I've been to: Bamontes in Brooklyn, NY that first opened in…read morethe year 1900. Old Homestead Steakhouse opened in 1868 in New York City Tadish Grill in San Francisco opened in 1849 Musso and Franks opening was in 1919 in Los Angeles, CA Today, Il Terrazzino's Restaurant in Matera, Italy opened in the early 1600's. Now we're talking about a restaurant that opened up over 900 years ago and their menu and food is still ridiculously good! I guess their food had had to be good to stay open almost 1,000 years! The views from our balcony table were amazing. The characters serving us were entertaining and our lunch was 1,000 years old fantastic. We opened with a Tonno Salad (Tuna) that was great. I had their specialty of the house pasta which was - FUSILLI AL TEGAMINO with sausage and mozzarella, quick baked pasta with sausage ragù. After you eat a bowl of this, you absolutely know you're in Italy. The beauty of I'll Terrrazzino Ristorante is just how good it is and not being a tourist spot, and maintaining its integrity for 1,000 years! This was a once in a lifetime experience.

Excellent location overlooking the Bari Sassi and very historical too. One could easily miss the…read morevery deep ancient wine cellar , so be sure to ask and trek all the way down to the bottom to imagine what life was like 80 years ago. We did not come for pizza but for many vegetarian dishes , they have 4-5 different minestrones very thick with many options such as grains and chick peas or eggplant and of course the classic mix . Also big nicoise style salad w tuna and a mushroom tagliatelle w house made pasta. We had a couple super nice waiters this is true just about everywhere in Italys south. We split everything plus a nice tartufo de pizzo chocolate hazelnut ice cream roll which is a Calabrian specialty ., 50 euro w wine out the door for 2. I may never return to California ;-/

Matera is a bit tricky getting around however it's worth it. We were hungry after checking into our…read morehotel and needed something light to eat. This place was it. Working out of a cave as most places do on this hillside, the ambiance was warm and mild in a light colored, well lit cave. We ordered a glass of the local wine to compliment our pizza; Neapolitan style, with local ingredients; wow! Pairs with a local red wine and a delicious salad we were thrilled. This can easily be our daily lunch place.

Great service and great food. Not touristy at all and has authentic food from Basilicata. Try…read moreanything that has pepeperone cruschi in it. Sweet and crunchy fried peppers from the region. Fava beans are in season so I had a fava bean "soup" with pasta. Delicious! Also a local cheese selection. Waiters were awesome. Food taste like Nonna had made it.

Great place for lamb, seafood pasta n dessert. Great service too. We came in around 3pm and most…read moreplaces were close or only serves Pizza. They have full menu for service.

Excellent food and service plus very reasonable! The atmosphere and decor is also beautiful! It's…read moreout of the way and frequented by the locals so that should tell you something! Our dishes were delicious!

It's everything you want in an Italian food experience. This ranks way up at the top in all our…read moretravels. Grazie Stano!

This restaurant is carved into the rocks so it's pretty much a cave, which is a lot of what Matera…read moreis about. It was very nice inside and the staff was very friendly. Their English was middling but better than my Italian! My family and I had antipasto, chicken and potatoes, pizza, soup, and ravioli. The chicken and potatoes were great! Frankly, I wanted a straight-forward meat and potatoes meal for a break while touring Italy, and this dish hit the spot--not one tomato on it. The food was good. Cappuccinos were great. We made reservations for dinner and arrived on time at 6pm. The place was empty except for the other tourist family from England. Americans typically eat dinner from 5-7p. Italians eat dinner from 7-9p. We had the restaurant to ourselves for dinner at EVERY establishment we visited until 7p when the locals started showing up. Definitely make reservations if you want to ensure space for your party!

All I need to say is Spaghetti All'Assasina. It was amazing. We had several other dishes and all…read morewere great. Great setting in the magical town of Matera Italy

We came here for dinner and food was not good. The pizza is soupy and the pasta tasted like…read morechemicals and plastic. We tried one bite and kindly let them know we did not like the food. They gave us options for something else to try and when we got the bill they still charged us for the uneaten food we sent back. When we asked why, we were told the food was not the problem and "it was something wrong with us". Bad vibes, bad food, don't go.

Amazing love the location snd service. Family friendly, this is a must visit restaurant while you…read moreare in this historical location.

Our favorite restaurant in Matera. Great food and great hospitality. Perfect location with a view…read moreof the Sassi across the street. Grazie Mille!

I visited Matera for all of the typical touristy reasons: the stunning views, the unique culture,…read moreand the troglodyte cave-dweller experience. But I stayed for Van Gogh Pizzeria. After hiking around the city for several hours, I was exhausted and starving. Being the savvy world traveler that I am, I determined to find the BEST dining experience Matera has to offer. Surprisingly, I found exactly that in the first open restaurant my tired feet stumbled upon. What luck! I knew I was in for a treat when I saw the enticing, mouth-watering JPEGs of the menu posted in front of the pizzeria. So, without further ado, I ducked through the automated glass door and found myself transported into a world of culinary excellence. The jovial waiter, Giuseppe, led us into a charming dining room which retained the authentic appearance of an Apple Store. He regaled me with delightful stories from the historic restaurant's past, such as the painter Van Gogh's pilgrimage to the pizzeria for which the trattoria is now named. This place felt far holier than the medieval cave churches I had wasted all morning in! Making a decision was difficult as the menu had a different pizza variety for every resident of Matera. After settling on what the Materans call a "Margherita," I settled in to watch the poor tourists beyond the spotless glass wall unknowingly walk past this national treasure. Poor fools. Giuseppe brought me some delightfully dry crackers to snack on until my pizza came. And mamma mia! What a pizza! The dough was wonderfully heavy and chewy, while the seasoning was subtle enough to keep me guessing as to what I was eating. It reminded me of the Italian food my grandmother made back in Alabama. Truly this is the best pizza in Italy! I can see why Van Gogh came all the way from Canada to eat here. One word of warning for less adventurous travelers: don't expect a traditional, Americanized transaction process. After waiting for Giuseppe to return for half an hour, I discovered that Van Gogh accepts payment in the traditional Materan fashion: at the cash register by the door. I was hardly upset at being given the opportunity to learn about this unique cultural custom. If you come to Matera skip the frescoes, the vistas, the caves, and the history. Do yourself a favor and make a beeline for Van Gogh, the best pizzeria in the world!

Great food & service. Pasta with lots of taste & home made. Great place to stop for lunch.read more

Excellent simple food and lots of locals. Three course lunch for 18 euros. Casual and an easy…read morestop.