Masaniello In Gaeta

18/02/2024: My partner and I had dinner at Acqua Pazza, as we wanted to have a fine dining experience in Ponza, to celebrate the ending of our vacation in summer 2023. We went for the tasting menu whose dishes you can find in the pictures I am attaching to the review. We found the food well-cooked, simple, and yet tasty: personally, the dishes which really stood-out were the little ravioli with liquid tomato sauce and the chocolate dessert with several consistencies. The wine pairing was perfect as we savoured a white wine locally produced. There were - however - two negative sides to notice. Understanding we are taking about fine dining and high-end restaurants, we personally prefer a more informal atmosphere: we noticed that the restaurant manager was overly present and supervising all the operations, which made the experience a little bit too tight - maybe this can open a room for discussion and supervise the staff from a more distant situation. Secondly, a young couple started to smoke electronic cigarette in the table close to ours (thankfully, they left soon), with no action taken. Overall, I would recommend trying this restaurant as the location on the cliff is A+MAZING, the food and the wine pairing are worth it, and we had a great and romantic night.

02/11/2023: It is the only starred restaurant in Ponza and there must be a reason. Intimate and welcoming place with a wonderful sea view. I found the tasting menu excellent as well as the attention and service (even if we had to ask to slow down for a moment to avoid eating hastily). The entire menu is top-notch but the cuttlefish appetizer with pea and artichoke cream is truly superb. The swordfish marinated in soy was also cooked impeccably and very tasty. Sweet final level. The tasting menu costs 90 euros and is worth every penny.