At first it was Chichibio, the cook protagonist of a novel of the Decameron. The two brothers Giacomo and Vito Bianchi named their restaurant after the clever and witty character of the fourth novel written by Boccaccio. The restaurant is a must for lovers of quality and fresh fish.
L’Osteria di Chichibio does not overlook the picturesque cliffs of Polignano a Mare, but it is located just a few meters from the sea. It welcomes you with impeccable service, an informal, comfortable and relaxed furnishings, clean and elegant with warm colors and elements of the works by glass artist Peppino Campanella.
Giacomo will advise you on the courses of the menu – the Osteria di Chichibio is the perfect place to enjoy a delicious raw fish, imperial oysters are a concentration of the sea – and he will show you the selection of many labels in the wine list. There is also a selection of biodynamic wines. Give him carte blanche and you won’t regret it. His brother Vito Bianchi is in the kitchen, he chooses the selection of raw materials and, along with his staff, prepares the dishes, simple and genuine.
Their menu will give you great surprises, starting from appetizers and their sublime colors that stimulate sight and palate: a soft flan with cod on creamed pumpkin, a red shrimp ‘alla Catalana’, a delicate morsel of monkfish on creamed lentils, the fresh octopus on a bed of braised potatoes, a basket of tasty stracciatella, tomato and smoked salmon. And again, a fresh buffalo ricotta and a shrimp with onions on a bed of beans.
The choice among the first dishes is wide. There is a tradition in the orecchiette with squid ink and seafood or noodles with sea urchins or Gragnano paccheri with seafood and tuna roe. Puglia meets Sicily in the calamarata with pistachio, pine nuts and clams. Clams that are also found in cicatielli pasta with asparagus and shrimps. And then the risotto. From the classic with seafood to the one with mushrooms. But be careful. The owners of the restaurant alert customers, in a witty way, asking them to turn off their cell phones in order not to alter the creaming of the risotto.
From the fish counter, opposite the entrance of the restaurant, you can choose your fish, grilled or baked. From St. Peter fish with a baked potato, filleted redfish fillet of monkfish baked in a pan with tomato and basil and prawn tails with bacon. The desserts are mouth-watering desserts: amaretto mousse, fresh ricotta and coffee, strawberry mousse and tiramisu.
Recommended for a romantic dinner or important meetings.
Osteria di Chichibio
Largo Gelso, 12
70044 Polignano A Mare (BA)
tel: 080 424 0488 – 368 936350 – 334 6708998
Monday closed