Trattoria Lucana — Restaurant in Matera

They do NOT check for the green pass (proof of vaccination) 😷 as now required by law in Italy. Atrocious “service” if you can even call it that. If you want to get yelled at aggressively and be subject to nasty attitude and eye rolling by your server, this is the place for you.

We had lunch here and I ordered a pasta while my husband ordered a steak. My pasta arrived first and the server told us my husband’s dish was arriving… 10-15 mins later nothing had arrived. My pasta was completely cold. I simply asked the server if they could re-heat my pasta when my husband’s dish was ready and she started yelling very loudly at both of us, saying that it’s normal my dish comes first and when I’m done my husband’s steak would arrive. Her justification was “they are two different dishes so they have different cooking times.” What an Earth shattering observation. She continued to yell at my husband asking “Do you own a restaurant? Do you know how it works?”

We ended up leaving and the cashier comped our lunch, however even she was angry at us and taunted us as we walked by, yelling in front of the other tables “lunch is on me, if you must go I’ll cover your bill don’t you worry!”

Never have we been treated in such a low-level, uncivil manner by a “service professional”. The food is good here without a doubt, but it’s not worth getting accosted in front of a full restaurant and bearing witness to the rather trashy scene that...

This is the worst restaurant you can go to in Matera. This was recommended by our Air B & B hostess as a good one and we had so much expectations. Once we were seated, our group of 4, an Italian and Malaysian couple from Genova, and my husband and me from Madrid ordered 3 different pastas and their famous meatball that we all wanted to try. The first thing the waitress said, no sharing.. I will not provide individual plates for sharing. I considered it rude but did not want to have any negative vibrations so I just shrugged it off! But it was really unexpected I thought. Then, the food came. It was a pure disappointment. 3 different pastas, supposedly, but they all tasted the same with the same ingredients recycled in tomato sauce that tasted like it came from a cheap brand in can. Then the main attraction of the menu the meatballs… they didn’t have any meat! They were all bread!!! This is a case of misbranding and misrepresentation!! They should have been called panballs or PAINBALLS. When I spoke to the waitress to raise my issues, she was the most arrogant I have met in my restaurant visits. I guess they know that people come once to visit Matera once and they couldn’t care less! How sad!! And by the way, there is a foto of Mel Gibson trying the fetuccine carbonara.., I think he was starving and...

We were on our way to Matera today, 13th June 2025, and looked for a place to stop for lunch. I hopped onto Reddit, and I was immediately sold by a review.

From the moment that door opened, I was overwhelmed by the aromas of home cooking and welcomed into their restaurant as though I was Famiglia. What a start to an authentic Italian dining experience, which I find lacking throughout my travels here in Italy. This restaurant is family owned, run by Gigi, the chef extraordinaire. Paulo, who is the main man taking orders and such passion he has for the menu, guided me in the right direction for lunch today and gave me a thumbs up for my wine choice.

You know when a restaurant you visit is filled with locals that the meal placed in front of you is going to be speciale, and me as well as my husbands were certainly worthy of placing a review here today.

Also met Marta, Gigi's bella figlia, and combined all three, Gigi, Marta, and Paulo took a photo with us today for a momento.

I left a piece of my heart behind in Matera today, and this restaurant will certainly gift you also...