Nautilus Garden — Restaurant in Lecce

Friday night, me and my partner were looking for a nice typical seafood restaurant in Lecce. Nautilus garden seemed the perfect place according to the reviews and the menu. I booked a table for two at 7:30pm through the Internet with confirmation. We arrived on time and the restaurant was empty. Obviously the staff was setting up the place and a lady finally welcomed us and said the restaurant was opening at 8pm (why a reservation at 7.30pm if the restaurant is not ready to welcome clients?!). We waited 10 minutes before she came back and explained the menu. We ordered food and drinks, but she warned us that her colleague might come back to take notes (?!!!) in a very unprofessional manner… she seemed not to know the menu. I then asked her if we should come back later as it seemed nobody was taking care of us. Finally her colleague appeared and, not understanding the problem, I told her that coming to a restaurant is an experience and paying over 100 euros should mean having a good time with professional service. Apparently this was not the case this evening and we left the establishment disappointed. The member of staff was careful not to charge us for a bottle of water, which is the least we could do. In the end it was a great pity because the menu looked delicious, but such service and hospitality deserve this justified comment to quickly put things right. PS: as you will read below the manager does not seem to understand the problem or the situation which is the best illustration of our feeling. When you can’t deliver service and hospitality quality, stop arguing and try to understand...

We had a lovely girl’s night dinner here, so here is a breakdown of how it went:

We were greeted promptly and seated at a table in their whimsical garden.

There is an extensive wine list, we opted for a sparkling rosé which was just perfect for a warm evening.

For starters we shared the octopus alla Luciana - it was cooked to perfection : Tender, flavourful, and crispy in the right places. The chef is very creative with her flavours but it’s not overpowering at all.

We also shared the cozze gratinate: very interesting twist on the classic, using smoked provolone cheese. Delicious !

I had the calamarata with swordfish and tuna, basil, tomatoes and pangrattato - now I’m not sure what these comments saying the fish isn’t fresh come from - the fish was VERY fresh, and I live here so I know the difference. The pasta was perfectly cooked, 10/10.

My girlfriends had the lamb, which was very good and served with cherries, and the Ombrina fish in limoncello butter sauce - divine. I know it sounds weird but the flavours are delicate and very well balanced.

We didn’t get dessert because we met up with other friends after, but were offered some shortbread cookies on the house.

Thank you to the staff for this unforgettable experience ! I...

The food, is good. The staff is nice. The service...terribly slow. We didn't have a reservation so they suggested us to go back later, around 1'30h later, when we arrived we wait for another 30'. Finally we where inside, it took a bit to take our order. My partner wanted to eat some meat and he asked for the best, the waiter suggested the "rubia gallega" which is really good, but if you work there and you see that there is already ordered an appetizer (they are huge) you cannot serve a 1kg beef for one! You have to tell in advance, otherwise it feels like an abuse to charge 70€ for something that you cannot eat. He couldn't eat not even the half, it was a waste. My rissoto was delicious but the portion was right. Between the appetizer and the main course we waited 1h (not hungry anymore) we got there at 23:00 and we could get out at 1:00. Sorry, but despite the nice terrace and environment, this place has a...