We have all seen the photo and the accompanying articles professing you can romantically dine in a candlelit cave overlooking the Adriatic Sea. The allure of that photo, a restaurant set in an unexpected location – who wouldn’t want to go there? I certainly did. It’s the Grotta Palazzese Summer Restaurant and it’s located in a hotel by the same name in Polignano a Mare in the Puglia region of Southern Italy.
Lucky for me, I received an invite to come to Grotta Palazzese for lunch while I was on my epic road trip that traced the outline of Italy’s boot. I’d read the TripAdvisor reviews and, frankly, they weren’t singing the praises of the food. We can’t lie – location trumps other things sometimes and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
There’s no debating that the location is fantastic. The restaurant was carved out of the cliff’s limestone centuries ago by the sea and has hosted elegant dinners at the request of Italian nobility since the 18th century. Today the natural sea cave, which is the largest of all the sea caves under the town of Polignano a Mare, serves as a summer restaurant (it’s only open from May until October) is sort of suspended between the town above and the Adriatic Sea 74 feet below.
The cavern extends back beyond the restaurant, which has just a handful of tables to keep the atmosphere intimate. My friend Leah from Leah Travels and I went for lunch since the restaurant recommended it is much more atmospheric when it’s daylight and you can appreciate the view. We were one of the lucky few to be seated at a sea view table. After having been there, I’d have to agree. Dinnertime in the south of Italy isn’t until after dark, even when the sun doesn’t set until 8:30pm, so you wouldn’t be able to see much beyond the interior of the restaurant.
There’s a fixed menu which is can plan to spend around $100 per person or you can also order a la carte. If you’re set on dining at Grotta Palazzese’s cave restaurant, another great reason to opt for lunch is that you choose a la carte and eat lighter. The menu is the same for both lunch and dinner and the average price per item, including appetizers, is around €33.
We started with the calamari fritti which was surprisingly paired with watermelon atop a bed of salad greens. The calamari was flavorful and crispy. It worked well with the watermelon. The portion was a bit on the small side for an appetizer priced at €35 though.
Craving the delicious lobster ravioli that was so good I ordered it two nights in a row at Hotel Santavenere in Basilicata, I opted for the lobster ravioli with cherry tomatoes and crispy basil. It lacked flavor and desperately needed some seasoning. I gave Leah a taste and she agreed that it just didn’t have much flavor.
Leah made a better entree selection and opted for tuna with curry served with burrata cheese and drizzled with just of balsamic. Her dish was more flavorful, immensely helped by the curry, and it’s hard to go wrong with a creamy burrata.
Italy isn’t exactly known for their rosé wines (called rosato in Italy), though they are much more common in the south of Italy and Puglia produces a good selection. A chilled glass of rosato is perfect for a hot summer day and €35 seemed to the magic number per bottle of wine. We asked our server to choose the one he thought was the best. We weren’t at all disappointed with our rosato.
Even though the restaurant was hosting us for lunch, we decided to skip dessert and opted to pop in to the gelato shop around the corner from Grotta Palazzese.
Overall, the food wasn’t terrible but it certainly was not up to par for the price. At Grotta Palazzese you are clearly paying for the location and atmosphere. What I suggest is taking in the atmosphere of the cave restaurant by sharing a bottle of wine from Puglia at their bar instead of dining at the restaurant.
And if you want that famous photo of the sparkling aqua Adriatic and the restaurant, head to the bathroom. There are tiny little windows where you can stick your camera out to get the perfect shot. Just be sure not to drop your camera!
Know Before You Go
Our lunch was provided by Grotta Palazzese in order to bring you this story. However, Luxe Adventure Traveler maintains full editorial control of the content published on this site. As always, all thoughts, opinions, and enthusiasm for travel are entirely our own.
Amanda says
Pity that the food isn’t that good, but, like you said, you’re paying for the location here. I think I would totally go, just to see the view with my own eyes!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Go and have a drink at the bar! The view really is lovely and Puglia makes some excellent wines.
Leah says
I was happy to share this incredible atmosphere with you! As you said, the view is much better than the food. With that being said, it’s an experience, and one that I’ll remember for a very long time.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Can’t think of a friend I’d rather have shared it with. =)
Talon says
I like the wine tip. Definitely doesn’t look like the food is worth the price. Thanks for the honest review!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
I think having a drink there is a better option. Then go enjoy the local food at another spot. We ate some of the best food I’ve had in all of Italy for under €12 per person in the Puglia region.
Heather says
Great post, Jennifer! I’ve always wondered what this restaurant is really like. Sounds like a bottle of wine is the way to go, just better take that bathroom window shot beforehand!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Haha! Yes, you don’t want to drop your phone or camera out of the bathroom window.
Ashley says
Hi!
For the suggestion of going to the bar…do you need to make a reservation for that? How would that work? Thank you!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Hi Ashley, no you don’t need to have a reservation to have a drink at the bar. The bar is a separate area of the restaurant, which you can see set above where the tables for dining are in several of our photos. You just tell the host that you’d like to have a drink and they will take you down to the bar.
Jessica says
I feel this always happens with restaurants with epic views… the food is always disappointing! At least you can head down to the bar and take in the views…
Jason & Debbie says
The food and atmosphere was amazing. We went on July 22, 2018. The rissoto with caviar was delicious. The ravioli with cheese and beef filet was amazing. Scallops were divine. The lamb chops melted in our mouths! We travel the world every year, eat at Michelin restaurants frequently, my wife is an award-winning cook (Mexico & Paris), and she says this was top 5 ever.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Glad to hear that you and your wife had a good experience, Jason!
We also travel the world and regularly eat in Michelin star and top restaurants. Not to mention the fact that we lived in Italy for 7 years. Unfortunately, the food was not up to par with what you should expect for the prices you’re paying. I dug in to some research to see if they have had a new chef since our visit, but my research just dug up even more disappointed customers over the food.
We’re sticking to our opinion that this spot is beautiful, but takes advantage a bit of the unique location to serve up substandard food at an astronomical price.
Jenny Park says
Hi there,
Thank you for this captivating and useful information you have posted.
As a tourist all the way from NZ, I was heartbroken till I came across with you honest review, simply as I realised Ristorantte Grotta Palazzese doesn’t open during winter time (when we planned on going to Bari)!
I just wanted to ask you what the bar you recommended is called, whether it will be opened around end of Nov – early Dec…! Thank you truly for your time,
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Hi Jenny,
The bar we’re referring to is Grotta Palazzese. There’s the restaurant and also a bar where you can just go to have a drink all occupying the same space. Unfortunately, beach towns like this are seasonal destinations and mostly shut down from October – May.
Debbie O’Malley says
Are there specific tours to take us to this Grotto ? Would it be best to hire a driver? We are on a cruise ship and stopping for the day in Bari
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Hi Debbie,
No, there aren’t any tours. This is just a restaurant built in to the side of a cliff. It’s not a tourist cave. You could take a taxi, but as we said in our review the food is just okay and priced very high. You’ll find far better restaurants to dine at and have really good cuisine representative of the Puglia region.
George Devereux says
Hi Jennifer,
Greetings. from George Devereux from Australia
even before reading your comments about the cuisine, I’d already formed an opinion of disdain from the photos.
After traveling and living overseas for 10 years, I’m glad to be back in my home state of Queensland once again. The state government here is firmly committed to Covid 19 management.
Many people from other states are being turned away from entry unless they have met
strict criteria especially wrt vaccination, quarantine, isolation and lock down of cities and regions when any unidentifiable source of the covid 19 is detected, particularly the delta strain.
Regards
George R D