Grotta Palazzese

One of my best dining experiences of the world
Not sure why there are some negative reviews
In my opinion, gotta Palazzese offers
World class view
Top notch cuisine
Professional services
We are very happy to have this absolutely fantastic experience

This review is specific to the restaurant
Menu Selection: Abbraccio [Between the Land and Sea] option.

First off this has to be one of the most beautiful restaurants I have eaten at. The sculpture, lighting, views.Immaculate. Instantly fall in love. There was a live musician playing the saxophone or musical instrument along with the background music which is classical. Not to mention the ease of ordering. The menu is broken up into 5 options. Pick an option and receive everything that comes with that package. You just sit back and have them bring the food, clear the table and bring the next item until it’s all complete.

The wine selection is also very good. I had dry red wine that paired really well with everything I ate.

Staff: Very professional and friendly. Communication was not much of an issue because there was not much to say. Everything is straightforward.

Located in Polignano a Mare, walking distance to probably anywhere you are staying as long as it is in the town of Polignano a Mare. It’s a very small town, cozy and relaxing.

The menu can be pricey so prepare your budget for that. I would suggest reviewing the menu before doing.

Reservation is a must and dressing nice is only to your benefit or else you will look very out of place. I did need to move my reservation to later same day as I had lunch late. They were accommodating and responded to my email request quickly.

Highly recommend. Take lots of pics.

My husband and I had dinner here in July. It was worth every penny. Each course was delicious, plated beautifully and timed out perfectly. Not to mention a gorgeous view and ambiance. The front row of tables are reserved for hotel guests, so we were sat further into the cave, but it was still lovely. All staff were very attentive to our table and even offered to take photos! We had a fantastic dinner experience. Highly recommend.

With the exception of our lobster (underseasoned), everything else was perfectly fine. Clearly, this place isn’t a Michelin: the service is way off to be considered for one. Certainly, the place is way overpriced. But you’re here for the location, and you’re going to pay for that. And, yes, the location delivers. It is an obviously unique space, perhaps in all the world. If you’re a fine dining aficionado, you should book your reservation and have fun.

You can select from one of four set menus or make your own from 3, 4, or 5 dishes. We chose 5 and it was a huge mistake. The portion sizes are more generous than any fine dining place offers these days. Stick with 3 or 4.

We had heard the food was average, so we went into it only half sure, and focusing on the ambiance, which btw did NOT disappoint! The experience of dining in a grotto like that was surreal!

But the food! Oh my God, the food was so great! Our antipasti was on point, as was the secondi where I had easily the best steak of my life. The pasta could have been better but that may have been a personal preference (I prefer oil based pastas)

I will happily recommend this experience to anyone! (Worth it, trust me).

once in a lifetime experience, loved every minute there. the location is just amazing and i reccommend going around this time of the year (october/november) as its very calm in the city and the whole atmosphere was just so relaxing & enjoyable. the food was amazing, pay attention to the small details when serving the food & on the plate. the service was great.

it is an expensive experience but in my opinion totally worth it! everything was just right and exceeded my expecations.

Best view that you can ask for. And very romantic if you just concentrate in enjoying, not try to take lots of pictures.
My advise is take your time to treasure to present and able to feel the surrounding. Rather than always trying to take more pictures like many couples that I have witness.
Great food and service, but to get here can be trouble some if you drive a full-size Jeep. To get here you have to park on the Main Street or parking lot then walk or take shuttle to the hotel/restaurant.
The restaurant staffs are very responsive to our multiple emails, greatly appreciate all your replies and answers.

Travel to what feels like the edge of the world and have one most mouthwatering meals of your life. To start with parking, they make it super easy and convenient to park down the block and have a shuttle waiting for you. I guess before that , if you plan to go make sure you get reservations we’ll in advance! Part of the draw is there isn’t that many tables and it’s a multi course meal. Upon walking in and down the stairs you are immediately hit with views of the overlooking sea and feel the fresh salty breeze. The incredible staff help you to your seat and prepare you for a night you will keep dreaming about for weeks after. The filet and truffle potatoes were out of this world with so much flavor and just the right texture. Then the best part is the entire night the views overlooking the sea just got better and better! Highly recommend adding this to your bucket list. Be prepared to spend $250 -500 a person for it , but don’t let that scare you as it truly is something worth the trip for.

This is a restaurant you should absolutely visit if you can. The food is fine, it's not amazing but you are not there for the food. The experience is once in the life time. It's so magical. Yes it is expensive and don't expect Michelin standard of food, it is still however tasty and the service is good. The price you pay is really for the experience and it's such a romantic setting by the sea in a cave, what could be better.

My family and I had an unbelievable experience at this restaurant. I’m shocked to be reading such bad reviews because the food was amazing, the ambience was impeccable, and the service was spectacular. This is a once in a lifetime experience to be able to dine in such a beautiful place. Plus the food and seafood dishes are delicious, we were blown away by every bite. Thank you staff at Grotta Palazzese for making this so special for my family and I!!!!

Absolutely stunning! Wonderful service and delightful rooms with an elegant simplicity. The blue marble floors are unique and give the rooms a warm, relaxing feel.
Dinner at the cave restaurant was something out of this world!!

Our experience was the exact opposite of all the negative reviews here. The food and service was impeccable and on top of that, the views, ambience, and saxophone player contributed heavily to the overall experience to make it a great one. They even were so kind to help me propose to my girlfriend! Ignore the negative reviews and drop by Grotta Palazzese on your next trip to Italy!

Unbelievable. Difficult to get in make reservations early. Try lunch. Fixed menu with choices. Pricey. Wine prices reasonable if you are careful. Asked for local white and red wines got good suggestions at reasonable prices. Setting in cliff grotto amazing

Two words to sum up the dining experience: Worth it! Was it expensive? Yes. Did we have to cut out other bougie dinners from our trip? Yes. Would I do it all again? Absolutely!

I’m just not very sympathetic to all the reviews complaining about the price. It’s a prix-fixe dinner— you know what the price is going in. Even before getting that far, you know from looking at even one photo of this place that you’re in for a bad day for your bank account, them’s the brakes on fine dining experiences like this. If you can’t afford it, or are going to think about money the whole time and after then simply don’t go.

Service was fast and somewhat aloof but friendly, prompt, and never very far away.

For the food, we got the classico menu which started off with a truly memorable assortment of breads, then we had some very tasty ravioli, branzino for the main course which was perfectly seasoned, and finished off with an “espresso martini” dessert which was to die for.

We’ll def be back next time we’re in Puglia. Can’t wait.

A fantastic hotel in a fantastic location. Be warned about the restraunt though. It's like eating in a photographic studio with arrogant staff. Probably understandable as they must suffer the Insta crew every day. But don't tar all customers with the same brush.

Clearly the price is very expensive but it did not disappoint . The setting spectacular , the food delicious and the wine was yummy so I didn’t mind paying 😊 BUT the service needs to improve, the waiter just seemed a bit miserable which is the least you’d expect for the prices .

Absolutely beautiful views and the service was out of this world. Maximo was a wonderful host/waiter. The food was I would say a four out of five.

Absolutely stunning venue. But, as many reviews say, don’t expect a Michelin Star level meal here. You definitely pay for the experience. The food is still great, just not outstanding. We really enjoyed our meal and the whole experience and our server Valeri was amazing.

It was an absolutely perfect night for us here. The food was exceptional, the service spot on, the view of the sunset was amazing. I booked online and they only had an 8:30 sitting which I was disappointed in because I was hoping to get the sunset. In my comments, I asked that they contact me if someone canceled so we could get an earlier sitting. They texted me and let me know we could come in earlier which made things even better. Of course, the price is steep and I knew this going in but I didn't mind to much as I was expecting it for this once-in-a-lifetime experience for my wife and me. We were at the restaurant on Monday the 19th of September.

if you are a pizza and focaccia lover this place is not for you, if you want to enjoy a special place with your spouse this place is the best , been there with my wife and everything was special, starting from the parking lot with shuttle van , breathtaking view, spoiled service, delicious food, live music everything was amazing, I knew from the beginning how much I have to pay and there was no surprise when the check came, a bottle of prosecco was $70 so there is no trap as many of bad reviews said, definitely I will recommend and return to this place…