Hello:

I know there are couple of amazing Italian foodies on this traveling forum that have made their way about this whole beautiful country. They have been so helpful in restaurant referral in the past and this time we are in the region of Puglia. Would anyone be kind enough to point us to the right direction? There are so many choices, but we prefer a good recommendation.

Wishing you all happy travels!

Hi chickenlittle, I'm not able to give you any recommendations for those particular places, but perhaps you would consider doing what my Italian teacher did, when I was in Rome with her on a language course, which was to approach any likely looking local and ask him/her for a recommendation. Once we located an actual local, [being Rome they were a bit thin on the ground] it was surprisingly successful.

Okay I did a deep dive for the trip we took in 2014. For food I used to get all my info on Chowhound.com-not sure how active that site is these days.

one of most memorable meals was in Polignano a Mare at this restaurant -
https://www.osteriadichichibio.it

some other notes I have I will just copy and paste for you. Sorry they’re a bit haphazard. It was different people on Chowhound talking about places they had eaten and liked.

Puglia
Ostuni-osteria del tempo perso
Otranto-Acmet pascia (on the water)
Osteria di chichibio-polignano a mare
Eeks recommends-
Masseria parco di Castro in speziale di fasono-Wednesday might!
U curdunn-locorotondo
Cocca Pazzo or Il ritrovo degli amici in Martina Franca -Tuesday night!
----------------
Cibus in celgie messapica


***Osteria Antichi Sapori
Piazza Sant'Isidoro,9, Montegrosso d'Andria, Puglia , IT

***Martina Franca -cocopazzo-truffle pasta w pumpkin


Favourite/ Most Memorable Meals: (not necessarily best restaurants but ones we enjoyed most)

1. Osteria Pericci in Monopoli (for pure taste and authenticity!)
2. Antiche Mura in Pogliano a Mare (for indulgence and truffle lovers!)
3. Sapere e Sapore in Ostuni (for absolute simplicity and tasty sausages)
4. A tre Santi, Locorotondo (for Puglian pasta done well)

Top 3 dishes
1. Truffle Pasta at Antichi Mura
2. Seafood Pasta with chilli oil at Osteria Pericci
3. Spicy Rigatoni at Le chicche di zia , Cistercino

Annhig - Yes! Great idea. Thanks!

macdogmom -

Wow! Thanks for all the great suggestions! We are in Polignano now and will definitely be checking the places you recommended out!

Best!
CL

I'll second Osteria Pericci in Monopoli--literally, we ate there twice!

One of my favorite restaurants EVER anywhere. I kept trying to figure out how we could get back there form other areas in Puglia.
Osteria Antichi Sapori
Piazza Sant'Isidoro,9, Montegrosso d'Andria, Puglia , IT

Polignano a Mare- iL Bastione, wonderful meals.We ate there twice.

Great info! We are planning to be in Puglia in the fall and staying in Polignano a Mare, so this helps a lot!

OP CL, there are a few restaurants and cafes mentioned within our lengthy 'Bella Puglia' TR (linked below).
*Paying close attention to the gelato section would pay huge dividends.
Hope all goes well!
I am done. The end.

Bella Puglia (also Basilicata and Rome)

I will second the recommendation for Antichi Sapori in Montegrosso. This is the type of place where you don't order from the menu (though they have one) but just leave yourself in the hands of your host.

Another outstanding local place is La Tradizione - Cucina Casalinga, in the small town of Minervino Murge.
Including below a short review I did of the restaurant a few years ago. It has been over 6 years since I've been there:

We had a multi-course, excellent meal of various antipasti ( funghi cardoncell and cime di rape were in season ), pasta, and grilled meats. Especially delicious were the orecchiette with cime di rape ( turnip tops -- typically eaten in Fall ).

We enjoyed a reasonably priced, local feast, that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for an off-the-grid, authentic local experience

Hi Chickenlittle:

I have a trip report with restaurant info - just click on my name.

Regards Ger

Thanks yorkshire - good to know! We are in the process of purchasing property in nearby Polignano so I will add it to my list!

Thanks O'Reilly64 - I'm going to take a look!

Zebec and MMM - great thanks so much! I hope to get to those places! (Always loving good gelato recommendations. - or granita for that matter!