N24 Bar à Vin - con cucina — Restaurant in Monopoli

Easily the best meal we had in Monopoli. We went here on our first night and we were blown away by the food and atmosphere. The tables are set in a small clearing between the houses in the historic center of the city, and are elevated a bit above the street, surrounded by a few trees, with lights hanging from tree to tree above the tables. The music felt carefully chosen to fit a finer dining, but still familiar as it was all covers of popular songs. The staff was very friendly and helpful, they speak both English and Italian and were both able to match the humor of our table and recommend the right wine for our food.

The food portions are a little on the smaller side, but you can also order the main dishes as a big portion. The concept is that you either order the dishes to share them, or you each get a main dish, or you mix and share the starters and get a main dish as well.

All the dishes we had were amazing, especially the parmigiana which was hands down the best we ever ate. We also had the Braciole al Ragù, small meat rolls in tomato sauce, which were extremely tender and had an amazing taste profile. Last but not definitely least we had the "Spaghetto N24", a kind of spicy alio e olio, which were the perfect combination of spicy and savory flavors, not too spicy, not too oily, a subtle amount of garlic. In my eyes, perfectly made. Same goes for the desserts, the tiramisu was excellent and the chocolate souffle was just perfect. As for drinks, I was a very big fan of my red wine, and I was positively surprised by this recommendation of our waiter, since I am usually drinking white wine, but I asked him for a whine with a specific profile and he recommended this red one and I loved it. The cocktails on the other hand, while undeniably being very good, we're not to our taste. They did have a rich flavor palette and were very well crafted, it just turned out that it was not the flavors we enjoy, but that can hardly be the fault of the bartender.

All in all I definitely recommend that anyone that stays in Monopoli should visit N24 if they can, as they are as of yet my favorite place to eat...

The service and atmosphere was great, especially with live music. Apart from that, our visit left us with a sour taste, especially with the glowing reviews. The seafood pasta felt pretty basic, like it's missing something. The meatball pasta was better, but still - nothing to write home about. The bread was overly dry. When I tried asking about soft drinks(as nothing specific is mentioned on the menu) , I was gently nudged towards a non alcoholic cocktail - sure, why not, got a negroni. Turns out it was 10 euros. Also seemed a bit weird that there's 3 euros per person fee about service, but that seems to be the case in a lot of places in the region...

As I said, the service and atmosphere was great, but the most important part - the food, was lacking. I wouldn't mind paying the 50+ euros for 2 drinks and 2 pastas if the food impressed me, but unfortunately, that was not the case.

p.s. what's with the plastic plates? 😄

edit: as for the response from the owner, that's not your food in the picture? 😄 The initial plates were fine, but the pastas were inside a...

An unbelievably nice place in the middle of the old city center of Monopoli. Super nice ambiente, very tastefully decorated and excellent atmosphere in this old building with typical big walls.

Waiters are very friendly and try their very best to make the stay as pleasant and comfortable as possible. The food is honestly next level!

By far the best in Monopoli or anywhere we have been in the area.

And all that for a comparably moderate price defying the superb, all handmade quality.

The wine selection is very very good, ranging from great local wines to higher end classics.

Waiters are very enthusiastic about the wine and find pleasure in making you happy as a guest. Also they explain the wines so have good knowledge about wines, wineries and locations.

A great thing here in Puglia ist that they open a bottle for you even if you drink only one glass. Not something I have experienced anywhere else!

All in all a way above average food experience that you will be hard pressed to find anywhere else.

A foody travellers dream ist no exaggeration.

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