Taverna del Porto — Restaurant in Tricase

I felt conflicted about this place as I had to reflect on many aspects experienced to provide a proper review. The interiors are cozy without too much fancy. We arrived with hope about the fish offer, as the place is promoted as an heaven of fish menu. I have to anticipate and comment that I’m a diver, so pretty much well documented on fishing practices and laws. We ordered a first dish of pasta based on raw fish. Well cooked, really appreciated on the palate. Then we arrive to the second dish, which of course should have been a fresh fish one. I went to the cart to select the fish and….the big issue, all the fishes exposed were so small that I got silent in front of the waitress. Per law, some species of fishes must can be captured ONLY after a certain size, in order for them to be able to reproduce. Especially the groupers, that are highly endangered. All the fishes exposed were so small and seemed clearly below the 45cm limit. I asked to the waitress if the fishes were mature enough to be captured and purchased. She had no idea, but she said she expected to be if they were purchased. Long story short as there was no alternative we consumed the fish but I took the initiative to send the fish pictures to a biologist friend of mine and measure the fish with my own phone tools. Both confirmed the fish was under legal size. For me is highly negative that a restaurant which is based on fish offer doesn’t control for legal requirements of their fish nor have its team prepared. I understand not all consumers are so attentive, but beyond the sustainability of such practices, it is also illegal to propose such small captures in restaurants for the damage the cause to the sea ecosystem. I hope the management will pay more attention to the supply...

Average kitchen, overpriced offer and cocky managers. Had a table for two booked at 10.30, looking to have some fresh fish with my gf from Spain. The poor service begun with the bad news that they run out of fish. They said it is normal for them to run out of fish that late, but that we could choose something else which would be great as they have "many excellent reviews". The choice for us was limited to prawns, lobster and shrimps. These are the highest priced choices on the menu. At almost 11.00 pm on a Sunday we had two choices: go home without dinner or pay a lot of money for something we didn't really desire. We chose to order 1 dish of shrimps and 1 of prawns, 5 each. We order a nice white wine and add a delicious swordfish tempura on the manager suggestion. Our order was misunderstood and we got 10 shrimps and 10 prawns, but hey the night was already bad enough so we decided to shut our mouths, most importantly because the managers already demonstrated to be too confident based on the many positive reviews to listen. Unforfunately the prawns tasted bland and the shrimps were average, well at least those which were not raw (yeah a couple of shrimps out of 10 were raw). Overall we paid 178 euros for a below average experience, and the feeling the night didn't go south just because of our will to keep it a nice one and not complain. As an Italian from the same region, believe me when I say you can find way better and cheaper service and food! This place to me is like when you go to Barcelona's ramblas to have a paella: you pay lots of money for the place, not the food which is going to be average at...

Absolutely horrible experience. We made a reservation for seven people three weeks early specifically asking for a table on the terrace (which had been recommended by a friend for its beautiful view) and were told we had a confirmed reservation on the terrace. We arrived on time and were led to a table inside, in a dark corner, with no view. We complained and the manager said that the only way to get a table on the terrace would have been to make a reservation online. We politely pointed out that this did not make sense --- they did not say anything of the kind when we reserved on the phone, and of course they have control of their own reservation system. The manager became extremely rude, responding in a loud voice voice, literally: "We cannot give you a table on the terrace and if you don't like it, is your problem, not mine." We said that if they could not honor their reservation we would have dinner somewhere else. At this point he started to yell insults at us as we left. I know that this restaurants is well known for its good food (which we did not get to experience) and I guess they do not think that good service matters. In three weeks in Puglia we have not met anyone this rude. (In fact we have not met anyone rude at all, everyone in Salento is incredibly kind, polite, and service oriented.) We went to a restaurant in an ancient convent in nearby Tricase where we had dined a few days earlier and enjoyed amazing food, location,...