Stellamaris — Restaurant in Taranto

We went to this restaurant intending to have lunch, but the experience was so off-putting that we ended up only ordering a single starter — a meatball soaked in oil.

From the start, things felt wrong: when I went to the restroom, a waiter kept knocking on the door, which was intrusive and unnecessary. While we were still enjoying our cocktails and deciding on food, both the waiter and the owner kept pressuring us to order, as if they were in a rush to turn the table.

To make matters worse, the inside of the restaurant was hotter than the outside — we were literally sweating and couldn’t stand being there for long.

In the end, we were charged couvert per person and for the water, even though we barely ate. Worst price/benefit I’ve experienced in a long time. We left disappointed, uncomfortable, and still hungry. Definitely not going back.

REPLY: We would absolutely have ordered lunch for two if the entire sequence of experiences hadn’t been so bad: the intrusive knocking on the bathroom door, the constant pressure to place an order while we were still enjoying our cocktails, and the fact that it was extremely hot inside.

And honestly, if the waiter was the one both knocking on the door and pushing us to order, is that somehow the client’s fault?

As for your claim that the bathroom was used for “more than half an hour,” that is an extreme exaggeration to justify your faults.

Regarding the couvert, it should either not be charged at all or at least be clearly warned in advance. But in any case, that was just the tip of the iceberg in what was already a very negative experience.

Anyway, never mind — in the end, the ones who didn’t sell the lunch and who earned a bad review were...

When we arrived we were greeted by the owner the gentleman in all the photos on the entrance wall and then he disappeared for the rest of the night.... The waiter who served us was lovely he really tried to make an effort to speak in English and was generally very happy and sweet... The other 2 ladies who were working didn't know English... The dishes my friend ordered were okay...however the dishes i ordered were horrible... I ordered a tuna tartare..however what i got was chopped big chunks of raw tuna on a few shards of lettuce with scattered pink peppercorns.and a lemon.. There was no way this dish was a tuna tartare you need to look up the recipe!!! I left more than half of it as it was inedible... I only ate what i did as i was hungry. My 2nd dish was spaghetti vongolese again its wasn't the dish of that recipe... It was horrible the clams just tasted off and the sauce was soo salty... I only had a couple of bites and left the rest... The waiter and waitress could easily see how my friends plates were empty and mine full. Only on clearing the main course did the waitress say to me no good and i said yes but she just took it away and nothing was done..... I left the restaurant hungry, and extremely disappointed in the service i received... The language was clearly an issue for them however you have Google translate if you really wanted to find out what the issue was... We ended up paying the full bill and left....... Im a very well travelled individual and have eaten on street stalls and Michelin restaurants alike however dining at your restaurant has left me with a very bad experience... The food was inedible.... And the way it was dealt with was...

To be quite honest my first choice was the Trattoria dell’Orologio. I was directed that by the numerous reviews that I found online. Nonetheless when I got there there was an extremely long queue that I’ll never know if it was dictated by the quality of the food or by ridiculously low prices, but seen that the quality of the food was my priority I then opted for “Stellamaris”. (Note on the margin I went there with my partner and a couple of friends) once inside we notice a much more quieter place with classy decor and really nice staff. We get our wine with an impeccable wine service (I don’t like to say it too often but I’m a chef myself so I noticed that the waiter was well trained and had a strong dedication to his job). Then we ordered some “ crudo di pesce” (raw fish) some pasta to share, seafood pasta (excellent) and the “orecchiette rapa” which were my only regret, since all the dishes I ordered I was sharing with the orders to let them try everything. I wished I ordered a plate of orecchiette just for myself since they were so delicious! Then we got some mixed fried fish and there is hard to go wrong. Some sgroppino to finish and some beautiful coffees. To summarise this is the place you want to take someone on a date. The food is grate and the place is just perfect. I personally loved the choice of cutlery with their balanced stem and their pleasant design. I found also quite tasteful the choice of plates that were just gorgeous. I’d say that all this attention to the details is what makes it a great restaurant. The fact that the toilet was sparkling clean makes it an...