Osteria dei Mulini — Restaurant in Polignano a Mare

Great Food, Terrible Attitude by a Hostile Waiter

Our vacation in Italy was a culinary adventure, centered on exploring exceptional food and wine, and Polignano a Mare was a highlight. On our final day, we planned to visit three special spots we loved, starting with this restaurant, eager to repeat their burrata affumicata and spritzes for aperitivo.

Unfortunately, the experience was a major letdown due to shockingly poor service. From the moment we arrived, the waiter greeted us with a dismissive attitude, stating the restaurant was “only for food.” We clarified we’d be ordering food for our aperitivo, but he seated us with clear disdain. When our spritzes arrived flat, we politely pointed it out, only to be met with aggression. The waiter brought a prosecco bottle to prove its carbonation and refused to acknowledge our drinks were flat, raising his voice and acting with hostility and insults. This was especially disappointing for us; my fiancé, who studied culinary in Italy and who always befriends restaurant staff, was stunned by the rudeness. The hostile interaction with the waiter wasn’t a brief moment but a prolonged ordeal that escalated, leaving us incredibly uncomfortable.

Other staff members apologized, but the damage was done. We had to take our food to go, unable to enjoy the experience we’d anticipated. The hostile service nearly ruined our final day in Polignano.

Restaurant owners work hard, and it’s sad when a waiter’s behavior overshadows their efforts; we hope this is addressed to preserve their hard earned...

We were here two times and decided back then, not to come back, because of the bad service and arrogant waiter ( it is always the same guy). Yesterday we went back because it was the only place open, so we gave it another try. We were the only guests and this time it was even worse. I understand that in corona time business is hard, so even more I dont understand the attitude. The waiter/owner was short tempered, unfriendly, we did not get any bread + oil for the 20 minutes wait for our first dish. Dirty dishes have not been removed from our table, when we stacked them ourselves to have some space, he saw it but still did not come. All the time he hung out quite near our table (small place) and starred through the window door into the kitchen and knocked against the window like a crazy person ( maybe to tease the kitchen staff? No clue). Or he wandered around in the place. It was very uncomfortable, we did not feel welcome at all and he did not talk to us all the time, also not when taking and bringing orders. We paid 2,50€ coperto each, which is noted nowhere in the menu and not worth it. Food was, like always, not super bad, not really good either, a bit overpriced for what you get. This time we decided to really NEVER come back. This arrogant and somewhat creepy guy just ruins it every...

We went very excited to this restaurant as a recommendation based on some friends feedback. The good thing was that the food was great. It was really delicious and the portions were quite big. We had one fritto misto and one spaghetti with seafood. The location is also amazing, it’s right in the city center, in a really quiet area. You should be able to enjoy both the food and the place, if you receive a better attitude from the staff. The prices are decent, in our opinion. The most unpleasent thing was that we waited for like 1 hr or more for the food to come. I have noticed at one point that some other customers who came after us got their food way faster than us. Staff is not that communicative, not sure why, though. Despite the fact that the food was delicious, I would not recommend this place. I think that the staff’ attitude is something which makes people want to be there, or to recommend that certain place, which is not the case here. 5* for food, 1* for the services, so I would say that a 3* note would fit...