Al Vecchio Frantoio In San michele salentino

Everything was great. The pasta was amazing. The quality of the product was top-notch.

Everything is excellent and very affordable!

Perfect. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay.

No fuss, just great cuisine There are places you don't discover by chance, but they stay with you like a memory of a successful trip. Andrea's Vecchio Frantoio is one of those places where time slows down, your phone ceases to matter, and the food speaks much better than anyone else. If you want to eat truly well, then you have to go to Andrea (for locals), to Vecchio Frantoio for everyone else. Period. Andrea is gruff, fussy, precise: he notices everything. Really everything. But it's precisely thanks to these "adorable" quirks that he cooks divinely. Products that don't pass muster are sent back to the sender without appeal, trial, or the possibility of a plea bargain. Quality first, friendliness... perhaps second. The restaurant is typical of the area: entering is like stepping back several centuries. Here you won't find Nordic design or Instagram-worthy lighting, but a real olive oil mill transformed into a restaurant, where the only modern aspect is the satisfaction you leave with at the end of the meal. At lunchtime, it's mostly frequented by locals (who know where the food is served) and by passing salesmen who, upon entering, wonder why they didn't arrive earlier. It's hard to say which dish is the best, especially since we've never managed to get a wrong order. My wife and I love the house pizza, but between fried fish, first courses, and second courses, we tried hard to find something to criticize. Mission failed. To say we didn't like anything would be a complete lie. We've brought friends to this place, and years later, they still talk about it as one of the absolute highlights of their vacations. Some remember the sea, others... Andrea's cooking. If we added an extra smile to all this, then yes, we could easily call it a Michelin star. But maybe not: that half-smile less is an integral part of the experience, like the service charge or the warm bread. "Andrea and family" are like that, and it would probably be a disaster if they weren't. You don't come here for the sweet talk, the clichés, or the "How are you, everything okay?" repeated every three minutes. You come here for the culinary art, to feel welcomed in its own way, and to leave with your taste buds in awe and a smile (ours) plastered on your face. A round of applause also goes to those who are at the forefront today, the owner: her daughter Valentina and her husband Angelo. On several occasions, I even managed to get a smile out of them. In those moments, I felt like a scientist winning the Nobel Prize in the most complex discipline ever: "the eradication of smiles in a hostile environment." And yes, I did win that Nobel. In conclusion, I can only say one thing: coming to Vecchio Frantoio is an experience, and we always love returning. Even without a Michelin star. Here... the star is already there.

The takeout pizza was good. The atmosphere was great.