Ristorante Mezzofanti — Restaurant in Cisternino

This is one of the best restaurants I've been to in a while, the feeling you get when all your dishes are interesting, well thought out and most of all delicious is very special. A mix of homemade pasta and high quality fresh meats and functional garnishes bring the plates that I tasted to life. The Tuna was perfectly cooked and tastefully seasoned, using the sesame to encust it while only cooking the tuna rare to let the fats just begin to melt giving an amazing mouth feel and taste to match, the squid ink pasta was perfectly balenced utilising straciatella lemon zest and tuna tartare to create something unique but very enjoyable I was left wanting more. Service was great they even accommodated my grandma who is gluten-free without needing any explanation, server was kind and patient, the location was cozy and the overall experience amazing even the music was good.

In conclusion a great locally run restaurant with food that outmatches places where you would pay much more.

Keep doing what...

We had a mixed experience at this restaurant. The tuna tartare starter was nicely seasoned, though it was hard to tell it was tuna—it tasted pleasant but a bit unrecognisable. The main pasta dishes, however, were absolutely fantastic—full of flavour and beautifully cooked.

The atmosphere was quieter than other nearby restaurants, which may appeal to some, but we personally found it lacked a vibe.

One thing that really needs attention is the online menu—it lists lower prices than what we were charged. This should be updated to reflect the current prices, as it feels misleading.

Unfortunately, we decided not to stay for dessert after the owner (I believe) tried to jokingly teach my husband how to eat pasta with just a fork. While perhaps meant in good humour, it felt a little patronising and made him uncomfortable as others were watching. He was perfectly happy eating in his own way.

In short: amazing pasta, but the experience left us feeling a little...

We stumbled upon this place in a little corner, and the very friendly waiter immediately attended to us. For antipasti we shared a massive board of delicious cheeses and salumi - so much food! For secondi, the menu has more seafood rather than the meat and cucina povera food common in the area. I had the seared salmon with ginger, sweet red onions, baked potatos - perfectly cooked and very tasty. One friend had BBQ octopus on fava bean purée - also great. Another friend had beef fillet with arugula and tomatoes but made the mistake of ordering it rare. As some parts of the meat were a bit fatty it would have been better to cook a bit more, but the non fatty pieces were, he said, delicious. Throughout our waiter was warm and attentive and charming....