Love Ostuni, Puglia | Summer 2024 City Guide

Sophisticated and stylish, poetic and timeless. Ostuni rises up from the rolling olive groves that surround it, a gleaming white oasis, framed by Puglia’s endless blue sky. With a vibrant bar and restaurant scene Ostuni is one of the most popular stops for visitors to our region. Loose yourself in its nooks and crannies as you explore the tangle of narrow streets and stairways of the centro storico. Its central location makes Ostuni the perfect home base for venturing into the Valle d’Itria and beyond.

On top of that, Ostuni is where we are based and meet up as a team over the summer months. We know it well!

In this Guide:

Where to eat | recommended bars and restaurants

The choice of dining experiences in Ostuni during the summer season seems endless. Excellent restaurants and chic bars are tucked away in the maze of medieval alleys, arches and stairwells of the old town that shoot out from via Cattedrale and wind around the duomo and the old town walls.

While bad food is hard to find some restaurants offer better value than others. Many restaurants regularly recommended on travel forums are recommended by tourists and visited by more tourists, even though locals would not eat there. The food and dining experience may be good, but if it is comparatively overpriced without any added value, we haven’t included it.

We eat where locals eat and we pay for all our meals and review anonymously.

Ostuni Bistrot | restaurant

Family run restaurant serving traditional local dishes, offering good food and great value. Osteria Ostuni Bistrot is our favourite Ostuni lunch spot. We are regular visitors and always take visiting friends.

The restaurant is located adjacent to the main piazza (📍Piazza della Libertà, 5) with a larger seating area on the main piazza. There is also a comfortable, air-conditioned inside seating area. We usually walk-in, without booking. But in summer, we will ask them to hold a table for us when we are passing by.

The seating area on the piazza is next to the seating area of another restaurant called ‘Petit Bistrot’ (Codice a Barre). Do not confuse one with the other. Ostuni Bistrot is where we want to eat (📍Ostuni Bistrot seating area). Their menu looks like this:

Pinsa | Unlike traditional pizza, which can be heavy and greasy, a pinsa is a lighter version perfect for lunch.

Taglieri | A charcuterie style sharing board. Generous and perfect as a shared appetiser for 3-4 people. If you want to change the balance of one of the boards for more vegetarian or meat choices, consider ordering one or the other with a side of polpette or bruschettoni.

Bruschettoni | Smaller than bruschette, a crisp and light starter.

Insalata | Polpo and patate (potato and octopus) salad.

Antipasti | To nibble on we sometimes order polpette (traditional deep-fried bread and veal meatballs, light and crispy). The parmigiana is also delicious. Fave e cicoria (a fava bean puree) is not always on the menu, due to its seasonality. But you could always ask, as it is a great vegetarian option.

Pasta | In summer we often have the orecchiette alla crudaiola, a lighter pasta dish with fresh tomato and topped with cacioricotta cheese. Eat it inside, or outside.

Orecchiette al pomodoro is served in a traditional tomato sauce. The orecchiette alle cime di rape is perhaps Puglia’s most traditional dish. Cime di rape (often translated as turnip tops, though in fact they more closely resemble tenderstem broccoli albeit bitter and with a softer texture) is a bitter green. The Ostuni Bistrot version is not as bitter as some we have tasted.

Spaghettoni and cozze (mussels) is another dish we visit often. Don’t ask for Parmesan with it – you will be politely told that the cheese overpowers the delicate seafood! Riso, patate e cozze is a traditional Bari dish with a comforting double carb hit of layered potato and rice, with mussels.

The lasagne is firm. ‘Maritato piatto unico’ is orecchiette pasta with polpette (meatballs) and braciole (thin slices of beef stuffed with prosciutto, pecorino, garlic, and herbs) slow cooked in a tomato sauce. It always blows us away.

Paccheri al tonno rosso is a lighter pasta dish especially good in the summer.

Secondi | The cotoletta al patate beats any cotoletta we have had in Milan. Fritto dell’Adriatico has prawn and calamari from the Adriatic, fried light and crisp.

The grilled octopus is equally delicious. We usually finish our meal with the panna cotta – al caramello is our favourite topping.

Casa San Giacomo | restaurant

Located in the heart of the centro storico, just off the main road to the duomo, about half-way up. Traditional home cooking in a typical Ostuni cellar setting with vaulted ceilings.

Our favourite spot for dinner, but be sure to book from June – September. Serving the recipes of Nonna Rosetta who used to cook in the kitchen with her sister. But sadly she passed a few years ago. The restaurant is now run by her grandson.

Dinner for three, including the coperto cover charge, three starters, mains and coffees, two bottles of water and two bottles of a moderately expensive wine cost us €153.

And yes, Madonna booked the whole restaurant to celebrate her 63rd birthday.
€€ – €€€

📍Via Nino Bixico, 4
+39 328 138 8457

Osteria Monacelle | restaurant

Good local food in the heart of Ostuni’s old town.

Osteria Monacelle is one of our dependable dinner choices when we eat out in Ostuni. They serve typical regional dishes consistently well.

If fave with cicoria and octopus are on the menu the chances are that they will be appearing on our table.

Monacelle has three eating areas. The narrow alleyway outside the restaurant, the main dining space which is the second door up, at street level where the outside menu is located, and the upstairs area which the first door that you come to walking up the hill.

The main dining space is adjacent to the main kitchen, too hot in summer. The upstairs area is (slightly) cooler, with fewer tables. You won’t find yourself near the bathroom which sometimes happens with a table for two downstairs. We find the alleyway seating area too narrow for privacy, with many passers by on a summers evening.

From June – September booking is recommended to avoid a long wait, or being turned away.
€€ – €€€

📍Via P. Vincenti
+39 083 133 4212

Caffè Fanelli Bistrot | bar

Coffee, lunch and aperitivi. The best value Aperol Spritz on Ostuni’s main piazza.

Our favourite spot for people watching, morning, anfternoon and evening. We go there for a coffee and pastry, or a later morning or afternoon/evening aperitivo. We love the crema al caffè on a summer morning.

We are big fans of their home made lasagne – a must if you like your lasagne on the wet side, with plenty of sauce.

Fanelli cook their lasagne like we do – with prosciutto layered between the sheets of pasta and ragù.

They also have a nice plate of orecchiette alla crudaiola. A lighter pasta dish with fresh tomato topped with grated cacioricotta cheese from Puglia, perfect in summer.

Fanelli is our preferred aperitivo spot. Their Aperol Spritz is served with a tris, a typical snack on the side. All for €5,90. The best value Aperol Spritz on Ostuni’s main piazza.

On the other side of the Sant’Oronzo column, only 10 metres away at Casbah expect to pay 15€ for the same. The only difference in price we can ascertain is for Casbah’s chic lounge bar surroundings.

📍Piazza della Libertà, (2 Corso Cavour) | €-€€

Borgo Antico Bistrot | bar

For aperitivo. Spectacular views over the olive groves to the Adriatic and a reasonably priced Aperol Spritz.

You might think given its prime location this would be an overpriced tourist trap, but fortunately not. A wonderful spot to pause after walking to the top of the old town, on the eastern side of Ostuni.

📍Via Fina, 8 | € – €€

Asso di Spade | panzerotti to go

Panzerotti are one of Puglia’s epic street foods. Like a calzone pizza, only better! Asso di Spade has some great daily specials including nduja, gorgonzola and guanciale as well as classic tomato and mozzarella. Hits the spot!

📍Via Benedetto Cairoli, 1 | take away | €

Gelaterie | for gelato artigianale

Our favourite gelato in Ostuni is from Caffè Garibaldi on the main piazza (📍Piazza della Libertà, 52/53). Fondente, a deep dark chocolate, and amarena is a particularly spectacular combination. Caffè Garibaldi is our spill over lunch spot if we can’t get a table at Ostuni Bistrot. They have good pizza and they do a version of spaghetti all’assassina, but it is a variation on the classic crunchy, burnt version. Using spaghetti that is already cooked, it is more like a spaghetti all’arrabbiata.

Alternatively head to the top of the centro storico. After the duomo and just beyond Arco Scoppa for the Gelateria Borgo Antico (📍Gelateria Borgo Antico).

Ostuni outskirts

Masseria Moroseta | fine dining

A modern take on traditional dishes in minimal surroundings. Expensive, but exceptional dining. A short drive from Ostuni en route to the main highway. Fixed menu, price on booking (booking essential, the restaurant fills up well in advance).
€€€€€

📍Contrada Lamacavallo snc, 72012 Ostuni
+39 338 18 99 199

Trattoria Il Cortiletto

Good food in modest unassuming surroundings. A short drive from Ostuni en route to the main highway.
€€

📍Via Lecce 91, 72015 Speziale
+39 080 481 0758

Carovigno | 8km from Ostuni

Nearby neighbour Carovigno punches well above its weight with fantastic bars, restaurants and a really intimate old town. From a family run trattoria to a Michelin starred restaurant on the main piazza, and from a sizzling hot Naples pizzeria to an amazing Braceria grill restaurant (a speciality of the region), it has a top choice of places to eat at.

Carovigno Travel Guide: Ostuni’s Neighbour Packs An Unexpected Punch

Where we avoid

RICCARDO caffè

You will find this on the far side of the old town, on Via Gaetano Tanzarella Vitale, 61 just along from Osteria Del Tempo Perso.

Offering aperitifs and cocktails in a cave setting with a trendy outside seating area marked by beanbags up and down the stone steps, beware of being overcharged and paying for unexpected extras. We pointed out that it was not permitted to charge more than the menu price, required to be displayed by Italian law. We were refunded but in what we considered a very aggressive, confrontational and threatening manner, we were ultimately asked to leave, and escorted off the premises.

Osteria Del Tempo Perso

When we visited we were disappointed with the quality of the food, which we found overpriced and very ordinary. This restaurant is often highly recommended by tourists for its traditional cuisine. The majority of its customers are tourists, who recommend it to other tourists. It would be unusual for locals to eat there.

Casbah Risto Café

Trendy bar just off the main Piazza adjacent to Sant’Oronzo’s column. A prime location but with matching premium pricing. At 15€ the most expensive Aperol Spritz on the piazza. Do not sit there without checking out the prices first! Just 10 metres away on the other side of the column, at Fanelli an Aperol Spritz served with snacks costs much less than half the Casbah price!

More | for reviews and thoughts on other Ostuni restaurants, bars and eateries, check out our #EatOstuni Guide.

Eat Ostuni | Our Ostuni Best Restaurant and Bar Recommendations

This is our insider guide to Ostuni’s best and best value bars and restaurants for eating out in Ostuni.

2. Life’s a beach | the best beaches nearby Ostuni and beyond

The stretch of the Adriatic coast from Bari south has more rocky coves than the endless strips of sandy beach you will find on the Ionian coast. Nevertheless there are some fine sections to enjoy, especially around Ostuni.

Savelletri

Long stretches of sandy beach. Many private lidos with loungers, umbrellas, bars and restaurants but fewer free public beaches.

📍Savelletri Beaches SP90, 72015 Fasano (BR).

Torre Canne

Long stretches of public, sandy beaches. Popular with families and sports enthusiasts, there is canoeing and kite surfing.

📍Spiaggia di Torre Canne, Via Eroi del Mare, 72016 Tore Canne, Fasano (BR) to Lido Morelli.

Pilone

Sandy beach, popular with residents of the camping and touristic villages nearby, who often arrange for residents’ beach club activities for kids, so it can get noisy!

📍Spiaggia di Pilone, Torre Pilone, Ostuni, Via mare Adriatico, 72017 Ostuni (BR).

Torre Pozzelle | Lamaforca

Small sandy beaches in rocky coves, surrounded by pine forest. Both are popular with the families who stay in the nearby camping touristic villages. 

📍Spiaggia di Torre Pozzelle | 📍Spiaggia di Lamaforca, Contrada Lamaforca, Ostuni.

Specchiolla

A selection of public beaches and private lidos. Approach from the south-eastern end from the highway Specchiolla exit. Usually we can find free parking along the way, but there are pay car parks by the lidos.

📍Specchiolla public beaches, Carovigno.

Punta Penna Grossa (Torre Guaceto)

The family friendly end of Torre Guaceto. Extremely popular, but you need to park in the not so nearby pay car park at the north entrance parking area for the Torre Guaceto nature reserve (by the Meditur Village) and take the shuttle trolly train (around 4 mins each way with waits up to 15 minutes).

Punta Penna Grossa, Torre Guaceto.

Public Parking

The municipality has set up free car parking spaces along the 17km stretch of coastline along Ostuni’s territory, to protect the amenity by discouraging off road parking elsewhere. Please use the car parking provided!

More beach | 50 of Puglia’s best beaches

Puglia has some of Italy’s finest coast. In 2023 it was awarded 22 bandiera blu awards for the water quality of its beaches, the most in Italy outside the Italian Riviera.

Check out our insider guide to 50 of the best beaches in Puglia.

50 of Puglia’s best beaches

3. La città bianca, Puglia’s White City | what to see and do

Loose yourself in its nooks and crannies as you explore the tangle of narrow streets and stairways of the centro storico.

From the Piazza della Libertà (main town square), with the baroque obelisk of Sant’ Oronzo (la colonna), along the Via Cattedrale up into the old town to the duomo, under the Arco Scoppa, to the selfie at La Porta Blu.

Our insider guide to Ostuni includes details on what to see and do in Ostuni, including where to park in Ostuni and instructions on using the pay and display parking machines, where to find the best value Aperol Spritz on Ostuni’s main piazza (and where to avoid one of the most expensive in Italy).

The Big Guide to Ostuni

4. The best time to visit Ostuni

The city is at its most vibrant over summer when visitors swell Ostuni’s population from around 32,000 to over 100,000. We joke that in Puglia we only have two seasons: summer, and not-summer! Fortunately the ‘summer’ season is a long one. It starts in spring for Easter, and lasts through until the end of October.

From the end of October until the start of Easter, many bars and restaurants in and around the old town stay closed. During this period options for eating out – especially during the daytime – will be very limited. Although February is carnevale time, many of the bars and restaurants that are for local residents take an annual holiday, sometimes up to two weeks. After Ash Wednesday February can be particularly fallow month.

5. Aperitivo time | the best value Aperol Spritz on Ostuni’s main piazza

Ranging from 4,90€ to 15€, be careful where you choose to sit for your Aperol Spritz on Ostuni’s main piazza! Around the square Italy’s favourite aperitivo is served with a small ‘tris’ – a selection of 3+ small bowls from the following: olives, crisps (US chips), taralli, savoury crackers and peanuts. 

Prices as at April 2024.

Best Aperol Spritz value on Ostuni’s Piazza della Libertà

6. Day trip planning and road trips from Ostuni

Ostini is perfectly positioned as a base to explore the Valle d’Itria and beyond. From Ostuni Cisternino, Locorotondo, Alberobello, Monopoli and Polignano a Mare are all within easy distance, as also Lecce and some of Salento’s best beaches.

Check out the Puglia Guys essential Puglia day trip and road trip guide to plan your schedule from an Ostuni base.

Love Puglia | Piece by Piece

7. Adding value to your Ostuni vacation

Experience a local pizzica night, in-villa home cooking, and ‘stray’ local to avoid overly touristy areas, for a slower pace of life that is typically Puglian.

Insider Puglia | Love Puglia’s Top 2024 Travel Trends Guide