Dimora Ulmo ristorante — Restaurant in Matera

I wouldn't normally share negative reviews but was moved to do so in this case just so people can have some balance before they spend a lot of money on this experience. First off, the positives: the building and setting is beautiful (although the dining room is heavily overlit), and the service is really high quality and charismatic. The canapes were pretty good too, and the presentation of the dishes is generally attractive. And we had a couple of nice glasses of wine!

That said, we both got the "contamination" menu and it was genuinely laughably bad. Like so bad that we actually had a pretty good time as the dishes became progressively worse.

First warning was the tuna tartare canolo, which had a huge emptiness where the flavour should be. Fresh tuna provides its own flavour so it wasn't too bad, but the cooking imparted nothing but sesame seeds. The addition of guacamole would have been misjudged if it had any flavour.

The meat terrine was terribly beautiful and tasted EXACTLY like cheap corned beef from a British supermarket with a few small chunks of apple. No complexity, no layers, really nothing at all except corned beef and baby food. The green sauce was literally tasteless.

Next course was orecchiete baked in pie crust. A huge stodgy lump of nothing that filled without satisfying. I can't believe a Michelin restaurant could serve something so catastrophically plain and underseasoned. If you bought it for £2.50 out of a hot food cabinet at a garage, you'd probably still be disappointed.

Main course, a huge slimy lump of horse steak absolutely drenched in supermarket BBQ sauce. This was the first one that was genuinely repulsive, and which I couldn't finish. Mind was boggling at this point.

Finally, desert was a little pile of peanut ice cream, jam, and crumble topping. This was very basic but kind of tasty if you picked out all of the bits of dried bacon which were unbearably salty and noxious and utterly overpowered the rest of the dish.

Genuinely, I wish them all the best and I truly had fun, but the chef here has absolutely lost their mind. It's like food that's been designed by an AI. One of the worst meals I've ever had, Michelin...

Enjoyed a fantastic lunch with my wife at Dimora Ulmo today. We’ve been fortunate enough to eat in many Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy and around the world and Dimore Ulmo was as good if not better than any Michelin one star restaurant we’ve enjoyed.

The service was highly professional, impeccable and friendly and the atmosphere, while not exactly casual, was neither unapproachable or stuffy. It felt welcoming. The restaurant only does tasting menus, five or seven courses. We went with the five course and it was exceptional. The owners and chefs are graduates of Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana in Modena and it shows in the attention to detail, texture and taste and of course presentation. We passed a lovely three hours and enjoyed courses, amongst others, of fermented egg in mushroom foam, a beef cheek that is as good as I’ve ever tasted and a tuna tartare in a mandarin gel that was out of this world. Truthfully if this restaurant doesn’t get a star soon that will be a travesty but whether it does or not is nearly irrelevant. Food this good does not need a star to validate it.

The wine menu is exceptional and vast. I picked a nice white wine to start that wasn’t in stock and the substitute that was suggested was just as good (perhaps better) and nearly half the price. The red wine was exceptional also as their choice of quality local aglianicos is particularly deep (including some exceptional Fucci’s).

Couldn’t recommend this restaurant highly enough. Expensive, yes , but with two nice bottles of wine, a five course tasting menu, amuse bouches and petit fours etc it came in south of €250 for both of us. That is not cheap of course but for the quality of service, ingredients and food and wine, it’s exceptional...

A Truly Exceptional Gourmet Experience

From the moment we arrived at this outstanding gourmet restaurant, we were blown away by the entire experience. Nestled in a stunning location, with breathtaking views and an elegant atmosphere, the setting alone was enough to set the stage for a memorable evening.

The service was nothing short of exceptional. The waitstaff were attentive without being intrusive, incredibly knowledgeable about the menu, and genuinely passionate about providing the best experience possible. Each course was introduced with care, and their wine pairings were spot on.

As for the food – it was a true culinary masterpiece. Every dish was beautifully presented and packed with flavor, clearly prepared with the highest quality ingredients and great attention to detail. The creativity and precision of the chef were evident in every bite.

This restaurant isn’t just a place to eat – it’s a place to experience food in its finest form. Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or simply want to treat yourself to something extraordinary, this gourmet gem is well worth the visit. Highly...