La Bettola - SANTA CESAREA TERME

So in our tour of whatever is open in SCdT in late September, or fourth and final installment from the town. And the one that comes unfortunately bottom of the last. My pizza (yes, another pizza) was fortunately not so bad, but despite our being the only one advertised as being cooked in a wood oven, you wouldn 't really know. But it was ok, not as good as the other two pizzerias I reviewed but a bargain €4. Now, Mrs D8 once again ignored previous trip advisor advice on this restaurant and plumped for the break minute steak. Which wasn 't a good idea. Hint to the chef... the clue in how long you are supposed to cook it is in the title. And if you ask the client how she wants it cooked, and she says 'rare ', maybe less then a minute would be s good idea. What actually appeared was a combination of some low grade shoe leather combined with about 40% gristle. We noticed the chef was, in fact, wearing plastic croc shoes, so one presumes he had sacrificed his best leather shoes in order to rustle up sed steak for my better half. So, if you insist on eating here, be forewarned... Pizza is the only really justifiable option given our experience of the culinary capability of the chef. And you can get three of them for the price of one horrendously overcooked piece of leather.

This is a simple and good place to eat in Santa Cesarea Terme. The service is nice and friendly. We took vegetables and fish.

In Italian, La Bettola, translates into 'greasy spoon ', namely a a run down place with terrible food... Well, need I say more? The only place in Salento where we turned down our food and literally run away. They should seriously think about shutting it down ASAP!!!

We have a home nearby, so we have eaten lunch at this place several times. It is operated under new management, and you can tell the difference. Currently they are only open for lunch, and we shared the special seafood menu for the day. They antipasto portion was more than enough for 2 people and quite delicious. The primi (mussels in pepper sauce) and the secondi (fried calamari) were without fault. The tiramasu was homemade and to die for. And we shared the portion meant for one person! Since we aren't native Italians, sharing a meal meant for one person was acceptable. I think the locals would not do this. Anyway, it was more than enough food and we were quite satisfied. House wine was also included. Quite drinkable. I took away one star because there was quite a large amount of water surrounding our table from the rain seeping through the door. There was only one waiter and he was too busy to mop up the floor. Other than that, we will return.

My husband and I ate here on our honeymoon, after a relaxing day at Villa Cesarea Terme spa. The staff at the spa recommended this trattoria and I'm glad they did. A simple restaurant with a lovely atmosphere and friendly service. We sat outdoors, but I saw they also have plenty of indoor seating for colder months. The food was delicious. We started with cozze (muscles), I followed with grilled crayfish, and my husband had fresh pasta with lobster. We spent €60 including drinks, wine, salad and cover charge. So yummy and a relaxing night. I would definitely eat here again.