The Black Pearl — Restaurant in Monopoli

Don’t go to the restaurant at night. Service is good, and the location super nice, the rest, a disaster. Completely disappointing. The regular pizzas were not good, and i was asked to call one day in advance for the gluten free option since they “made” the pizza themselves. When they brought my pizza i could see from a distance it was not home made. As soon as I had a bite i could tell it was schär’s pizza. Completely disappointed I asked the bartender what had happened, that THAT was no real pizza. First the chef denied it was box pizza and then he finally admitted it was, so they took the pizza back. They offered a tuna slice with veggies in its place, which was supposed to be cooked just one bit side and side. Not only was it super dry, but the veggies arrived cold and after i had finished the fish (which I ate all the same cause my friends had already finished eating and i was super hungry). When the check arrived they had charged me that terrible fish (the pizza was 5 €, the fish 15€, which I would happily pay if the dinner had been different in every way). I obviously talked to them and explained my disappointment and frustration. They didn’t charge me the dish. But I honestly had the worst dinner I have ever had in Italy. And i have been here for almost a year.

However, I do recommend the bar next to...

Had a bad experience here. Staff is extremely disorganized and it seems nobody communicates with each other. We paid for the premium section with lounge chair service, but there was no lounge service what so ever. Upon check in, we were given one towel each, and taken to our lounges. We tried to request an additional towel (so we’d have one to lay on and one to use to dry off after swimming) but they wanted to charge extra. We were given a clicker and told we could use it to call somebody over to order drinks and food, but weren’t told that the kitchen was closed, and the clicker never worked to bring anybody over. We brought this to their attention multiple times and nothing changed—we always had to get up and walk to the bar (what’s the point of paying for lounge service if there is no lounge service?). Finally, they didn’t tell us upon check in that the whole facility would be closing soon, and hours were not posted anywhere. The hours posted on google were later; two hours into being there, they shut the whole place down and we had to leave. The whole operation is a mess, seemingly as if managed by people with no...

Amazing experience at this Lido, Bar and Restaurant. The Lido is a relaxed and well thought out space with ample room between deckchairs and shaded areas offering a relaxed setting for lunch. Drinks/cocktails are varied, genuine and fairly priced, with great attention to detail. The music at the lido was fun and not overbearing or noisy. A mix of 70s hits and some easy house music complemented the ambiance. Great crowd too.

Access to the sea is easy and the inviting blue waters make for a great time swimming. Sea was clean on the day we visited.

Finally a word of thanks goes to the management and staff for noting that we needed to catch a train but were confused on how to get there. For some reason taxi apps failed us and public transport was not readily available. The owner/manager stepping in and offered to take us to the station. We are very grateful. Well done Perla Nera (Black Pearl) for creating an amazing day for us in Monopoli. We hope to be...