La Locanda di Felisiano — Restaurant in Monopoli

My family and I, two adults and a toddler have been at "La Locanda di Felisiano" for dinner. We booked there because we were eager to try the traditional cucina Pugliese. We arrived with high expectations regarding the local cuisine, but I have to say they weren't fulfilled. It was worth it only because it was close to the Masseria where we spent our summer holidays.

Here's the experience in short:

Atmosphere & Place 5 ½: The restaurant is straightforward to spot and reach from the main road. We booked at 7.30 PM, and we were the first guests. I don't know if the parking space is enough when the place runs at full speed. The furniture was very basic, and the toilette state was acceptable.

Menu 6 ½: I didn't feel the 100% Puglia experience by having dinner here. Some dishes were really yummy such as the cicoria and fave and the polpette di pane fritte. My tagliata wasn't appetising at all. My wife really liked the frittura di mare, though.

Service 6 ½: The staff was friendly and responsive to our needs. We experienced service delays as soon as more people joined the venue. I have the feeling the place was understaffed.

Bill 4: In our opinion, the bill was overpriced considering the wine we chose, the cuisine level and the...

A small hidden gem in the heart of Puglia. I give 4 stars only as a motivation, because there is a huge potential and products were fresh and tasty but, there were too many mistakes during the service. The wine ordered was a Fiano and we received a Falanghina (priced 11€ extra). We ordered spaghettoni and we received regular spaghetti (also crushed in half for some unknown reason). Waiting time a bit long and we needed to ask for the menu twice. On the other hand the waiter is so friendly and human to let you forget about these mistakes. We received an extra portion of spaghettoni to repair the mistake with spaghetti plus, when they put you at the end of the meal a good selection of digestives (primitivo’s based liqueur and limoncello) you always finish better and with a smile. The place should hire a couple more people to handle the orders but the atmosphere with the sea view, the arrangements, and the quality of the products are a great starting base. I wish...

La Locanda di Felisiano is another hidden gem in Puglia. The restaurant was set up at what once was workers quarters on a tomato farm. The types of baskets previously used by these workers are used as lighting decor throughout the restaurant. Additionally, throughout the restaurant’s ceiling, one can see holes used to install hooks to dry tomatoes previously. The manager showed us a sample of the seafood freshly caught from the sea nearby used to prepare several of the dishes available. We ordered a seafood salad which was delicious and very refreshing. We each ordered different meals consisting of pasta with seafood. We additionally ordered a platter of fried seafood to share. The dessert was above average. Finally, we ended the evening with a homemade limoncello. The food was fresh and extremely flavorful and the restaurant’s rustic atmosphere really created an excellent...