Cesarino 36 — Restaurant in Castellana Grotte

We were visiting the Catellana Grotte in march and then we were going to Alberobello. But the weather wasn't so good and it started to rain really strong. We decided to find a place and hide from the storm and grab something to eat. Luckily for us we found this lovely family restaurant and decided to eat here. The interior of the place was absolutely beautiful to the smallest detail. The service was excellent and the food...I really wasn't expecting to try such unique tastes. Our waiter, who was also one of the owners, said that the main culprit for this lovely atmosphere and tasty food is his wife. She did amazing job with everything! And he was so modest for his part, but when he served our food, he was looking at every dish with such love. You could see that this man loves his job and his wife. We really enjoyed our lunch and definitely when we are again in this part of Italy, we want to come again and try from this delicious food once more. Thank you...

Yes Italy is a gastronomic delight but really its the people who make the difference. Piero and Maria make a wonderful team. The food was outstanding. Try the Antipasto Il Rusticò di Cesarino - a succession of little dishes - cheeses, jam, a little mousse thing with the texture of the lightest omelette you’ve ever had and more. The Orecchiette alla Margherita such a lovely dish of the area. So I could go on about the food but Piero and Maria were tops. We only went for a light lunch but the place quickly filled with locals. Then at the end we had Liquore di Mirto served icy cold in cold glasses - homemade - and little biscuits made by Nonna. The mirto has a slight taste of aniseed and is prepared just like limoncello. I could easily live next door to this place. Molto bello. Very disappointed that I cannot add any photos! Can’t see...

Truly the most Italian experience during our trip. We arrived a bit late and we were told that there would be quite a wait because only the two of them. Not deterred, we set down and gladly so. The food was wonderful. Every single bite. It's amazing to think it's only Maria, the wife in the kitchen. The owner shared a lot about his life and so proud of his wife and little baby. The restaurant is small but you feel spacious. The decoration, totally done by Maria, makes you feel at home. We were so lucky that they also shared a homemade drink made from local blackberries. If I didn't need to drive, I would have drunk the whole bottle. We cannot recommend Cesarino 36 highly enough. It was our final meal in Italy and we went out with a bang. Thank you for your hospitality.

Edit: unable to upload photo's due to continuous...