Martinucci Laboratorio Otranto — Restaurant in Otranto

The front-line staff at Martinucci Otranto are truly outstanding. The servers, bartenders, and the young woman managing the gelato counter work with impressive dedication, professionalism, and kindness—even under visible pressure and without proper support.

Unfortunately, their effort is clearly being exploited. The overall atmosphere reflects a top-down, patriarchal management style where hierarchy matters more than teamwork. Staff are left to manage overwhelming workloads, sometimes even being publicly scolded by a younger manager at the register, while owners and supervisors stand by without lifting a finger to help. It’s disheartening to see such hardworking people treated this way, especially in 2025, when you’d expect more modern and respectful workplace practices.

Martinucci has long been an icon in Salento, but that reputation is at risk. Investing in just one additional team member to support the waitstaff or gelato station would make a huge difference in service quality and employee well-being.

On top of that, basic hygiene is being overlooked: the restroom was unclean, and dead cockroaches were visible on the floor—completely unacceptable for a business of this level.

Yes, the gelato is good—but in Salento, many places serve excellent gelato. What could truly set Martinucci apart is valuing their people and maintaining higher hospitality standards. Right now, they’re...

The worst customer experience in 3 weeks of Italy. We ordered a couple of ice creams inside and sat in the outdoor patio to eat them, when we were rudely chased away by the waitress telling us that tables on the outdoor patio were reserved for “table service customers only”. It’s worth noting that there were multiple tables free as she did so, the restaurant was not busy at all, so they didn’t really need the table for someone else.

She could have asked us whether we wanted to order anything off the menu before chasing us out. We were actually planning on ordering a couple of capuccinos as well, but after this, we decided we did not want to be this venue’s paying customers any more.

What sort of place treats their own customers as less because they didn’t order from table service?

Worth noting as well that we have tried gelatto all over Amalfi, Puglia and Sicily, and this was by far the most bland gelatto we’ve had. The gelatto was not even close to as flavoursome or soft as from other places like Gelatteria Fisoti (also in Otranto).

Do yourself a favour and skip being treated badly by rude and unprofessional staff for the sake of a...

There are many, better ways to keep a customer happy than by rudely chasing them off your outdoor patio when we tourists don't know your 'rules'! I sat down outside while my husband went inside to order ice cream for us. The waiter told me 'service on patio was wait-service only'. He could have asked me if I wanted to order coffees, (and kept me seated, and happy on the patio.) I would humbly suggest signage, or table cards be posted in several languages so that unsuspecting customers (like us) understand your rules! We have enjoyed the beauty of Ontranto, and the kindness of its citizens, but because of this, we won't be going back to Martinucci! A shame, because we had enjoyed coffee/pastries inside the restaurant a few times before this...