Operaprima - Ristorante Pizzeria — Restaurant in Ostuni

At the entrance of Ostuni’s historic centre, Operaprima is ideally placed for a long, relaxed lunch with sweeping views across the olive groves and the skyline. As it was quite windy that day, we chose to sit indoors, where the elegant dining room and warm, welcoming staff immediately set the tone for a celebratory meal with friends.

For primi, we enjoyed purè di fave with cicoriella ripassata, orecchiette Senator Cappelli, tagliolino with red prawn tartare and pesto, and spaghetti Senator Cappelli ai frutti di mare. Everything was beautifully prepared — the only small misstep was a pesto that leaned a little salty.

Our secondi ranged from seared salmon with mustard and honey sauce to sesame-crusted tuna, chicken cotoletta, and scorched calamaro. The portions were generous, presentation thoughtful, and the freshness of the ingredients clear. While the mango sauce paired with the tuna felt less convincing, the overall execution was excellent.

Desserts proved a highlight. The team kindly wrote a birthday message on one plate, and each option — from the cheesecake to the semifreddo with figs and almonds (outstanding) and the salame al cioccolato with orange confit — was memorable.

Operaprima is a strong choice for lunch in Ostuni: refined yet welcoming, with quality ingredients, attentive service, and a setting that lingers...

Great for pizza and sorbet. Beautiful view and terrace. Friendly staff. That’s it on the positive side. On the negative; raw seafood plate to be shared was stingy and barely enough for one. When we told them this they offered to bring more, at our expense (we found that out when receiving the bill), more than the price of the initial plate. The zucchini flowers had too much ricotta, were soggy and over-floured. No taste of the actual flower remained. The tuna tataki I had seen served with a nice crust but in fat slices, so I asked for thin slices. When I received it, it no longer had the sesame crust. I gave a couple pieces to my table mate who suffered from his lack of raw seafood and then they took my dish away to prepare it with a crust. A while later I was told that they couldn’t make the crust and slice it thinly.* I guess they didn’t have a good knife in the kitchen. I told them that I didn’t want it. Charged for it anyway. We all had the sorbet, excellent. We complained about the bill and after some discussion, they made a deduction, but we remained disappointed. In summary, go for the view, the pizza and the sorbet. Perhaps it is better out of high season, but with many other excellent choices, we wouldn't try again. *When will chefs understand that it is unpleasant for the diner to cut into raw fish with a...

Visited this restaurant on a cold wet Tuesday evening in November. We were warmly welcomed, shown to a table immediately and given menus.

There was a good atmosphere and as the evening progressed the restaurant filled with local people.

There is a good menu with lots of choice, we ate a starter of cured meats, a good selection, nicely presented and a good sized portion. One was enough for two people.

Main courses I had a pizza which was thin and crispy, not the usual stodgy offering served locally. My wife had a veal cutlet in crumb which she enjoyed.

There is also a good desert menu, I had a cheesecake in a bowl with a granola base, it was excellent .

There is a very good wine list all very reasonably priced and local beer on draught.

Throughout the meal the service was prompt friendly and efficient. Despite being very busy the bill arrived within seconds of asking for it and we paid as we left.

This place is a breath of fresh air in Ostuni we normally eat in the surrounding towns as we find the restaurants very mediocre. It was good food in modern surroundings and good...