We spent an hour wandering the streets of the historic center when we stumbled upon this local gem…read more We have no idea how this compares to the other seafood restaurants in Taranto but we enjoyed ourselves and by the looks on the other faces in the crowded dining room it looked like were were not alone. During out entire 1-2 hours here we heard not a word of English. It looked like a local joint with families and singles on dates well represented in the crowd. We were greeted at the door like we were long lost relatives and hustled right away to a table. We were presented with menus but before we could open them we were beckoned into the next room where all manner of fresh caught seafood was lying on ice. I assume they were telling us to pick out what we wanted to eat (some of the choices were still moving around) but as they spoke no English and I even less Italian they could have been telling us anything and I would not have had a clue. We picked out swordfish, calamari, bream and something else that looked adventurous. At each selection the animal was ceremoniously plucked off the ice and placed on a large silver platter. Once we were done we were led back to our table which had been adorned with bread and cutlery in our absence. We still had not opened a menu. We looked around and noticed nobody had menus and they simply told the waiters what they wanted and a few minutes later it magically appeared from the next room on silver platters for the diners to inspect. Once approved the sea creatures were then off to the kitchen and their fate. Needless to say it was delicious and as fresh a fish as I have ever eaten. And I have lived on the beach where seafood was there for the taking. Not only did we have our fill but it was the perfect fuel for our mile walk through the February night back to the hotel. Our entire bill including wine was $46.00 We would definitely come back.

I visited this restaurant for dinner on a Saturday night around 22:00, as it was recommended by a…read morelocal person to try some nice octopus pasta. The place was fully packed, but luckily I had to wait for a free table only for 5 minutes. The restaurant is definitely outdated and generally felt "not fresh." Its design is very simple, including very basic tables and uncomfortable chairs. Even the dishware they use to serve food is just basic-looking and boring. So aesthetically, this place did not catch my sympathy, except for a giant octopus figure hanging in the middle of the restaurant. Also, because the restaurant is small, it was very noisy inside. My waiter was fast and brought me a menu right away; luckily, there is a menu in English available. Unfortunately, the waiter spoke very poor English, so it was hard to communicate with him. Plus, I have to be honest, I did not like his attitude - he was not very friendly and seemed like he really hated doing his job. At the end, it was very hard to catch his attention and ask him to bring the bill; he literally passed by many times and never even looked at me or checked on me once. I spent almost 10 minutes just trying to catch his attention and ask for the bill. The restaurant's menu is big enough and has a good selection of classic Italian dishes - most of them are seafood. As I mentioned earlier, I was recommended to order octopus pasta, and Spaghetti all'assassina di polpo (Spaghetti all'Assassina with octopus) seemed like a perfect choice for me. Plus, for an extra €2 it was possible to add stracciatella cheese, which of course I did. For a drink, I ordered my favorite Italian iced tea brand - Estathé. Also, right away the waiter brought me a basket of bread (included as coperto - table service), and this bread tasted fresh and nice. I got my spaghetti within 15 minutes. Besides the unattractive white plate the food was served on, the dish itself looked quite messy. The cook definitely did not take care of its presentation. But the smell from the dish was very nice, which convinced me to try it immediately. Luckily, I was not disappointed in the flavors, but I also did not love them. Spaghetti all'Assassina (spicy, partly dry and partly soft, slightly charred Bari-style pasta) was cooked very well; I maybe wish it were a little less spicy and less charred, because I could taste some burnt flavor. The octopus seemed slightly overcooked too - some of its parts were burned and very dark. This burnt taste definitely lowered my overall impression of the dish, but I still liked it and moderately enjoyed eating it. By the way, stracciatella cheese on this dish is definitely a plus - it brings a nice fresh flavor, so I recommend adding this cheese to Spaghetti all'Assassina, as suggested on the menu. The size of the portion was big and filling, and I appreciated that they were not cheap with the amount of octopus. Price-wise, this restaurant seemed somewhat reasonable - half of the appetizers, for example, were around €20, which is quite a high price for an appetizer; and many main dishes started from €20 and higher. My Spaghetti all'Assassina with stracciatella cheese was €20, €3 for the iced tea, and €2.50 for table service (bread). In total, I ended up paying €25.50, and I find it slightly overpriced for my overall just satisfactory experience at this place. The business accepts all major credit cards and Apple Pay, by the way. Can I recommend this restaurant? Honestly, I do not. Nothing about this place left a great or exciting impression on me. But the Spaghetti all'Assassina with octopus is still worth trying at least once, so if you specifically want to try this dish, you can give the restaurant a try. Maybe you will have better luck with the food quality and taste than I did.

Fresh tasty seafood. Good size portions. There is a minimum number of dishes they expect customers…read moreto order, but nothing crazy if you have 3 people at your table. The place is not very big, coming when they just opened makes it easier to get a table without waiting.

While I have yet to experience dining inside we chose to eat her 4 times during out short stay in…read morePoliagno! The fresh seafood was such a nice compliment to all the pasta and pizza. While you really can't go wrong with anything on the menu- I highly recommend grabbing a sandwich with fresh burrata! You can order online for pick up if you don't want to stand in line but make sure you plan ahead- all the food is made with care. It's also open from 12-12 making it a popular spot for most of the lunch, dinner and late night crowd. Do not miss this on your visit!

This seafood joint is worth the line. Italian-born, but soon opening an NYC location, I loved the 4…read moremeals I got at Pescaria. Highlights: 1) Definitely the pulpo sandwich. 2) Next is the tuna panini. 3) Then the salmon panini. The crudo options are delish. If you've never had a raw shrimp, now's your chance to try some freshyyy ones. The salads are also delightful and the polpette's are MUAH. I ate here so many times and I'm glad I got to check out their menu...didn't try any of the pasta dishes, but the fish here is fresh, delicious, and decently priced. Pro-tip: Go online and order about 2 hours before you're hungry esp in peak season so that you can just skip the line and pick it up. Otherwise, it's like an hour+ ordeal at times to grab food here.

This was such a great place we ate here twice in one week. Similar to some of the BBQ restaurants…read morein the area but this is all fish. It is not fancy but incredible value and great fish! You select the fresh fish you like from the counter and then tell them how you want it cooked, pick what you want to drink and then go find a table. The mixed fried fish has exactly what you want, you select your own mix. The oven baked Cernia was amazing! Give it a try!

This restaurant is off the beaten path. The sea food is fresh. It was so good to be able to order…read morewhatever we wanted from the selection and have it cooked the way we wanted. They have soft drinks, beer and wine. The mussels in white wine were excellent. We also had a grilled fish and the spaghetti with sea food. Delicious. The ambiance is relaxed. A very good food experience

Beautiful restaurant with stone arches and ceilings…read more We did the tasting menu. Which was excellent. The tuna tartare was so fresh. The rice and mussels were tasty, however the mussels were tiny. We shared 3 pasta dishes, I really liked the pasta and prawns. We all had the fish special which is cooked with olive oil, zucchini and potatoes and olives. Yumm We were so full that we took dessert home. The service is very good. I highly recommend this restaurant.

We are staying at the Grotta Palazzese, which is the highest end hotel of the region with two…read morereputedly fabulous restaurants. However, other than our breakfasts at the hotel, which we paid to have included with our rooms, we are not likely having dinners here. While their menus will astound many, as well as the views of the caves, which is why many come to dine and visit, we have been seeking less extravagant dinners while here, given our suite is over $1,500 a night at the present Euro conversion. So we consulted YELP for the best rated restaurants in town and that led us here. It was all 4 and 5 ratings, save for a single rating of 1, which was based on a disgruntled patron who never even ate here. They just were declined at the door - due to no reservations, which are recommended - in a manner they deemed obnoxious. It's easy to see why so many though rated this a 5. However, we felt it fell just short in some respects that brought it down to a 4. That said, we are sure many will enjoy a 5 experience. We had a few glasses of local primovito by the glass, which like most places we've dined in Puglia was absurdly reasonable by our local NYC metro area standards. These were poured after complimentary glasses of Prosecco and a lovely small potato soup. We ordered the house special antipasto, which were 5 different small seafood dishes (baked scallops, fried cod, mussels with rice, potatoes, and tomatoes, octopus salad, and yellowfin tuna tartare). This is a must have introduction to any meal. My wife then had one of the catches of the day offerings and I the half lobster with tagliatelle. It's an all seafood restaurant, so if you are looking for something other than that, you'll need to look elsewhere. However, if seafood is your thing, of which there is quite a lot in this town, this restaurant deserves your patronage.

Such a wonderful dining experience here to celebrate my love's birthday! Bali type of atmosphere,…read morecandle light with the sound of the waves, super fresh seafood, every dish is amazing! Wine, desserts, sorbet, coffee...all fantastic! Had a great time chatting with the owner and his wife as well. They surely know how to treat customers in a great way to make everything unforgettable! Also, the location is just perfect! Next time I want to sit in "ocean watching" area to enjoy my drinks!

Our hotel recommended this restaurant. We went at 7 but Yelp is wrong opens at 8pm! Best seafood…read moreand so fresh. Many menu options for raw and cooked seafood. Great family service, location, and delicious! Enjoy

Service was terrible and so was the food. We made a reservation for six requesting an outside…read moretable. We were refused an empty outside table for six, and given an indoor table in the back. Food was sub par as well. We were rushed and servers acted annoyed because we were asking questions about the menu and needed a couple of explanations and translations. Avoid!!

Most enjoyable meal in Puglia. Service and seafood were amazing for our party of 8. Conveniently…read morelocated near the waterfront. Crudo Mare was fresh. Tuna tartare, polpo, fried anchovies and fried mixed seafood were all delicious. Server brought us limoncello to cap off the meal.