Osteria Botteghe Antiche — Restaurant in Putignano

This is an excellent restaurant with an outstanding wine list. We had dinner here, then came back for lunch the next day (Saturday) and wanted to come again Saturday evening to try some more wines... but it was fully booked. However as we left they said that if we could arrive promptly at 7.45pm that evening (effectively at opening time), they could fit us in. And hence we returned... and for the first half an hour pretty much had the place to ourselves, as clearly people here don't arrive much before 8.30pm for dinner. The food was all very good and interesting. And the choice of wines was wide, excellent and at all price points. Great local wines of course (we had a Primitivo and a Nero di Troia), but also a great selection of wines from elsewhere in Italy - and beyond. We had some Pinot Grigio and then the 2nd evening a white wine from Barolo - a Timorasso. A new experience for us and...

What a surprise. We were actually suppose to eat at the nearby pizzeria, but that was closed, so we thought lets try the Osteria Botteghe Antiche. What a great surprise! We both had the "asina" fillet, which came with zucchini for one of us, and potatoes for the other. I can only describe this as the most amazing steak I ever had. The meat was cooked to perfection, tender, tasty. The zucchini, I do not know what it was seasoned with, but it had a zesty, sweet, flowery taste. It was like you could taste and smell the field the donkey was feeding on. We had an excellent choice of wine. Those who served us were attentive. The waiters speak English. The whole place has a very relaxed vibe, very rustic, it is difficult to describe. It definitely need to be...

Delicious food, I highly recommend the tasting menu that is called "Lascia fare a noi" which is a selection of 4 starters, 1st course, 2nd course and a dessert. Portions are of good size and so are very filling. We loved all that we ate, but the dessert, which was an unconventional tiramisu, was particularly delicious.

Wine is also excellent, and for each glass, you get an explanation of its origin and story. Very attentive staff. When you come to this restaurant you don't only get to savour typical food from the region but you live an experience that most restaurants don't offer so don't miss this spot when...