Menelao A Santa Chiara - TURI

Next to star Michelin In a wonderful old city Turi When a passion meet history Visit this restaurant it’s mean visit Puglia in a gastronomical traditions

This restaurant which extends over three small floors of a medieval house opposite a baroque church to a roof -top though enclosed dining room is simply one of the best places I have ever dined in Italy . Sturdy stone walls, honey hued and cool set of the understated elegance of this excellent restaurant. The staff are impeccably mannered without ostendtation or subservience . The napery , the glassware , the cutlery, the dining chairs too , all are testament to a person of refined taste. And taste is uppermost in the mind of the chef whose range of culinary excellence and restraint is noteworthy . At 200 euros for four diners with two truely excellent bottles of white and red wines from the region of Puglia around and all food sourced locally , this restaurant is deserving of the highest recommendation to all discerning diners who appreciate excellent food in calm surroundings served by waiters, who are beside you only when needed and where preciousness , precociousness and breathless descriptions of each course is not the house style . Give yourself an excuse (we had a special birthday to ramble off into the countryside from Bari and dine at Menelao. I will go back there again to repeat the gracious evening with the best of Italian cuisine and taste .

We reserved a table in this restaurant on a saturday evening in september 2013, on the base of the positive reviews and fotos we vecseen at tripadvisor. It turned out to be areal disaster! First we were the only people on a saturday, the staff existed out of 3 people who stayed the whole evening around our table, not very relaxing.. The waitor told us there was no menu, and he told what we would eat. There was even not a mention of the price that it would cost. Ok, as we are open for some adventure, we hoped to be pleasantly surprised. Horror! The starter was a platter of sea fruit, this was ok. The second was a risotta with asparges, not a local product for september and not very tasty. But the worced was the steak, it come straight out of the frozer, and all water came out. Total without taste. The desert came from the supermarket, such as the biscuits from the coffee. We paid 150 euro for this, we have eaten far better for half of the price in puglia. We do not understand the positive reviews, perhaps the restaurant changed from owner? We can only advise : choose a better adress if you want to eat well.

Non mangiavo così bene in un ristorante da decenni! Un menu di pesce dal primo all ultimo con il sapore del mare ! Tutto freschissimo servito in maniera impeccabile in una cornice fantastica nel paese, Turi, che ha riportato a galla ricordi indelebili di una gioventù vissuta giorno dopo giorno in quei vicoli incantati . Continuate cosi !

Locale creato in un palazzo del 700 con muri in pietra, situato nel Centro Storico di Turi vicino la Chiesa di Santa Chiara, arredamento elegante, pietanze dai sapori Pugliesi molto buone, ingredienti buoni e genuini, servizio tavoli eccellente, personale qualificato e disponibile, prezzi nella norma