La Pasteria — Restaurant in Martina Franca

Disappointing and Overrated Experience

Unfortunately, this place did not live up to the hype. I've had the privilege of dining around the world, from fine dining establishments to humble local eateries serving unforgettable homemade dishes. Based on the glowing reviews and the emphasis on their homemade pasta, I had high expectations, but was ultimately left very disappointed.

The food arrived either cold or completely lacking in flavour. The pasta, which was meant to be the highlight, was bland and uninspired. It felt like the restaurant was more focused on maintaining a curated social media image than delivering a genuinely good dining experience.

To make matters worse, the pressure to leave a positive review was excessive. We were asked at the table before leaving, and then contacted via WhatsApp the next day to write a review. This kind of pushiness felt disingenuous and only added to the sense that the place is more concerned with appearances than substance.

We travelled over an hour to dine here, only to leave hungry and disappointed. I usually avoid leaving negative feedback, but in this case, I feel it's deserved. Hopefully, they take this as constructive criticism and make improvements...

TL;DR This place is what a 4.2 star place usually is.

Polpette were very dry, served barely warm and pretty bland.

Mushroom lasagna had no taste (salt), and the mushrooms were soggy. Pistachio lasagna was good, not excellent, but good. But barely had pistachio on it. Frittata was average, again with soggy mushrooms.

Coperto was 2.5 EUR per person. Payments from 4 different cards were refused, and we had to pay cash...

The wine was good, the cheeses (especially the smoked burrata) were good, and so was limoncello. All are not things that ate home made. But they were good.

The table was very uncomfortable and did not allow me to put my legs straight. Otherwise, the place looked freshly renovated and clean.

The waiter was forcing us to buy the water. Starting with "do you want sparkling or still water". Without asking if we actually want to order any water.

In the end, everyone at the restaurant is asked to review on Google and trip advisor. This explains why the restaurant score is so exaggerated on social platforms with 1500 reviews for a restaurant that has...

The high ratings for La Pasteria are likely influenced by the fact that the owner brings a QR code for Google Reviews just before payment, and guests are expected to leave a review in front of him. This puts pressure on giving a positive rating and may not reflect the actual experience.

The pasta is handmade in the shop window, which gives an authentic impression, but we noticed that different types of dough were mixed together, and we didn’t see any of it being used in the kitchen. Probably this is just for the show.

The appetizer (cold cuts) was average, and the pettole were fine, but nothing special.

The main course – orecchiette with tomato sauce and meatballs – was a big disappointment. The pasta was overcooked, and the sauce was just plain, finely blended passata with a bit of salt and pepper, lacking any depth or freshness. The meatballs were decent, but they couldn’t save the dish.

Overall, the experience felt overpriced and far below the standards one usually expects from...