5 of the best restaurants in Ostuni

Owner of London's own Puglian restaurant Ostuni, Rob Claassen,shares five of his hot tips for where to eat in the 'white city'
White City: Ostuni (Alamy)
Alamy
Kate Lough21 July 2016

Puglia, Italy's rustic, flavoursome heel, is one of the hottest holiday destinations of 2016 - and not least for the food.

Packed with vinyards and olive groves, Puglia lends itself to a food-fulled road trip. One of the places you must stop is Ostuni, one of the region's 'white cities. Set atop a hill, this whitewashed town is near the Adriatic Coast and packed with buzzing restaurants and bars.

Here, owner of London's own Ostuni restaurant Rob Claassen - which has branches in Queen's Park and Highgate - shares his insider knowledge for where to eat in the town and surrounding area.

1. Al Solito Posto

This is one of my favourite places in Ostuni. I’ve always had a special connection with the owner Francesco who’s the same age as me and opened Al Solito Posto at the same time I opened my first restaurant, The Salusbury, back in 1999. We’re both obsessed with wine and Francesco has a great rare wine collection as well as having some of the best Puglian wines. But besides that, this place is a must when in town. It’s an all-rounder serving everything from pizza, lobster, fish, carpaccio of fish, steak from Tuscany, to the must-order: Antipasto Pugliese. Antipasti is served at every restaurant in Puglia and includes small plates of the house, hot and cold, but the one here is by far one of the best. Al Solito Posto is located by the cinema outside the old town. Reservations are recommended throughout the summer months. ANother notable dish is the Orechiette cime di rapa – the classic dish of Puglia. Francesco’s version is turbo charged with a serving of burrata.

2. Osteria del tempo perso

With such an evocative name, it only makes sense that this restaurant is located within one of the most atmospheric spaces. Built at the top of Ostuni old town, past the white washed side streets, this old, classically smart restaurant is built within a cave. They serve classic Puglian feasts - so no pizza here - and I love the place for its fresh cheeses, especially their burrata. You’ll definetly need to reserve here throughout the summer months but make sure you ask to be sat in the main restaurant rather than the other area which has been built recently and not within the cave.

Find it: Via Gaetano Tanzarella Vitale, 47, 72017 Ostuni BR, Italy; osteriadeltempoperso.com

Osteria del Tempo Perso

3. Ristorante Pantagruel

This place isn’t for the faint hearted and serves some of the best meat in Ostuni. You’ll find the restaurant amongst the winding cobbled streets at the bottom of the old town and probably smell it before you get there. Inside it’s rustic and medieval with suits of armour, swords, coats of arms, wooden tables and paper place settings plus a grand butcher’s counter with all the meat on display – really impressive. Be sure to try the bombette here, the incredible meatballs and braciole, and accompany it with some side salads. They’ll bring all the meat on skewers straight from the oven to your table, making it quite a theatrical event. If you’re feeling really brave, I’d highly recommend the Diaframma Cavallo which is an onglet of horse – unforgettable. This is a lively dinner spot and Pantagruel has a great tourist menu which is good value too.

Find it: Via Francant Arc Zaccaria, 9, 72017 Ostuni BR, Italy

Miramre has a great position on the sea 
Miramare

4. Miramare

About a 20-minute drive from Ostuni to the coastal town of Santa Sabina, there is a beautiful seafront restaurant called Miramare which is hands down, my favourite restaurant. It’s known to the locals as Da Michele, the name of the owner, and is almost completely surrounded by sea. It’s a crime not to sit outside and take in the views. It’s also just as bad to not order the Antipasti a la Casa which will include slow cooked octopus, baked clams, gratinee mussels and raw Gallipoli prawns, amongst many others. They have great pasta dishes too like the Ragu of Scorpion Fish with Black Ink Orecchiette or the Cavatelli with baby cuttlefish and fresh artichokes. Miramare is my happy place.

Find it: Via della Torre, Torre Santa Sabina, Marina di carovigno. Brindisi 72012, Italy miramaredamichele.it

Seafood dish at Miramare di Michele
Miramare

5. Porta Nova

This restaurant is the more elegant of the selection and has amazing views of Ostuni’s old town. It’s located on the ramparts of the old town wall and does everything from pasta to fish (no pizzas though!). It’s more of a special occasion kind of place, nice for Sunday family lunches or a romantic evening. It also has one of the best wine lists in town.

Find it: Via Gaspare Petrarolo, 38, 72017 Ostuni BR, Italy; en.ristoranteportanova.com

Rob Claassen is the owner of Ostuni, which has branches in Queen's Park and Highgate; ostunirestaurant.co.uk

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