Matera Food Guide: The Best Restaurants and Must-Try Local Dishes

The Best Restaurants in Matera, Italy Where to Eat Like a Local: From Cave Restaurants to Cheap Eats and Rooftop Views

Matera isn’t just a city carved from stone. It’s a place where the food tradition is rich, where every meal tells a story, where ancient recipes survive in family kitchens, and where the bread alone is worth the trip. Beyond the dramatic Sassi and cinematic landscapes, this UNESCO World Heritage city hides a food scene rooted in peasant traditions, local grains, and bold Lucanian flavours that most visitors never fully discover. From cave restaurants tucked into tufa rock where candlelight flickers against walls shaped by human hands thousands of years ago, to sunset aperitivos overlooking the dramatic ravine, this guide reveals exactly where to eat, what to order, and how to experience Matera’s cuisine like someone who has called this extraordinary place home for generations.

What Food is Matera Known For? Traditional Dishes You Must Try

To understand Matera’s cuisine, you need to understand its history. For centuries, the people who lived in the Sassi caves were among the poorest in Italy, surviving on what the harsh landscape provided: ancient grains, hardy legumes, wild herbs foraged from the surrounding Murgia plateau, and very little meat.

What they created from these humble ingredients wasn’t just sustenance. It was culinary alchemy, transforming scarcity into dishes so flavourful and satisfying that they’ve endured for generations.

This isn’t refined restaurant food reinvented for Instagram. This is the real thing: recipes passed from grandmother to mother to daughter, techniques perfected over centuries, flavours that taste of the land itself. When you eat in Matera, you’re not just having a meal. You’re participating in a living tradition that connects you to the thousands of families who shaped this extraordinary city with their hands and fed their children with these same dishes.

Pane di Matera

If there’s one thing you absolutely must eat in Matera, it’s the bread. And we don’t say this lightly. Pane di Matera IGP is widely considered one of the finest breads in all of Italy, a claim that Italians, who take their bread very seriously indeed, don’t make casually. This isn’t just any loaf. It’s a protected regional treasure with IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta) status, made exclusively with local durum wheat semolina, natural leavening from a mother yeast that’s been kept alive for generations, and pure water.

The result is a large, round loaf with a thick, deeply golden crust that crackles when you break it, revealing a soft, honeycombed interior with a slightly tangy flavour from the long fermentation. The bread stays fresh for an remarkable seven to nine days, a necessity born from the days when families baked once a week in communal ovens carved into the rock. Before baking, the baker scores three cuts into the top of the dough, an ancient symbol of the Holy Trinity that has marked Matera’s bread for centuries.

The history here runs deep. As far back as the Middle Ages, Matera’s bakers were renowned throughout the Kingdom of Naples, supplying bread to armies and nobility alike. Today, you’ll find this magnificent bread on every restaurant table, served with local olive oil for dipping, used as the base for countless traditional dishes, or simply eaten on its own as the locals do, tearing off chunks throughout the day. Once you’ve tasted it, you’ll understand why Materans treat their bread with something approaching reverence. You’ll likely find yourself doing the same.

Cialledda

Nothing captures the resourceful spirit of Materan cooking quite like cialledda. In a cuisine where nothing was ever wasted, this rustic bread salad transforms what would otherwise be stale, day-old bread into something genuinely wonderful. Cubes of Pane di Matera are moistened with water (some cooks use the liquid from soaking dried tomatoes), then tossed with ripe summer tomatoes bursting with juice, thinly sliced red onion, crunchy cucumbers, briny black olives, fresh basil leaves, dried oregano, and generous amounts of the region’s exceptional extra virgin olive oil. A splash of red wine vinegar brightens everything.

This was traditionally the breakfast of farmers and shepherds heading out to work the fields before dawn, a dish that could be prepared the night before and eaten cold as the sun rose over the Murgia. Served chilled, it bursts with Mediterranean freshness, each bite a different combination of textures and flavours. There’s also a lesser-known warm winter version called cialledda calda, where the bread is heated in broth and topped with a poached egg, equally comforting on cold evenings. Simple, frugal, and absolutely delicious, cialledda reminds us that the best cooking often comes from making the most of what you have.

Fave e Cicorie

This iconic dish, shared with neighbouring Puglia (it’s also in our Bari food guide!) is pure edible comfort, the kind of food that wraps around you like a warm blanket. Fave e cicorie pairs a velvety, almost silky purée of dried fava beans with piles of bitter wild chicory greens, the whole thing finished with a generous swirl of local extra virgin olive oil that pools golden-green on the surface.

The magic lies in the contrast. The fava purée is mild, earthy, and impossibly creamy, achieved through long, slow cooking and vigorous stirring until the beans break down completely. Against this comes the chicory: dark green, slightly chewy, and distinctly bitter in that way that makes your mouth water. The olive oil ties everything together, its peppery freshness cutting through the richness. You’ll find it served cold as an antipasto during summer months, or hot as a satisfying main course when the weather turns. Either way, it always comes with a thick slice of that legendary bread, essential for scooping up every last bit of purée from the plate.

Peperoni Cruschi

If one ingredient defines Basilicata’s cuisine and sets it apart from everywhere else in Italy, it’s peperoni cruschi. These aren’t just any peppers. They’re a specific variety called Peperoni di Senise, grown in the sun-baked fields around the small town of Senise in the mountains of Basilicata, where the combination of soil, climate, and altitude produces peppers with an unusually thin flesh and intense, concentrated sweetness.

After harvest, the peppers are strung together on long threads and hung to dry in the sun and wind, a process that takes weeks and transforms them into wrinkled, leathery, deep red gems. The magic happens when they hit hot olive oil: just seconds of frying turns them impossibly crispy, their colour brightening to a vivid scarlet. The flavour is extraordinary: sweet, smoky, earthy, with a gentle warmth that builds slowly and a satisfying crunch that shatters in your mouth.

You’ll find peperoni cruschi everywhere in Matera. They’re crumbled over pasta as a finishing touch, scattered on bruschetta, folded into egg dishes, served whole as a snack with drinks, and used to add depth to countless sauces and stews. They’re addictive in a way that’s hard to explain until you’ve tried them. Our strong advice: buy several strings to take home. You’ll thank yourself when you’re back in your own kitchen, crumbling cruschi over your morning eggs and remembering Matera with every crispy bite.

Crapiata

Few dishes connect you to Matera’s history as powerfully as crapiata. This hearty, almost porridge-like soup combines an abundance of legumes and grains: chickpeas, lentils, fava beans, white beans, barley, wheat berries, and potatoes, all slow-cooked together for hours until they meld into a thick, deeply nourishing stew. It’s the kind of food that sustained families through hard winters, that stretched limited ingredients to feed many mouths, that turned simple pantry staples into something genuinely sustaining.

But crapiata is more than just a recipe. It’s a ritual. Traditionally prepared on August 1st to celebrate the end of the wheat harvest, it was once a profoundly communal dish. Neighbours throughout the Sassi would gather in the small squares between their cave homes, each family contributing whatever legumes and grains they had. Everything went into enormous shared pots, and the whole neighbourhood ate together, celebrating another year’s harvest safely gathered.

This beautiful tradition continues today in La Martella, a rural village outside Matera where many families displaced from the Sassi in the 1950s and 60s were resettled. Every August 1st, the community still gathers to make crapiata together, maintaining a connection to their origins that spans generations. When you eat crapiata in a Matera restaurant, you’re not just tasting legumes and grains. You’re tasting centuries of community, resilience, and the profound human need to gather around food.

Focaccia Materana

Matera’s focaccia differs from versions you might know from other parts of Italy. Here, it’s baked directly on the stone floor of wood-fired ovens, without any baking tray, giving it a distinctive char on the bottom and a robust, almost smoky flavour that’s impossible to replicate in a conventional oven. The classic version comes topped simply with halved cherry tomatoes and black olives, their juices mingling with olive oil into the dough as it bakes. Other popular variations include focaccia with thinly sliced potatoes, sweet onions caramelized by the oven’s heat, or just a generous scattering of coarse salt and rosemary.

This is the quintessential Materan snack, the thing locals grab from neighbourhood bakeries throughout the day: mid-morning when hunger strikes, as a quick lunch eaten standing up, or in the late afternoon to tide them over until dinner. For the most authentic experience, seek out Paoluccio, a tiny historic bakery on Via del Corso that has achieved almost legendary status among locals. The focaccia here, pulled hot from ovens that have been in use for generations, is considered by many to be the finest in the city. Arrive early, as the best batches sell out.

Traditional Pasta Dishes to Try in Matera

Pasta in Matera means shapes crafted by hand from local durum wheat semolina, dressed with sauces that are bold, direct, and intensely flavoured. Forget cream-laden dishes or complicated preparations. Here, it’s all about the quality of the wheat, the skill of the hands that shape each piece, and condiments that let simple ingredients shine. The pasta traditions of Basilicata share much with neighbouring Puglia, but maintain their own distinct character, shaped by the particular ingredients and history of this remarkable region.

Orecchiette and Strascinate

Orecchiette, the ear-shaped pasta beloved across Southern Italy, appears on nearly every menu in Matera. These small, curved discs with their characteristic rough texture and slight indentation are perfect for catching chunky sauces. You’ll find them most traditionally dressed with a simple fresh tomato sauce, bright and summery, or with the classic combination of cime di rapa (turnip greens), garlic, anchovy, and chilli that defines so much of Puglian cooking.

Strascinate are the orecchiette’s larger, more rustic cousins. The name comes from the verb “strascinare,” meaning to drag, describing the motion used to shape them: each piece of dough is dragged across a wooden board with three fingers, creating an elongated shape with a rough, sauce-gripping surface. Strascinate are typically served with heartier preparations: rich meat ragùs, robust vegetable sauces, or the iconic combination of cruschi peppers and sharp local cheese.

Both shapes are made by hand in traditional kitchens, often by nonnas (grandmothers) who have been shaping pasta since childhood and whose hands move with the automatic grace of decades of practice. Watching pasta being made this way, if you get the chance, is witnessing a living art form.

Discover the orecchiette tradition in the Strada delle Orecchiette in neighbouring Bari!

Cavatelli with Cruschi Peppers and Cacioricotta

If there’s one pasta dish that captures the essence of Materan cuisine, this is it. Cavatelli are small, elongated shells of pasta, shaped by pressing and rolling small pieces of dough with the fingertips to create a hollow that catches sauce beautifully. In Matera’s signature preparation, they’re tossed with crumbled peperoni cruschi, grated cacioricotta cheese (a local cheese that’s halfway between fresh ricotta and aged pecorino), and crispy fried breadcrumbs called mollica.

The combination is a masterpiece of textures and flavours. Soft, yielding pasta gives way to the shatter of cruschi peppers. Sharp, slightly salty cheese balances the peppers’ sweetness. Toasted breadcrumbs add another layer of crunch and a subtle nuttiness. Every bite is different, every forkful a new combination. It’s simple cooking elevated to something genuinely memorable through the quality of ingredients and the wisdom of tradition. Order it at least once, preferably more.

Ferricelli with Red Pepper Sauce and Stracciatella

If you try only one pasta dish during your time in Matera, many locals would tell you to make it this one. Ferricelli are short, twisted pasta shapes, similar to fusilli but with a tighter spiral and denser texture. Here, they’re dressed with a pesto-like sauce made from peperoni cruschi, blended until smooth with olive oil and sometimes toasted almonds, then topped with generous dollops of stracciatella, the creamy, stringy heart of burrata cheese, and finished with a scattering of crunchy breadcrumbs.

The dish is relatively modern compared to centuries-old recipes, but it has quickly become a Materan icon. The combination of sweet, smoky pepper sauce with cool, milky stracciatella is extraordinary: rich but not heavy, complex but not fussy, beautiful on the plate and even better on the palate. Several restaurants in Matera claim to make the definitive version, and spirited debates about whose is best are common among locals. We encourage you to conduct your own research. Try it at La Lopa, try it at Trattoria del Caveoso, try it wherever you see it on the menu. Form your own opinion. This is exactly how food should be experienced.

Lagane e Ceci

Lagane are thick, wide pasta strips that trace their origins back to ancient Rome, where a similar preparation called “laganum” was already being enjoyed. In Matera, they’re served with ceci (chickpeas) in a preparation that blurs the line between pasta and soup: the chickpeas are cooked until some break down into a creamy base while others remain whole, creating a sauce that clings to the substantial pasta strips.

This is pure comfort food, the kind of dish that warms you from the inside out. It’s especially wonderful on cooler evenings when the temperature drops and the Sassi take on their atmospheric winter character. Look for it on autumn and winter menus, though some traditional trattorias serve it year-round. A drizzle of good olive oil at the table and perhaps some crushed cruschi peppers for heat, and you have a dish that could hardly be simpler or more satisfying.

Meat Dishes and Secondi to Try in Restaurants in Matera

Historically, meat was a luxury in Matera, reserved for feast days, celebrations, and special occasions. When families who lived in the Sassi did eat meat, it was typically lamb, mutton, or goat from the flocks that grazed the surrounding Murgia plateau. These traditions persist in restaurants today, where you’ll find preparations that are bold, rustic, and deeply flavoured, using every part of the animal in ways that honour both the ingredient and the frugal wisdom of past generations.

Pignata (Slow-Cooked Lamb in Clay Pot)

The pignata is both a cooking vessel and the dish prepared in it: a traditional clay pot with a narrow neck, designed for slow-cooking over low heat. Inside, lamb or castrato (castrated male sheep, which has a stronger, more pronounced flavour than regular lamb) braises for hours with seasonal vegetables, potatoes, local herbs like bay leaf and rosemary, and warming spices. The narrow neck traps steam, allowing the meat to cook in its own juices until it reaches a state of fall-apart tenderness.

This is peasant cooking at its finest: a technique born from necessity that produces results no modern method can match. The meat absorbs the earthy flavours of the clay pot itself, developing a depth and complexity that’s hard to describe but unmistakable when you taste it. In the old days, pignate would simmer for hours in the dying heat of bread ovens after the day’s baking was done, the residual warmth perfect for the long, slow cooking the dish requires. Today, you’ll find pignata on the menus of traditional restaurants throughout Matera. Order it when you see it. It’s a window into how Materans have been eating for centuries.

Gnimmeredd

Not for the faint-hearted, gnimmeredd (also spelled gnummeridd, or called turcinelli in some areas) are small bundles of lamb or kid offal, primarily intestines, wrapped tightly around pieces of liver, lung, and heart, seasoned with fresh parsley, garlic, and salt, then grilled over an open flame until charred and crispy on the outside. The flavour is intense, gamey, and deeply traditional, a taste of a time when nothing from a slaughtered animal was wasted.

This preparation has roots in both Mediterranean and Middle Eastern culinary traditions, a reminder of the complex cultural exchanges that have shaped Southern Italian cooking over millennia. While gnimmeredd has become less common in Matera itself, it thrives in nearby towns like Laterza, Santeramo, and Montescaglioso, where butchers still prepare and grill them fresh. If you’re culinarily adventurous and want to taste something truly traditional, seek them out. You’ll be rewarded with a dish that connects you to the deepest roots of Lucanian food culture.

Filetto all’Aglianico (Beef with Local Wine Sauce)

For those who prefer beef, filetto all’Aglianico offers an elegant option that showcases the region’s most celebrated wine. Tender beef fillet is pan-seared and served with a rich reduction made from Aglianico del Vulture, Basilicata’s noble red wine. The sauce, deeply coloured and intensely flavoured, sometimes includes local amarene cherries, whose tartness balances the wine’s natural tannins. It’s a dish that bridges rustic tradition and refined technique, equally at home in a simple trattoria or an upscale dining room.

Local Wines: What to Drink in Matera

Basilicata’s wine tradition may be less famous than Tuscany’s Chianti or Piedmont’s Barolo, but the quality here is exceptional and the prices far more accessible. The volcanic soils of Monte Vulture, the high altitudes, and the dramatic temperature swings between day and night produce wines with remarkable character and depth that perfectly complement the bold flavours of the local cuisine.

Aglianico del Vulture

Aglianico is the undisputed king of Basilicata’s wines, and many experts consider it one of Italy’s most underrated reds. Grown primarily on the slopes of Monte Vulture, an extinct volcano in the northern part of the region, Aglianico del Vulture DOC is a full-bodied, deeply coloured wine with firm tannins, bright acidity, and complex aromas of dark fruit, leather, tobacco, and earth. It’s a wine that rewards cellaring, developing extraordinary depth and elegance with age, though younger vintages offer their own pleasures.

Aglianico pairs beautifully with Matera’s cuisine: its structure stands up to rich lamb dishes, its acidity cuts through the fat of grilled meats, its complexity matches the depth of long-cooked ragùs. Order a glass (or a bottle) with dinner and let it evolve in your glass as you eat. Many restaurants offer excellent local Aglianico by the glass at very reasonable prices, and the quality will surprise you if you’re used to paying much more for wines of similar calibre elsewhere in Italy.

Other Local Wines to Discover

Beyond Aglianico, Basilicata produces several other wines worth exploring. Look for Matera DOC wines, a relatively new designation that includes both reds (from Sangiovese and Primitivo) and whites (from Greco and Malvasia). Rosé wines from Aglianico grapes offer a lighter option for warm weather dining. Many restaurants feature house wines made by small local producers, often from vineyards you’ll never find outside the region.

Don’t hesitate to ask your server what they would drink themselves. This kind of question, showing genuine interest in local products, is always appreciated and often leads to recommendations you’d never discover otherwise.

Best Restaurants in Matera: From Cave Dining to Fine Dining

Matera’s dining scene is as layered as the city’s extraordinary history. You can eat inside ancient caves where tufa walls glow amber in candlelight, on terraces that offer some of the most dramatic dinner views in Italy, in elegant rooms helmed by Michelin-starred chefs, or at simple family tables where recipes haven’t changed in generations. The range is remarkable, and so is the consistent quality. Whether you’re seeking a quick lunch, a romantic dinner, or a once-in-a-lifetime gastronomic experience, Matera delivers. Here’s where to eat, organized by what you’re looking for.

Matera Cave Restaurants with Atmosphere

Dining inside a cave carved from tufa rock is quintessentially Materan, an experience that combines history, atmosphere, and honest cooking in settings found nowhere else on earth. These restaurants occupy spaces that were once homes, storerooms, or workshops, their walls shaped by human hands over centuries. The thick stone maintains a cool, constant temperature in summer and holds warmth in winter, and there’s something undeniably magical about eating by candlelight in a room that people were living in a thousand years ago.

• Trattoria del Caveoso is a beloved local institution in the heart of the Sassi. The cave interior is warm and welcoming, with exposed stone walls and a rustic, lived-in feel that makes you want to settle in for a long meal. The cooking is traditional Lucanian at its finest: generous portions, robust flavours, excellent value. Start with the Antipasti del Caveoso, a parade of small dishes that showcase the kitchen’s range and will likely fill you up before your pasta even arrives. The cavatelli with cruschi peppers is exemplary, and they often include a complimentary limoncello at the end of the meal. Book ahead or arrive right when they open, as this place fills up fast and turning people away is a nightly occurrence.
• La Lopa occupies a cozy cave just off one of the main Sassi stairways, with a small courtyard for outdoor dining on warm evenings. The menu focuses on local dishes executed with a bit more refinement than the average trattoria: think beautifully presented fave e cicorie elevated with cruschi peppers, or that unforgettable ferricelli with red pepper sauce and stracciatella that people travel specifically to eat. The atmosphere is romantic without being stuffy, the staff genuinely warm. After dinner, head downstairs to their small cinema room, where a 20-minute film plays clips from the many movies shot in Matera, from Pasolini’s Gospel According to St. Matthew to the recent James Bond film No Time to Die. It’s a fitting end to a meal in a city that has captivated filmmakers for decades.
• Baccanti takes cave dining in a more contemporary direction. The vaulted stone cavern provides the atmosphere, but the cooking shows creative ambition: dishes like slow-cooked octopus with sweet potato prepared two ways, or veal tongue with apricot jam and chicory pesto, demonstrate a kitchen that respects tradition while pushing boundaries. It’s polished without being precious, the kind of restaurant where the food genuinely surprises you. Save room for whatever dessert they’re offering.
• Ristorante Francesca brings contemporary touches to a classic cave setting, with modern lighting fixtures creating an interesting contrast against ancient stone. The antipasti della casa here is particularly creative, featuring dishes like zucchini flower tortino, figs stuffed with orange-scented ricotta and fresh mint, and the ubiquitous fave e cicorie given an elegant presentation. It’s a good choice when you want cave atmosphere with food that feels a bit more elevated.

Looking for another extraordinary dining experience? Why not read our Alberobello food guide and find out the best trulli restaurants?

Restaurants with a View Over the Sassi

Few dining experiences anywhere in Italy rival eating with the illuminated Sassi spread before you, thousands of cave dwellings cascading down the hillside into the dramatic ravine below. These restaurants understand that they’re selling a view as much as a meal, but importantly, they also deliver food worthy of the panorama.

• Regiacorte offers what many consider the finest terrace view in Matera, looking directly across to the Chiesa di Santa Maria di Idris, the iconic cave church perched dramatically on its rocky outcrop. The restaurant occupies multiple small terraces that descend toward the edge of the Sassi, each table with its own perspective on the extraordinary landscape. The food matches the setting: refined Lucanian cuisine presented with care and creativity. Tasting menus are available, or you can order à la carte. The vegetarian tasting menu is excellent, featuring dishes like stuffed peppers with smoked provola and a pasta with ricotta and cinnamon that sounds unusual but works beautifully. Request a table on the upper terrace when you book, which you absolutely must do, several days in advance if possible, and specify that you want outdoor seating. Sunset dinner here is genuinely memorable.
• Ristorante San Biagio offers another excellent option for dining with Sassi views. The restaurant serves creative interpretations of local classics, and the terrace seating puts you directly among the ancient stone dwellings. It was recommended by numerous locals as a reliable choice for both food quality and atmosphere.
• Dimora Ulmo takes a different approach, housed in an elegant 18th-century palazzo just above the Sassi rather than within them. The setting is sophisticated, with sleek modern interiors and panoramic terrace views. The menu leans contemporary but remains rooted in Lucanian tradition, with flexible tasting options and an excellent wine list curated by their in-house sommelier. It’s polished without feeling stuffy, perfect for a special evening when you want refinement along with your views.

Michelin-Starred and Fine Dining in Matera

For special occasions or serious food lovers, Matera offers exceptional high-end dining that rivals anywhere in Italy, with the added distinction of settings unlike any other fine dining destination in the world.

• Vitantonio Lombardo Ristorante is Matera’s only Michelin-starred restaurant, and dining here ranks among the most unique culinary experiences in Southern Italy. The restaurant occupies a beautifully restored tufa cave in the heart of the Sassi, its natural curves and textures left exposed to create a dining room that feels both otherworldly and intimately connected to Matera’s ancient geography. Glass partitions offer glimpses into the kitchen, where Chef Lombardo and his team work with focused precision. The menu offers flexibility: choose from 5, 7, or 10-course tasting menus, with the freedom to select your dishes from a broad à la carte selection. Chef Lombardo is unmistakably Lucanian at heart, sourcing ingredients locally and reinterpreting them with creativity and technical skill. Expect dishes like liquid ricotta ravioli with sea urchin and cinnamon, or the playful “I dropped the egg in the garden,”. Don’t miss the theatrical dessert experience called “The Last Kiss.” This lipstick-red confection, shaped like a mouth, arrives without utensils. You’re given headphones playing romantic music and instructed to pick up the plate and eat (or kiss) directly. It’s whimsical, memorable, and delicious, a fitting end to a meal that balances serious culinary technique with genuine playfulness. Reservations are essential, often weeks in advance during high season.
• DA MO’ Ristorante holds Michelin Bib Gourmand selection and offers a more intimate experience. This family-run gem in the upper Sassi is guided by a chef-father, with his wife and daughter providing warm, polished service. The menu centres on “terra, aria, acqua” (land, air, water), reflecting local ingredients from each element. Both tasting menus and à la carte options are available, all thoughtfully executed. The charming dining room and cozy outdoor terrace create a peaceful, elegant atmosphere that feels genuinely welcoming rather than formal.
• Osteria Pico, recommended by Lonely Planet, offers refined dining in an elegant cave space. The mixed antipasti “selezione” is the way to start, offering a comprehensive tour through local specialties. The strozzapreti with rocket purée, almonds, and shaved caciocavallo is particularly memorable. It’s the kind of place that delivers a special experience without the prices or formality of starred establishments.

Matera Traditional Trattorias and Osterias

For authentic, no-frills Materan cooking, these family-run establishments serve recipes that haven’t changed in generations, in spaces that feel like eating at someone’s home.

• Osteria al Casale offers a no-nonsense approach to Materan cooking: hearty, rustic, and full of flavour. The stone interior is simple and warm, the service friendly and unpretentious. The grilled lamb is excellent, cooked with restraint and just enough char. The steak with local wild mushrooms (cardoncelli, foraged from the surrounding countryside) is another standout. This is the kind of place where portions are generous, wine flows freely, and you leave full, happy, and already planning your return.
• Osteria Belvedere al Vecchio Frantoio occupies a former olive press with vaulted stone ceilings, original millstones still visible, and a terrace that lives up to the “belvedere” (beautiful view) in its name. The menu is tight and traditional: handmade pasta, rich ragùs, slow-braised meats, and the kind of antipasti spreads that could easily become your entire meal. The pace is unhurried, the staff friendly, and the food reliably satisfying. It’s an excellent choice for a relaxed dinner after a long day exploring.
• Osteria MateraMì combines a welcoming atmosphere with generous portions of both traditional Lucanian fare and fresh seafood. The terrace offers lovely views over the Sassi, and dishes like crispy sausage pasta, eggplant preparations, and octopus with potato and cruschi peppers all shine. House wines are solid, service is attentive without being intrusive. It’s exactly the kind of place both locals and informed visitors return to when they want reliable, soulful food without pretense.
• La Talpa is a Sunday lunch institution, set inside a beautiful Sasso with traditional decor. The cavatelli a tre dita (three-finger cavatelli, referring to the shaping technique) are excellent, and the mixed antipasto plates are generous enough to share. Many visitors find the primi (pasta courses) more exciting and distinctive than the secondi here, a pattern common across Lucanian restaurants, so consider ordering two pastas instead of pasta plus meat.

Cheap Eats and Street Food in Matera

You don’t need to spend much to eat brilliantly in Matera. Some of the most memorable food in the city comes from pizza counters, fresh pasta shops, and local butchers who’ve been feeding the neighbourhood for decades. These places offer not just good value but genuine insight into how Materans actually eat day to day.

Best Pizza Spots

• 5 Lire Pizza is the hidden gem that savvy visitors seek out. Located on the main street Via Domenico Ridola, it looks like a simple pizza counter from the front, where you can order excellent pizza by the slice or choose a whole oval-shaped pinsa to be freshly baked. The mozzarella, potato, pesto, and walnut pinsa is outstanding, with a thick, airy crust that’s crispy on the outside and pillowy within. But here’s what makes 5 Lire special: head through the shop to the back, and you’ll discover a tiny terrace with just three tables and one of the most stunning views over the Sassi you’ll find anywhere.They also serve local beers and Spritz, making this an excellent aperitivo spot as well as a lunch destination. Arrive early for the best chance at terrace seating.
• Il Rusticone is our pick for the cheapest great meal in Matera. A delicious Margherita pizza costs just €6, and it’s genuinely good: proper crust, quality mozzarella, bright tomato sauce. They also serve excellent pucce (Puglian sandwiches made with crusty local bread and filled with whatever you choose), taglieri of local meats and cheeses, and a nice selection of regional craft beers. The atmosphere is lively, with tables on the bustling Via San Biagio, perfect for people-watching while you eat. It’s unpretentious, satisfying, and won’t put a dent in your budget.

Quick Bites and Takeaway

• Kapunto Pasta Lab offers a different kind of quick meal. Located near the castle in the “new” part of Matera, this bright, modern space lets you watch fresh pasta being made before your eyes. You order at the counter: choose your pasta shape from the display, select your sauce (the tomato and basil is perfect, but there are several options), add any vegetable side dishes, and they prepare it fresh. You can take it away or eat in the stylish, minimalist interior.
• Uacciardidd is perhaps the most authentic eating experience in Matera, and definitely the least touristy. This is a working butcher shop that also serves prepared local dishes at rock-bottom prices. There are a few simple tables inside and outside. Nothing is labelled in English. You point at what looks good behind the counter (orecchiette, braised meats, vegetable dishes, focaccia), they warm it up if needed, and you eat. That’s it. What makes it special is the quality and authenticity. The food is made for locals who pop in for lunch, not for tourists, and the prices reflect that.
• Il Fiore del Latte serves what many consider the best panini in Matera. Their burrata and mortadella sandwich is legendary: an enormous portion of creamy burrata paired with thinly sliced mortadella on excellent bread. It’s messy, it’s rich, it’s incredibly satisfying. Perfect for lunch when you don’t want to sit down for a full meal but want something substantial and delicious.

Best Bars for Aperitivo with a View in Matera

The Italian tradition of aperitivo, that sacred hour before dinner when you sip a cocktail or glass of wine accompanied by small bites, is alive and well in Matera. And because this is Matera, you can enjoy your pre-dinner drink while gazing over one of the most dramatic cityscapes in Europe. These bars understand the assignment: good drinks, tasty snacks, and views that make you never want to leave.

Top Terraces for Sunset Drinks

• Terrazza Cavaliere offers what is probably the single best aperitivo view in Matera. Located on the buzzy Via Ridola, just next door to 5 Lire Pizza, the real magic happens when you head through to the back terrace, which teeters on the edge of the Sassi with a panorama that sweeps across the entire ancient town. They’ve cleverly installed stools along a counter at the terrace’s edge, so you can sit right at the precipice with completely unobstructed views of the Sassi, the cave church, and the ravine beyond. Arrive by 7 p.m. in high season to snag a good spot.
• Crialoss Café offers a different perspective, located on the Sasso Barisano side of town. The terrace looks back across toward Sasso Caveoso and the Duomo, giving you a view you won’t get from the more commonly visited viewpoints. You’re sitting directly above the cave church San Pietro Barisano, next to its ancient bell tower, a unique and atmospheric setting. The cocktails are tasty, and they serve a good selection of bruschetta and snacks (around €10 for a sharing plate). Finding Crialoss can be tricky: look for the sign to the right of the church and head up. Because it’s part of the Palazzo degli Abati hotel, they can be selective about seating during busy periods. Making a reservation in advance is wise, especially if you’re not a hotel guest.
• Zipa Café is unlike any other bar in Matera. This trendy spot overlooks the ravine, with bean bag chairs scattered among rocky alcoves and irregular stone formations. The setting feels almost surreal, as if you’ve stumbled into a fashionable lounge that happens to be carved into prehistoric rock. This isn’t the place for a classic Spritz. Zipa has a small menu of seven creative cocktails, and they do them well. The Peccato Originale (original sin), their take on a whiskey sour with apple juice, is excellent. Food options are limited to small snacks like taralli and crisps, but you’re not here to eat. You’re here for the vibe, the unusual setting, and the chance to recline in a bean bag while watching the light change over the ancient landscape.

Trendy Bars and Nightlife

• Area 8 is where Matera’s nightlife happens. This design-forward cocktail bar in the Sassi transforms as darkness falls, with eclectic music or live sets, friendly chatter, and bartenders crafting well-balanced drinks. Their signature “Acqua Fresca” combines gin, sea-salt cordial, and Venturo liqueur into something refreshing and unexpected. Tapas-style bites, including reinvented bruschette with stracciatella and pesto, add substance if you need it. The sprawling outdoor seating and vintage-meets-industrial décor create an atmosphere that often stretches into the early morning hours. It’s an ideal place to start your evening or wind down after dinner.
• Radino Wine Bistrot and Cigar Room caters to wine lovers and those seeking a more sophisticated atmosphere. Set in a beautifully restored space with exposed tufa walls and vintage wine-making relics, the focus here is on excellent wines from Basilicata and Puglia, including Radino’s own house labels. The food menu is polished but understated: homemade tagliatelle, cavatelli with sausage ragù, braised meats in Aglianico. Don’t leave without asking for a tour of the cigar room hidden just off the dining area, a surprising feature that adds to the establishment’s unique character.

Best Gelato and Desserts in Matera

After all that pasta, wine, and cruschi peppers, you’ll want something sweet. Matera’s artisan gelaterias produce some of the finest gelato in Southern Italy, made fresh each morning with quality ingredients and without the artificial colours and stabilizers that plague lesser establishments.

Artisan Gelato Shops

• I Vizi degli Angeli (The Sins of Angels) on Via Ridola produces exceptional artisan gelato that has earned devoted fans among both locals and visitors. The dark chocolate is intensely flavoured, the pistachio creamy and authentic, and there are always interesting seasonal options: think milk and lavender in summer, mascarpone and marron glacé when the weather turns cold. Vegan options are available and equally good.
• Cremes Bureau is a tiny, unassuming shop that many locals consider the best gelato in the entire region. Their signature is a salted pistachio that creates a perfect balance of sweet, salty, and intensely nutty flavours. The texture is ultra-creamy, the flavours clean and pure. No artificial aftertaste, no gimmicks, just really good gelato made by people who care. While pistachio is the standout, other flavours are equally well-executed. If you’re serious about gelato, put this at the top of your list.

Beyond gelato, Matera’s restaurants offer desserts that range from simple and traditional to elaborately theatrical. At trattorias, always ask for the “dolce della casa” to see what the kitchen has prepared that day. Often it will be something homemade with local ingredients: almond cakes, ricotta-filled pastries, fig preparations.

Experience Matera Like a Local: Walking Tour with Expert Guides

Now that you know where to eat and what to order, there’s one more piece of the puzzle: understanding the extraordinary city where all this food was created. The narrow alleys, ancient cave churches, and stone dwellings of Matera aren’t just a dramatic backdrop for your dinner photos. They’re the reason this cuisine exists, the physical manifestation of the poverty, resilience, and community that shaped every recipe.

Walking through the Sassi with a knowledgeable local guide transforms your understanding. You’ll learn why bread became so important (it was often the only reliable food), how families cooked in their cave kitchens, why communal traditions like the crapiata soup developed, and how the city’s remarkable geography influenced everything from ingredient availability to cooking techniques. Suddenly, that plate of fave e cicorie isn’t just a delicious dish. It’s a window into lives lived for centuries in these extraordinary caves.

Our Matera City Walk takes you through the heart of the ancient city over two engaging hours. Starting from the main attractions like the Chiesa di San Francesco and the Civita, the city’s highest point with majestic views of the Cathedral, the tour winds through the labyrinth of alleys and narrow streets to reach the famous Via Fiorentini. Here, you’ll visit the rupestrian Church of Sant’Antonio and step inside a traditional Casa Grotta, seeing firsthand how families lived, slept, and yes, cooked inside their cave homes until just decades ago. After a short break, you’ll learn about the historic Church of San Pietro before reaching Piazzetta Pascoli, one of the most evocative viewpoints in all of Matera, where the entire “crib city” spreads before you in an unforgettable panorama.

Final Thoughts: Eating Your Way Through Matera

Matera rewards the curious eater in ways that few cities can match. Beyond the spectacular scenery and the ancient stones that have captivated filmmakers and travellers alike lies a food culture built on scarcity, creativity, and deep respect for simple ingredients. The bread that sustained generations when nothing else was certain. The legume soups that stretched limited resources to feed large families. The handmade pasta shaped by grandmothers in cave kitchens lit by oil lamps. The peppers dried in the sun and fried to crackling perfection. Every dish here carries meaning, connects you to history, tells a story of resilience and community.

You don’t need to spend a fortune to eat brilliantly. A €6 pizza at 5 Lire with that secret terrace view. A plate of whatever looks good at Uacciardidd where no one speaks English and the bill barely breaks €10. An afternoon Spritz at Terrazza Cavaliere as the Sassi glow gold beneath you. These moments are just as memorable, just as authentic, as any Michelin-starred tasting menu. The beauty of Matera’s food scene is its range, its accessibility, its honesty.

So take your time here. Order the fave e cicorie everywhere and compare versions. Try the peperoni cruschi on everything. Ask your server which wine they would drink themselves. Find a seat in a cave restaurant as candles flicker against tufa walls, break off a piece of that magnificent bread, pour some olive oil, and let yourself be fully present. Let Matera tell you its story one bite at a time.

In Matera, every meal tells a story. Now you’re ready to taste them all.

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