We came here without a reservation at 8pm, we were told there were no spots available, but if we…read morecan leave by 9pm they can squeeze us in. We ordered our food and were amazing at the quality and the taste. The only regret is that we did not order the beef in the bread or the bowl with meat. It looked fantastic! Total with a bottle of water came to 33€. I would go back again!

Our favorite restaurant in Matera. Great food and great hospitality. Perfect location with a view…read moreof the Sassi across the street. Grazie Mille!

I visited Matera for all of the typical touristy reasons: the stunning views, the unique culture,…read moreand the troglodyte cave-dweller experience. But I stayed for Van Gogh Pizzeria. After hiking around the city for several hours, I was exhausted and starving. Being the savvy world traveler that I am, I determined to find the BEST dining experience Matera has to offer. Surprisingly, I found exactly that in the first open restaurant my tired feet stumbled upon. What luck! I knew I was in for a treat when I saw the enticing, mouth-watering JPEGs of the menu posted in front of the pizzeria. So, without further ado, I ducked through the automated glass door and found myself transported into a world of culinary excellence. The jovial waiter, Giuseppe, led us into a charming dining room which retained the authentic appearance of an Apple Store. He regaled me with delightful stories from the historic restaurant's past, such as the painter Van Gogh's pilgrimage to the pizzeria for which the trattoria is now named. This place felt far holier than the medieval cave churches I had wasted all morning in! Making a decision was difficult as the menu had a different pizza variety for every resident of Matera. After settling on what the Materans call a "Margherita," I settled in to watch the poor tourists beyond the spotless glass wall unknowingly walk past this national treasure. Poor fools. Giuseppe brought me some delightfully dry crackers to snack on until my pizza came. And mamma mia! What a pizza! The dough was wonderfully heavy and chewy, while the seasoning was subtle enough to keep me guessing as to what I was eating. It reminded me of the Italian food my grandmother made back in Alabama. Truly this is the best pizza in Italy! I can see why Van Gogh came all the way from Canada to eat here. One word of warning for less adventurous travelers: don't expect a traditional, Americanized transaction process. After waiting for Giuseppe to return for half an hour, I discovered that Van Gogh accepts payment in the traditional Materan fashion: at the cash register by the door. I was hardly upset at being given the opportunity to learn about this unique cultural custom. If you come to Matera skip the frescoes, the vistas, the caves, and the history. Do yourself a favor and make a beeline for Van Gogh, the best pizzeria in the world!

Great service and great food. Not touristy at all and has authentic food from Basilicata. Try…read moreanything that has pepeperone cruschi in it. Sweet and crunchy fried peppers from the region. Fava beans are in season so I had a fava bean "soup" with pasta. Delicious! Also a local cheese selection. Waiters were awesome. Food taste like Nonna had made it.

Great place for lamb, seafood pasta n dessert. Great service too. We came in around 3pm and most…read moreplaces were close or only serves Pizza. They have full menu for service.

Wow, such a nice little place and lunch was amazing. Not large but wonderful. I had the lasagna and…read moremy daughter had the pasta dish. wonderful and such nice staff. Looks to be family fun

This was a wonderful recommendation from our hotel (Gattini Hotel) and was a great way to wrap up…read moreour couple of days in Matera. The restaurant is run by a couple, and has a very family feel, like you have been welcomed into someone's home for dinner (it is quite small so I think reservations are necessary at key seasonal times). The couple, who were the chef and host/wait people, were friendly and really wanted to make sure we were enjoying our meal. Our meal was wonderful: lemon anchovy pasta, octopus, eggplant, and a wonderful wine paired with the food. Adding to the atmosphere was the open feel via the window that looked into the kitchen, you could watch all the food sing prepped which was fun.

On a spur of the moment we came in…read more The meat and cheese to share I had a pillow shape pasta with white fish and olives and capers and my wife had a twisted pasta with bacon and portobello slices. Just a terrific lunch. Won't need dinner.

Wonderful outdoor bistro right next to the Chiesa di San Pietro Caveoso and beautiful views of…read moreMatera! The pasta here are incredible! Local dishes and local flavors are non like you have tried before. We ordered a large prosciutto platter with different tasting of cheese (burrata, pecorino, and another kind). Must get this to pair with their homemade bread! Tried two different kinds of local pastas, including the orecchiette. And a pork rolls with gravy and side salad. This restaurant is a must try for local Matera cuisine!

We had an absolutely delicious lunch at this restaurant. It was our first day in Matera and it was…read morea perfect first impression. We started off with the cheese appetizer which was a good way to sample multiple local cheeses. We then had the capocollo with mushrooms and pepperoni cruschi as well as the lamb entree. Both were delicious but the capocollo was particularly good. We also ordered a zucchini and apple salad which sounds like an odd combination but it worked! The salad had both red and green apples and some mint which made for a very well balanced and refreshing dish. Although we initially did not intend on having dessert we caved when our server mentioned the ricotta mouse with amarena, it was so good and we were so happy we indulged. The servers were very attentive and helpful in providing great recommendations for our meal.

Nice space and really great staff along with hearty portions . I'd recommend splitting everything…read morein two. Get two or three dishes and maybe dessert. The fava soup w chicory was good,, pastas too.

Great experience at Baccanti - good service and ambiance. I…read moregot the pork chops for my main - the flavours of the mashed potato, peperocino, reduction and pork really worked well together. The only fall back was that the pork chop was too fatty - it was hard to cut off the layers of fat. I do wish they trimmed the chop before searing it to avoid this. The other fallback - I do wish they had served a serrated knife with the main. The wine pairing with my food was perfect. I had the bread, olive oil, salt dessert. The best dish I had here. It was an amazingly creative dish. Don't want to spoil the experience for the readers but this is a MUST order.

Very quaint restaurant with excellent food. They have an extensive wine list to please anyone. We…read morehad the fava bean puree with chickory, white truffle pasta, pork in bechamel sauce and pasta with clam sauce. Every plate was excellent.

This place was decent. We came here right before a tour and were greeted and sat down immediately…read moreby the waiters. No line, but it did fill up really fast after because we were early. Don't worry about reservations. Plenty of seating outside and inside and outside has great views. Inside ambiance was very nice with spread out seating. The food was decent but came kind of slow. Still highly recommend this place as a laid back lunch spot.

We had the most tasty and view filled lunch here a couple weeks ago. The food was delicious and…read moreflavor-filled. Very friendly service and flavors of the region tickled our tastebuds. Highly recommend this gem of an establishment in the heart of the walled City of Matera. We enjoyed the orrechietti, the gnocchi and the featured appetizer of buffalomozzerella and guancielle