5 Lire Matera — Restaurant in Matera

Service was average - you pay, you eat, they say welcome and whatnot, and that's about it. Atmosphere depends on where you sit - out back on their patio, or out front on their patio, but out front (where I sat)... tons of pigeons. The pigeons are waiting. They know. They know what you ordered. So that's not fun when you are trying to eat focaccia, one of the crumbiest types of bread you can eat in Italy. And can we just say that 9 euros for 2 large slices of focaccia and a drink is not exactly close to this place being called 5 Lira and having a history of low prices for decent quality focaccie. I tried their eggplant and stracciatella slices and found them to be quite average if not a bit below average because it was clear that by going there for dinner that these focaccie had been sitting under the glass for quite some time that day. Ah well I blame myself. I can give them benefit of the doubt... maybe this place is...

ALERT! I would put 0 stars if I could. Very disappointed about our experience at this restaurant. I saw the reviews and the photos, so I booked in advance as I am travelling from Australia for a reservation in September 2023. I also sent a follow up message a few days prior to confirm our reservation, and was reassured we had a table on the terrace for 8.30pm. Upon arrival, I was told that I didn’t have a booking and we can wait 10 minutes for a table . We waited at a different table with no service during this time. 30 minutes later, we were finally seated on the terrace. We sat here for another 10 minutes, still with no service, apology or compassion for their lack of service. They were barely busy, we didn’t understand where the service was being provided? At this point, we left and sat at a different restaurant 40m down the street where we were greeted with a bottle of wine...

We went at 12 noon and it was closed, but we happened to be walking by around 5:00 p.m. and it was open. The proprietor admitted he opened 10 minutes late today (I guess that is why we'd missed the Americano lunch hour -- translation: early!). Anyway, the pizza selection is enormous -- something to please every palate. We loved the potato and speck slice. And 3.50 euro for a slice that would be completely adequate for lunch. Highly recommend. They also have refrigerated soft...