La Gattabuia

La Gattabuia is a seafood restaurant on Corso Garibaldi in Otranto, a walled port city at the easternmost point of Apulia and the Italian peninsula, where the Adriatic and Ionian seas meet. The restaurant's position at the southernmost extreme of the Adriatic coast means the catch arriving at its kitchen is distinct from the northern Apulian ports: the waters around Otranto sustain spider crabs, larger crustaceans, and deep-water species less common in the busier fishing grounds north of Brindisi.

Crudités di pesce misto adriatico offers the mixed raw seafood preparation characteristic of the eastern Salento coast — a selection based on what the day's boats landed, typically including mussels, local oysters, and whatever crustaceans were taken at depth. This is the restaurant's most site-specific preparation: what arrives at La Gattabuia's tables reflects the precise ecology of the sea channel between Italy and Albania, one of the richest fishing passages in the Mediterranean. Spaghetti al granchio uses spider crab (granchio) — a species whose flavour is more delicate and complex than the common shore crab — in a pasta preparation that requires the kitchen to extract the meat carefully from the shell before saucing. Fritto misto of squid and prawns rounds out the menu with a more accessible preparation.

The dining room is a casual space in Otranto's main waterfront street, informal and practical. Service is attentive during the busy summer season (June–September) when the town's visitor numbers swell considerably. In winter months the restaurant operates with reduced hours and closes Mondays; the shoulder months (April–May, October) are the most comfortable time to visit. Reservations by phone (+39 0836 802302) are essential in July and August.