Ristorante La Penisola da silvana — Restaurant in Gallipoli

Unfortunately, we had a bad experience - both with the service and the food. We wanted to escape the tourist traps in the immediate city center and were hoping to have found an insider tip here. We were the first guests in the restaurant and right from the start we were given the feeling that we were either simply not welcome or that the staff simply didn't want to do their job. We come from the catering industry ourselves and are always impressed by Italian hospitality. Here there was neither a hello nor a smile. The chef himself was quite stroppy and asked us in an annoyed tone of voice what language we wanted the menus in. The food is very seafood-heavy. The mandatory cover charge of €2 per person included baguette from the previous day, which you had to chew for a while before you could swallow it. The service staff were just as listless towards us as the boss himself. The only exception was a shy young man who really made an effort and gave us a smile. The starter arrived (seafood salad €12) and was ok. We continued with a house specialty: spaghetti cacio e pepe with prawns (€20) - not my cup of tea at all, but a large portion. The grilled swordfish we ordered also arrived, but the side dish (fries €5) was missing, but the staff said it would be coming soon. After we had eaten half the fish, we asked where the chips were: the fryer wasn't ready yet and we had to wait a few more minutes. We waited about 15 minutes, during which the fish was already eaten - but without the side dish. It would have been a good idea to inform us when we ordered that all deep-fried items would take a while, as the fryer was simply not hot enough yet. We asked for the bill without touching the fries, whereupon the chef asked if something was wrong. We explained the situation to him, but there was no audible apology. The fries were not taken off the bill either. We wouldn't come back: the total of €63 was a real waste - the taste really wasn't a highlight, not to mention...

The staff at the restaurant were incredibly kind and helpful. We had Carbonara di Mare and Spaghetti with Cacio Pepper and Gamboretti. Both dishes were cooked to perfection and we really enjoyed them after driving for several hours to see Gallipoli. The restaurant does not look fancy but 'handsome is as handsome does' and the people and the food were faultless. We sat outside and everything was lovely and clean, so the ambience with the fishing boats and the busy quay added to the atmosphere. We loved it and rate ourselves as quite demanding foodies. Thank you...

While nicely situated in Gallipoli, the food was plainly the worst I have ever had in Italy. We ordered pasta with seafood and tuna steak. Now, the pasta was literally served on aluminum foil (no joke) on the plate. I have no idea why. Pasta was tasteless and with little or no character compared to other places in Puglia. The tuna was actually well broiled but utterly inedible, it was so salty. A pure disappointment in the beautiful Gallipoli. To the benefit of the restaurant, we did not pay for...