Vecchia Otranto — Restaurant in Otranto

Vecchia Otranto is a wonderful little restaurant tucked away in the quiet backstreets of Otranto – a true hidden gem that delivers on both charm and flavour.

We began with a beautifully cooked starter that was fresh, flavorful, and elevated by the addition of fresh oregano, which added a lovely, aromatic brightness to the dish. It set the tone perfectly for what was to come.

For mains, we had the sagne 'ncannulate with shrimp – a standout dish with homemade pasta and deep, authentic local flavors. We also tried the tagliolini with tuna, another pasta made in-house that was rich, light, and full of character.

These were perfectly complemented by a local rosé made from the Negroamaro grape – crisp, dry, and just right with seafood and pasta.

We ended with a classic tiramisu – creamy, balanced, and the perfect finale to a fantastic meal.

The service was warm, attentive, and genuinely friendly, making the entire evening feel relaxed and welcoming. This is a place that takes pride in local ingredients, traditional recipes, and heartfelt hospitality. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Otranto who wants an authentic, delicious...

Stopped by around 1pm on a Friday afternoon without a reservation and fortunately they moved a couple tables together for our party of six, and we were seated upon arrival. From our table, we had a view of the blue sea at the end of the street.

Overall, we were quite pleased with the service and quality of the reasonably priced food served at Vecchia Otranto.

Crude di mare (shellfish assortment) was very fresh and tasty with a variety of seafood to try. Polpo Croccante su crema di patate (crispy octopus on potato cream) was also delicious and very tasty. Pesce Spada (grilled swordfish) was served hot and was nicely seasoned. Tagliolino al Tonno (pasra with tuna) was well prepared and very good. Insalata Mista was very fresh and tasty. Saute di cozze (mussels) in a delicious tomato broth with toast was very fresh and tasty - a must try if you...

The service was okay. Everything else was truly unacceptable.

The plate of mixed seafood was embarrassingly small for the price of 25 euros. It wasn't even particularly tasty.

Because of this, I ordered an additional dish: mixed grilled seafood. Terrible experience. The squid was tough and the shrimp were smaller than a pinky finger. All thawed, of course. Price: 18 euros.

The toilet had no light. No soap.

I chose this restaurant because previous reviews mentioned large portions at a reasonable price. The portions are ridiculously small. And I am not someone who eats a lot.

A horrifying...