Osteria Piazzetta Cattedrale — Restaurant in Ostuni

You know by now that I only bother rating exceptional places. We have friends who spend an inordinate amount of time in Puglia who recommended this restaurant to us as a must go to.

After a day of traveling from Paris, and renting a car (always a horrendous experience), we arrived in Ostuni on a 30 degree late afternoon in early September.

We were so exhausted that we didn't bother ringing to see if they had a table (thankfully). We arrived at about 7:50 pm following an exhausting trek through laneways and were greeted by Roberto, front of house, in his elegant, intimate (and air conditioned) dining room. Unphased by our expecting a table without a booking, he quickly confirmed a no show meant we actually managed to get a table for two on the spot. Lucky for us...

Whilst we felt slightly under dressed at first, most diners also choose heat appropriate clothing, thankfully.

Anyway, on to our meal.

We choose to go a la carte given the tasting menus felt they may be too much on such a warm evening.

Roberto served us with sparkling mineral water (our choice) and a lovely selection of home made breads. That brown bread roll with toasty seeds was incredible and important for soaking up the incredible sauces each dish was graced with.

I asked Roberto for guidance on a dry white. His recommendation was perfect. A Cantoline Carpentieri. Not fussy but ideally suited to the food we were ordering.

We ordered the Seafood pancake, scampi jus and wakame seaweed, and the Courgette flan, dried fig jus, cacioricotta cheese.

Both were simply stunning. I'm a terrible food photographer but my efforts are attached. The figs were ripe and sweet and the touch of wasabi in the seafood pancake was a delight.

For mains we ordered Catalan-style lobster and the Veal tomahawk, mango and courgette curry.

The lobster was fab. Simply served as a salad with tomatoes, cucumber, sliced boiled new small potatoes. Ideal for a hot dinner evening. The veal tomahawk, served medium rare was exactly what you'd expect. Melt in your mouth with a hint of the mango and curry served via the courgette.

Dessert is not my strong suit so inevitably, I agree to share something. We had the Chocolate flan with Altamura bread ice cream. The flan was served piping hot. It's sweetness balanced by the salted caramel ice cream.

A perfect evening topped off by meeting the most important half of the team that makes this restaurant so amazing, Marilea.

We cannot thank you both enough. A wacky chance filled dining experience, at the no show peoples expense, wonderfully relaxed evening of amazing food...

Very cozy restaurant with only a few tables for a lunch for two. The quality of the dishes offered was exceptional, and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Personally, I chose the fish pancakes as an appetizer, the small lasagna as the main course, and the chocolate flan for dessert. The taste of each dish was spot on, and although the portions were not huge, we felt satisfied.

However, upon our arrival at 12:30, the server informed us that the restaurant would be closing at 2 p.m. and made it clear that we needed to be out by that time. This information was reiterated multiple times for each arriving customer.

The situation became very tense when the father of a family sitting at the next table went outside to take a phone call. The server went outside twice to call him to come and eat, muttering constantly in Italian. The second time, he went to get him so angrily that I thought there might be an argument. The tension was so palpable that the family decided to leave after only having their appetizers. Additionally, other customers present also chose to leave the restaurant without having dessert because the heavy atmosphere made us all very uncomfortable.

By 1:30 p.m., the restaurant was practically empty, and we all felt rushed out. It's a shame that this establishment adopts such an ideology because the food quality was excellent. Unfortunately, this experience spoiled our enjoyment and left us with...

This was my second time to this Gem on the hill, and it was just as good if not better then the first time i went. It is a small quaint restaurant run and owned by a husband wife team, the Husband runs the front and the wife is the chef. They both run this restaurant like seasoned professionals, the wife's food is flawless, each course not only a work of art but perfectly layered flavors that make you wish you didn't have to swallow it so you could tadte it forever. My biggest problem here is trying not to order too much because there is so many magical things on the menu. They do have a few tasting menus to choose from as well as the option to order À la carte , i did the tasting the first time i went and À la carte the second time both times anazing. The Husband is an expert with wines and the best Front endceverything I've ever met, his wine knowledge is amazing, his attention to detail and service is notable. This restaurant is truly one of the best restaurants in Ostuni and cant wait to go back when im there in a couple...