives themselves. Every bakery in town sells it by the slice and it makes the perfect cheap lunch. Don't leave without trying it.
Seafood dominates the restaurant menus. The local fishing boats still supply fresh catch daily, and you'll find excellent spaghetti alle vongole, frittura di paranza (mixed fried fish), and whole grilled sea bream and sea bass along the waterfront.