Cactus In Polignano a mare

29/07/2025: By the port, great views, but disappointing food and service. Unwelcoming, we went in smiling and greeting the waiters before mentioning we had a reservation, the waiters — cross-armed and passive, did not even bother to say good evening. The bread served: stale and hard. When taking the order, the waiter barely spoke (not because he was incompetent in english, but simply, by choice.) The food on the other hand, very mediocre. Ordered the Tuna Carpaccio, uneven slices and wasn’t great fish (overly fishy). Also had the calamarata pasta and the seafood cavatelli pasta. The cavatelli was way too salty and one of the worse ones we’ve had on the trip, and the calamarata pasta was overly chewy and slightly undercooked. The monkfish ragout was thick and lacked flavour. The most disappointing experience on our Puglia trip so far, shame it was also our last night in Monopoli. Go somewhere else where the waiters actually have interest in serving and the food meets the standard of what the restaurant portrays.

24/07/2025: Restaurant on the Monopoli harbor with carefully crafted dishes and select ingredients. Creative and sophisticated appetizers with interesting pairings. Friendly and attentive service. Excellent value, highly recommended.