Seemed like the nicest restaurant for people waiting for their tour in the caves (at least, that's…read morewhat we were doing and I'm not sure what else there is to do here). Had a caffe shakerato, lasagna, caprese, macedonia fruit salad, and gelato and it was all pretty good. Pleasant and relaxing ambience.

Fine dining without small portions and pretentiousness…read more Amazing dish they called seafood and wheat. Local wines available. An appetizer of local salamis etc. had fresh mozzarella filled w fresh ricotta cheese.

What a beautiful town built on Truli houses in Alberobello! Such a dream to be able to see this…read morepart of Italy! L'aratro is tucked inside the streets, we decided on this restaurants as they are recognized by Michelin. We are glad to be trying this authentic local restaurant. Flavors that are so different from other parts of Italy! We tried the different anti pasta, which is served on multiple plates, small bite sized tasting. I can't tell you what each dish was, but can say they each had its own flavor. Several different cheeses, a bacon wrapped cheese, a polenta-like biscuit. For entrees, we tried a mixed grill meats (arrosto misto, with bombette - all local pork, seafood with wheat (grano con frutti di mare), and a cavetellucci. For dessert, also tried a very local dish with fried figs and a tart made of wine. The flavors are all so different. Certainly a must try if you get to come to Alberobello!

Walking around the Piazza Sacramento, in Alberobello (Bari) - Puglia - Italy the sights, sounds and…read moresmells are wonderful. We are touring this week in "The Boot" of Italy as I've never been this south on this mainland. We've been hitting the dining part of this trip really hard and respectfully. Tonight's dinner was exceptional and far beyond anything I've ever had before. Trattoria E Orti Terra Madre had so many "Good Things" going on that everything they did was flawless! First and foremost, the team these superb owners put together was astounding. It was like watching a championship team in any sport getting "The Trophy" for excellence - I mean they were terrific. Their rhythm, accommodation and polished etiquette was really special. I thought they were the stars of this show.......until the food started coming out. This restaurant is heavy vegetarian and it was a welcomed relief for me and my wife cascading through southern Italy. First and foremost Terra Madre has a huge plot of land that's growing their own produce / garden right in the middle of their restaurant; this sliver of land would be the envy of any farmer in the world (see my attached pix). This alone should be enough to conclude this review; but what they do with their produce would and should belong in a Michelin Starred restaurant. Each one of our six prix fixe vegetarian dishes were outstanding. I'd love to name each one of these dishes, and what they were, but the translation of all of the complex ingredients would take hours. We had one meat dish which was which was a pork neck cooked very slowly and was magnificent. Finding a restaurant this good is just pure luck as they are in a small town with no advertising. Terra Madre will definitely go into me and my wife's Top Ten restaurants we've eaten at the 33 years we've been doing this.

Hidden in the tourist-laden city of Alberobello, this little restaurant is an absolute gem ! Yeah,…read morethe "everything is organic" policy may seem a bit extreme for some people, but the taste of every meal is great. For 25€, you get around 6 plates of vegetables, grown in the garden just behind the restaurant, and a pasta meal of the day. Everything is fresh, the craft beer is great, the service is incredibly nice... Three thumbs up !

Wonderful food and service in a small local trattoria. Located in an alley behind the coliseumread more

One of my favorite restaurants in Alberobello, it's small, private, and the food is super local and…read moretraditional. I love fava beans, they taste so homey and delicious. It's such a comfort food and this restaurant does this dish really well. They have a nice selection of wine as well, and service is always great. I can't wait to go back when I'm here again for my next visit.

It was a cold winter's night with nary an open restaurant to be found on Befana Eve in snowy Matera…read more(December 6th, Befana, is the morning where kids in Italy awake to presents brought by the legendary witch). We stumbled upon Osteria Malatesta (Malatesta is an old Italian (Rimini) family name and literally means "bad head" or "crazy") while walking down a back street toward the Sassi di Matera (old town - UNESCO site) where there seemed to be more action and open shops. The place was full except for an open table and the two servers were running around taking orders and delivering food when we arrived. We were just happy to be in a warm room and out of the uncharacteristically bitter cold in Southern Italy. The server told us that the table was reserved, but there were seats available at the "tavola degli amici" (table of the friends), a table for eight where a young couple from Puglia was already sitting, one a forest ranger and his wife a Carabinieri (state police). They invited us to join them, not like they had a choice, and were quite welcoming and friendly. For our antipasto, we decided to share the formaggi (cheese), olive (green olives), e salame (and salami) accompanied by fresh bread. For €8, the plate was a bit sparse with three small triangles of local cheese, about 9-10 green olives, and four slices of salami. I think €4 to €5 would have been a more reasonable price. A litre of local red house (della casa) wine was much more reasonably priced at €4.50 and was quite good. For our entrees, we decided to go light and order only pasta (no meat course). My wife went with the local cavatelli in a pesto, gorgonzola, and almond sauce (€8). The portion was of decent size and the sauce rich and flavorful. THe combination of pesto and gorgonzola was unique, but they pulled it off quite well. I wanted to try a local dish and the server recommended the Orecchiette Cruschi e Mollica Fritta (€8). Cruschi are sun dried sweet Italian peppers with the seeds removed, cut or crushed into tiny pieces, then pan fried in olive oil until crispy. The olive oil and peppers are then added to the cooked cavatelli, sprinkled with fried breadcrumbs. It was quite different than any pasta dish I have had and tasty enough, but there are many more sauces I prefer to this one. The tavern was old with large arched stone ceiling, a bit plain but inviting nonetheless. The tables and chairs were old and wooden with candles burning on all except ours. The service was efficient, but as cold as the air outside, barely talking to us until we left and I told them that I was a food critic. They became all smiles then and treated us like old friends ... too late. CombatCritic Gives Osteria Malatesta 6 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

We have been in Italy for two weeks and this was one of our best meals! Our pastas were both…read moredelicious and their fried bread balls were tasty and a great addition.

What a great place.. The best local ingredients , a waiter who took obvious pride in his job and…read morethe cooking and a long delicious lunch..Although this is a meat-centric osteria there were plenty of choices for our vegetarian table-mates.. Put your self in their hands and let them bring out the food and wine..

We were a large group of 14. The staff made every attempt to accommodate and set us up in this…read morerestaurant in beautiful Matera. Our experience was simply put: Sublime. The restaurant has English speaking staff. In fact, I believe they are capable of communicating in over four languages. This is a typical Italian restaurant, with a charming, friendly and very approachable staff. Something uncommon in other parts of Italy. Our primi included this wonderful pasta, followed by our secondi with steak seared with peppercorn and other spices, showered with arugula and truffles. Our desert was exquisite, and the local wines were incredible. A healthy combination of ambiance, helpful and friendly staff, and proximity to attractions is certainly the reason why I would give this restaurant 5-stars. This is an A+ location and a must visit while you're in Matera.

The food and the location are fantastic! We ordered the special of the day and ravioli and both of…read morethem were top shelf! Do not pass this one by and the Chef came out to our table as well. What a treat!

The service was very good, they were very accommodating to the party of 9. The food was absolutely…read moredelicious for all 9 of us! Would highly recommend this ristorante!

Perhaps we are in Italy which offers a different vibe. Everything we ate was amazing. I would be…read morehappy to be their repeat customers, sadly I live too far. If you're in the area, be sure to order the spaghetti with their fish or shrimp tartars. Pasta cooked perfectly then when the pasta cooled down, they place the the tartar on top, then at the table, we drizzled spicy olive oil. What a great experience over two simple ingredients.