Friggitoria - Pescheria "Frisc & Mang" Bari — Restaurant in Bari

A complete disgrace to Italian cuisine – avoid at all costs!

I rarely leave such harsh reviews, but this place was an absolute disaster from start to finish.

First of all, the service was non-existent. Nobody welcomed us, nobody explained how to order. Only after wandering around confused did we realize that you have to go inside to place your order — no signs, no help, no courtesy. For a country known for hospitality, this was truly shocking.

Now let’s talk about the food. Both dishes were served in cheap plastic plates, which is already a huge red flag if you’re expecting a proper Italian dining experience. Eating pasta from a disposable plate is not only unpleasant — it’s outright disrespectful to the tradition of Italian cooking.

The first dish (a seafood pasta with cavatelli and clams) looked and tasted like it had been dumped from a frozen bag into a watery, oily broth. The clams were rubbery, the pasta overcooked, and everything was swimming in a tasteless liquid. It was more like a school cafeteria experiment gone wrong than a seafood pasta.

The second dish (spaghetti with prawn sauce) was even worse: a clumpy, over-salted mess with a gluey texture. The sauce was so thick and pasty it felt like it had been reheated from leftovers. The prawns themselves were dry and overcooked — no freshness, no flavor, no balance.

There is absolutely no excuse for serving food like this in Italy. This was not a casual street food experience, it was an embarrassment. Whoever is running this kitchen should reconsider what it means to represent Italian food. This meal was not only a waste of money — it was an insult.

Do yourself a favor: walk past, and...

A street trattoria specializing in seafood where more important than beautiful decorations, evenly spaced tables and access to a toilet are the specific and tasty meals... floating in the nearby sea the day before. The atmosphere of the place is therefore its disadvantage and advantage - it depends on what someone expects. I always expect good food, so I ordered an octopus sandwic while my friend ordered tuna tartare. The sandwich met expectations, but I wouldn't call it the best in Bari. When we are dealing with octopus, lettuce, bread and a bit of lemon juice, nuances matter a lot. The tartare was very tasty, thickly cut, served with additions from plastic packaging (e.g. olive oil). I definitely do not recommend this place to those who want to eat exquisitely and in a quiet atmosphere. However, fans of sea, pirate flavors should be...

I decided to sit here after seeing it full of locals on a Sunday midday (in my country this is a good sign). I enjoyed my food a lot, and in fact came several times. I had octopus salad, gratin mussels, frittura mista, riso patatine e cozze, impepata di cozze. All delicious! The service was very nice, they treated me very nicely and we even had some short conversations over the days. Definitely a place I would go back, specially because the frittura mista didn’t feel as deep fried as it does in many other places and because the personnel was welcoming. Grazie mille 🙂 It is possible to eat in or take away. When I visited they had 79 different options, most of them being fish but also some pasta starters. I missed having some green option though as some side salad or...