Ristorante Meraviglioso – Ristorante di pesce a Polignano a Mare — Restaurant in Polignano a Mare

This is not written to offend anyone — I genuinely know how hard it is working in hospitality. This reflection comes from a place of respect and honesty: when you start to see so many poor reviews, it’s time to look within and really consider what’s going wrong.

An extremely, extremely disappointing culinary experience.

To be fair, the produce is fresh and of high quality, there is no doubt about that. But the real issue is the extreme confusion coming from the kitchen and the lack of respect and understanding for the ingredients and the region itself.

One dish says it all: a beautiful fillet of fish served with a dot of horse meat reduction, an almond and vanilla purée, and a sea urchin sauce — all on the same plate. These elements clash so badly it’s impossible to appreciate the fish itself. Why combine flavours like that, in Polignano a Mare of all places?

The need to appear contemporary has overtaken the simple idea of letting good produce shine with flavours that actually make sense. Honestly, I wouldn’t even call this contemporary, it’s randomised ideas that feel forced and disconnected.

For context, on our trip this is the sixth Michelin Guide restaurant we have visited, and this was a clear outlier in our experience. The standard here does not come close to what we have consistently experienced elsewhere under the same prestigious name.

I feel for the team. They are clearly passionate, competent, and enthusiastic. The problem isn’t their effort; it’s the lack of clear guidance and vision for what this restaurant wants to achieve.

Michelin Guide—I don’t know if, on the day it was listed, a different menu was served, because what we experienced did not merit such acclaim. And judging by other reviews, we are not alone.

Polignano a Mare has an incredible food tradition. The produce, the team, and the region deserve better. Diners deserve better. If not the Michelin Guide, then please—sit yourselves around the table, have a meeting, and realise that something needs to change.

EDIT AFTER RESPONSE FROM MANAGEMENT:

I did not intend to be rude — my review came from a place of honesty and genuine respect for the work that goes into hospitality. But if you prefer to dismiss paying guests rather than take constructive criticism on board, that says a lot.

Please don’t assume I write reviews for every meal — I don’t. And I have never left a negative review in my life until now. That alone should give you pause.

For what it’s worth, I dine at restaurants, cafés, trattorias, Michelin venues, and hotels — all paid for out of my own pocket. I doubt you truly look around at what else is out there, because if you did, you would know that this is simply not up to standard.

I didn’t read the Michelin Guide, nor do I need to. Maybe stop clinging to someone else’s praise and look at what’s actually happening in your dining room.

Your paying guests keep your doors open, not your pride. A little humility goes a long way. Your response proves the point: instead of reflecting, you point the finger back at the customer — and with such sarcasm. That’s not the way...

We had a truly delightful meal here and incredible attentive friendly and wonderful service. We chose off the menu rather than taking the degustation options, and were treated to so many delicious amuse bouche and tiny tasters before each course... each more delish and beautifully presented than the last. I particularly remember the 3 types of bread served before the starter followed by 3 tiny tasters, then amuse bouche after the starter, then pre dessert before our dessert and then 3 tiny chocolates after dessert. The wine waiter tested and swirled our wine priming the glass and taking incredible care to coat the glass and make the wine (one of the moderate priced options on the menu) taste amazing. He served it in one of most incredible long thin stemmed glasses I have ever seen - the stem was super thin while the glass was very generous sized and the whole super slender stem was flexible and could move when pushed. (who knew - bendable stems really are a thing! - check out the impossible goblet created by Matt Escukhe - it literally wobbles from side to side) And when we left the lovely maitre d' front of house - who had been so delightfully friendly and lovely all evening - rushed off and bought us back a small gift wrapped sweet treat to take away. It cost a few Euro more per course than the hotel we were staying in nearby but in our opinion was great value for the wonderful experience and was a real highlight of our trip to Puglia. The restaurant is in front of the Domenico statue where everyone seems to strike the same pose and sing the same song for their selfie photo - which was fun background noise at night (I imagine it gets irritating for the wait staff though!) and the view looks across the bay to the lights of the old town cliff top. I thought it was a pleasant relaxing ambience. Focus is on the beautifully presented food and very attentive service as...

We arrived Saturday around 2 and before bringing us the lunch menu the waiter asked if we wanted water, which we said yes. As he brought the menu we noticed it was very pricey, but decided to stay, until we noticed a line in the menu that a minimum of 2 courses per person were obligatory. We never have seen something like that and just were looking for a little lunch. We called the waiter and she said she would make an exception. I asked if they served aperol spritz, which was not on the menu, and she said she could prepare it. I asked for the price and she said 12 Euros, which is more than double then we had been paying for one week traveling around Puglia. So we decided we would not have lunch there, and just pay for the water. To our surprise, they presented us with a bill of 20euros, indicating that just for sitting at the table, although not touching the silverware or napkins, we had to pay service. The water was 5$, and we hadn't been there for more than 10min, half of the time waiting for a waiter! When we complained, she said we should know better, read the menu at the door, and that they didn't care about any reviews we would write. Just as an additional comment, while we were waiting we saw a very angry customer walk out, while the waiter was blocking him, and the cliemt who just had come a few minutes ago, pushed the waiter! To this, the waiter reacted walking behind him very close, like threatening him. We watched and it was the weirdest situation. In hindsight, maybe they wanted him to pay for sitting down too! What a miserable impression they give to tourists. I'm sure the chef maybe great, but this was the first bad experience in a whole week in...