I returned to Matera for the second time last October, just prior to visiting my friend’s family hometown of Irsina. We had some not-so-wonderful meals our first time in Matera, so this time I prioritized great food (and succeeded!). La Lopa, a cave restaurant only a few steps from our hotel, receives good reviews and serves local Lucan dishes. I called a few days in advance and, very luckily, reserved a table for 8 without issue. Little did I know, we would have our own private room and some of the best food of the entire trip!
Private dining at La Lopa.
LA LOPA
La Lopa is in the Sassi (or ancient part) of Matera and describes itself as “local Lucan (i.e. Basilicatian) cuisine.” Located inside an old cave, La Lopa’s interior is relatively modern and even features a movie theatre in its basement continuously showing clips of films filmed in and around Matera!
Seating is arranged on the mail floor with a pretty bar anchoring the space. While La Lopa is local, everyone we encountered working there spoke great English. And if you are wonder about the meaning of its name, a “lopa” is an ancient tool used for dredging wells. The owners choose it as a metaphor for their “home” in the Sassi, as just as a lopa reveals hidden treasures underground, La Lopa reveals hidden treasures of Matera’s land (in the form of food).
Entrance to La Lopa.
And while the main restaurant is adorable, I think we had the best seats in the house – our own private dining room located just off the main dining room. It was so fun!
Private dining at La Lopa.
STARTERS
Our dinner began with shared starters. First, “Peperoni Cruschi”, or fried dried sweet red peppers. Peperoni Cruschi are incredibly popular in Matera, and I have only seen them in this area. They are light, airy, crispy, and very tasty. Everyone enjoyed them. Second, we shared “Il Ceccio”, which is traditional bread dough, fried and served with parsley-seasoned salted ricotta cream. As it sounds, these were also super tasty. This all paired very well with the restaurants’s fresh bread and local olive oil.
ll Ceccio, local olive oil, and Peperoni Cruschi.
A close up of the red Peperoni cruschi. They are not spicy at all.
Il Ceccio” with the parsley-seasoned salted ricotta.
Close up of the olive oil, which I wish I had brought home.
FIRST COURSE
For our first courses, or primi, the table both shared plates and ordered individual primi. First up, and possibly the best dish of the entire dinner, was a real Italian eggplant Parmesan! Unlike the US eggplant parm, Italian eggplant Parmesan is not deep fried, but it is very, very lightly fried, loaded with local cheese, delicious tomato ragu, and basil. The group was a fan of eggplant, and this dish did NOT disappoint. We thought about coming back the following night just for this dish.
La Lopa’s Eggplant Parmesan.
We also shared a “side” salad, which was huge. This was just a simple mix of fresh local vegetables without dressing. It was very tasty.
A local salad.
And obviously, we also tried La Lopa’s house-made pasta. I personally order the orecchiette, which is a pasta that resembles “ears” made famous by the local nonne (or grandmothers) in Bari. This one was served in a savory tomato and beef ragù. It was particularly delicious when topped with the local Lucan cheese.
Orecchiette with beef ragu.
With Orecchiette with the local cheese.
MAIN COURSES
For main courses, we all ordered different things, some of us sharing, others not. Dan, in my opinion, ordered the absolute best dish of Lucanian pork neck, which was lightly breaded and flavored with local herbs. It was served with a side of potatoes. This was INCREDIBLE, especially with a squeeze of lemon! I also thought about returning for this dish.
This was delicious.
DESSERT & POST DINNER DRINKS
Of course, we had to order dessert – a few for the table to share. Between us, we split a flourless chocolate cake. This was crazy rich and very tasty. We also shared a panna cotta and tiramisu. The desserts were great, but I preferred the savory food. The chocolate cake was my favorite dessert between the three.
Flourless chocolate cake.
The panna cotta.
Tiramisu.
With dessert, La Lopa brought around complimentary limoncello for the table, which is always a nice touch. This was also unexpected, as limoncello is more often associated with the coast. It was delicious nonetheless. I also ordered a glass of amaro, which is Dan and my favorite Italian digestif.
Limoncello on the house.
Amaro.
WINE LIST
La Lopa has a robust wine list, featuring mostly Italian wines, but also some international ones, and many from Basilicata and neighboring Puglia. I definitely recommend trying those.
This is one of Basilicata’s most famous wines – Aglianico del Vulture.
A local red from the Matera area.
A Basilicata Rosso.
IL CINEMA
After dinner, as we had such a wonderful time, the group went downstairs to watch clips of movies filmed in Matera. It featured old movies all the way to the present, such as the most recent James Bond film. We purchased drinks from the bar and brought them down with us.
Walking down to the cinema. Very cave-like.
The movie clips!
STEAL OUR CENA
La Lopa: Via Bruno Buozzi, 13, 75100 Matera MT, Italy. Closed Monday. Open Tuesday 7 – 9:45. Open Wednesday – Sunday 12:30 – 2:30 and 7 – 9:45. Reservations highly recommended.