La Pignata

I spent 2 nights in Matera. I read a bunch of reviews for different places. And tried to eat everywhere and everything. Eventually landed here. The service here was attentive and friendly without being over bearing. Both of the gentlemen were great. But one was extremely helpful and described things in English with patience and kindness. The food felt traditional, delicious and filling. The pignaleta was everything I needed on a chilly November night. The house wine was cheap and delicious. The dessert sealed it for me. If I ever end up in Matera again I know where my first dinner would be. If you’re reading this and can’t decide on a place. This is your sign. Go!

Our last dinner in Italy ended on a high note here! Their ‘pignatella’ is a completely unique dish that (to us) didn’t make sense on paper but was intriguing enough that we wanted to try it. It was one of the best and most surprising dishes I’ve tried in a long time! Essentially a lamb, chicory, potato and mozzarella stew baked in an earthenware pot and covered with a perfectly baked pizza dough lid, which we tore apart and used to scoop up all the delicious broth. We didn’t try any but I can imagine their pizzas are incredible. Food aside, the staff were lovely and welcoming, and the experience was very good value for money.

The food at Restaurant La Pignata is authentic! While they offer great pizza and pasta, their menu goes beyond the basics. From the outside, I worried it might be a tourist trap—thankfully, it's not! The quality of ingredients is top-notch, and the cuisine is honest and straightforward. Prices are very reasonable, and the service is attentive and detailed. La Pignata is a solid restaurant that knows exactly what it wants to be, and it does it well. Do yourself a favor and order the pork leg and their signature dish, La Pignata—the meat is incredibly tender and juicy. After days of eating just “okay” food in Matera, this was a pleasant surprise. I highly recommend booking a table in advance.

We had 3 dishes to share. Cavatelli with chickpeas, fava bean soup, and the Pignatella. All were delicious and I recommend trying them if you want some traditional food for the region.

We booked a table for dinner via the website. The service was amazing, the waitress was extremely friendly and recommended dishes that weren’t on the menu. We had a huge beef costata to share- very tasty, locally produced meat. Pasta wasn’t that great, but the local soups were lovely. Great for nice casual dinner.

We were recommended to come here but as soon as we walked in the staff were on their phones, no attention to the customers, we had to shout them over 3 times. We ordered pizza, no pizzas at lunchtime, we ordered burgers, no burgers at lunchtime, they failed to mention this when they have us the full menu. When we did order we had to ask them for salt, pepper, oil etc as they never bothered to put anything on the table? The food was nice but we didn't really enjoy it after the poor service.

Amazing food. We had 2 wine glasses, the cheese sauce pasta dish, the orecchiette with sausage and mushroom, the Pignata, and the sporcamuss dessert. All were amazing dishes. The highlight was the pignata, the meat was so tender and delicious. I wish I had taken a picture of the pignata and I wish we could have eaten here every night that we stayed in Matera.

You need to try the main with lamb stew!!! That’s one of the best dishes Ive tried! Pizza was extremely good and delicious. 0.5l house wine for €5. Recommend getting for dinner between 19:45-20:00. Otherwise need to wait a line to get a table. No seafood, but omg, their meat is amazing.