19^buca — Restaurant in Matera

★★★☆☆ 3/5 — A mixed experience: started poorly, ended well

We were staying in a nearby cave hotel in Matera and this restaurant was recommended to us by the staff there. I went with my wife and three kids, hoping for a relaxing meal after a long day. In the end, the food and service inside were solid, but the experience as a whole was uneven.

The restaurant has two seating areas — an outdoor patio in the town center, and a larger dining area located downstairs, almost like a cellar. As is typical in Italy, I approached the entrance to ask about a table. I politely said “excuse me” to the only server I saw, but before I could finish my sentence, he cut me off with a dismissive “I’m busy” and walked away. He wasn’t overwhelmed — he dropped off cutlery at a table and then stood around. No follow-up. No redirection. It was an unexpectedly rude interaction.

With no one else to speak to upstairs, I had to go downstairs to inquire about availability — not ideal when you have to navigate steps with a stroller and small children.

Once we were seated inside, though, the experience improved dramatically. The waiter downstairs was fantastic — professional, multilingual, and courteous. He mentioned working on cruise ships, and it showed in his service. A complete contrast to what we experienced earlier.

The food was good and the setting downstairs was atmospheric. If our entire experience had been with the indoor waiter, this would easily have been a 4-star review. But first impressions matter, and being spoken to rudely before even entering definitely left a mark.

With so many great dining options in Italy, hospitality matters just as much as food. This place has potential — but only if the entire team values every...

The food and wine were great.

Unfortunately, the service was bad. To start our evening, we wanted to have a good dinner and tasty wine. There was no house-wine on the menu so we asked after it, including what a bottle would cost, but the waiter didn't know... After we had ordered, the wine was served. Like always when you order a bottle of wine, first someone needs to taste before everyone's glasses are poured in. Here, the waiter just served everyone. Apparently, no tasting needed. Our starters were served. They were tasty and we were enjoying them. Before we were finished, my friend's main course was served... Now she had to finish her starter fast and directly start to eat her main course because you obviously don't want it to get cold. While she was enjoying her food, the other 3 of us were still waiting. And still waiting when she finished it. We even finished the bottle of wine when our pizzas were finally served after more than 1,5 hour waiting... They also forgot to bring a Sprite, so we had to ask for it 3 times... On top of this all, we were sitting in a 'separate' room of the restaurant at a table next to a family with 5 small children who were playing around. Normally, we wouldn't mind playing children. But this time they were screaming so loud, it became disturbing... In such a situation you would expect the waiter to ask if this isn't too disturbing and maybe even offer an other table. But no, they didn't ask any thing. So when the children started to cry we asked ourselves an other table.

This restaurant has great potential because of there unique location and delicious food but with this service they will not...

BLUF: Amazing space, great food, and wonderful service by Michele.

This was a great experience we stumbled into. It is a unique setting inside a cave and has some really cool sections for parties or just lounging. They have a dance hall and extra space in a historic cistern.

We lucked out with having Michele as our waiter. He was incredibly gracious and patient with us. He even gave us a private tour of the cistern (prob didn’t hurt that we came at the American dinner time so it wasn’t too busy yet). Regardless, he worked through my broken Italian and ordered two pizzas and two glasses of wine. For someone who lives in Italy and has had many house wines, this was one of the best I’ve ever had. And €4/glass is hard to beat. Small issue in communication regarding the meal but Michele acknowledged the mistake and offered to make it right.

Finally, after dinner, he showed both of our children how to make a boat and a peacock out of a napkin. We got dinner and a show. I would absolutely go back and would highly recommend this place for a special event. It is one of the most unique restaurants I’ve seen in over a year and a half of traveling not just Italy, but all of...