I Templari — Restaurant in Martina Franca

This is the best restaurant in Puglia, hands down. The atmosphere is astonishingly beautiful - massive blooms of white and pink roses and other aromatic flowers adorn the terrace, framing Martina Franca's best view of val d'itra. It felt like a wedding venue. We arrived at 6pm with our 18 month old son, and the staff greeted us and escorted us to a secluded table with a gorgeous sunset view, then brought out a plate of orrechetti for him to eat nearly immediately! He completely devoured it, the most he's ever eaten at dinner.

We started off with an appetizer of capocollo atop melon, which was excellent. I had a Negroni, which was the best I've had in years (and I order them everywhere). We ordered the orrechetti and gnocchi, and the beef with red wine sauce. Both the pasta and the beef courses were easily the best food we have had on our trip, to the point where I wished I knew more Italian to offer my thanks for the meal more eloquently. The beef sauce was unlike anything I've ever eaten (and we've been to many Michelin star restaurants) - such a unique balance of sweetness to compliment the perfectly seasoned meat. I don't even know what cut it was, it didn't matter, it was amazing.

Our waiter (didn't get his name) was wonderful and perfectly balanced being attentive with giving us space while we handled a toddler. To top it off, the bill was painfully low - I would have happily paid 3-4x what they charged for the quality of food and service they are delivering.

Overall the dinner we had at I Templari was the highlight of our vacation. I would urge anyone to try this hidden gem.

To the staff: THANK YOU for an incredibly special experience. You...

The entrance to i Templari is situated just of the main road, one has to go into the side street beside the sign which is on the main road. Inside the atmosphere is warm and welcoming with linen tablecloths and traditional fixtures and fittings.

Visited on a Saturday evening in winter. The staff extended a warm welcome and the service was excellent throughout the evening.

We tried the antipasti which were mainly meat, but we were asked what we preferred when ordering. The dishes were many and varied including cheeses and some vegetarian dishes. We shared antipasti for one, otherwise we couldn’t have eaten anything. The quality and taste was excellent.

We followed with a couple of prima piatta which again were very good. In my opinion the pasta was home made and all ingredients were freshly prepared. Again the dishes were excellent. It is also possible to order a selection of prima piatte, smaller portions for tasting.

The wine list was extensive, some were out of stock, but the waitress pointed this out to us and was able to offer advice.

The bill was very reasonable. I strongly recommend giving this restaurant a try if you’re...

As a hospitality worker, you should learn to respond to unpleasant but truthful reviews. At 6 pm when we arrived, there was only one other table occupied, everything else was empty! We ordered LEMONADE, not 10 squeezed lemons!!! It would be great to learn the difference. We were complaining that it's raining? Well, we didn't expect that you could change it, so any such complaint would be superfluous. We consider ourselves very competent to evaluate all dishes, including the Apulian ones. Especially after consuming food in most of the restaurants in this region, which your restaurant cannot compare to. Your dishes are old, heated suddenly in the microwave, so that when you brought them to the table, the fat from the reheated pork stank. Not eatable! You saw that we left everything, and you didn't even come to ask what the problem was! Free water? No, you charged for it, like for everything else! True, we paid €94 for dishes that we couldn't eat because...