Restaurant in San Severo, Italy
Traditional Puglia, honest price, Michelin-noted.
La Fossa del Grano is the most compelling case for traditional Apulian cooking in San Severo: consecutive Michelin Plate recognition, a 4.6 Google rating from 629 reviews, and €€ pricing that makes ordering freely easy. Michelin's own guidance — start with the antipasti — is the right approach. Book it for an intimate dinner where substance matters more than spectacle.
La Fossa del Grano is the answer to a specific question: where in San Severo can you eat genuinely traditional Apulian cooking at a price that won't make you think twice? At the €€ price point, with a 4.6 Google rating across 629 reviews and back-to-back Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 and 2025, this is a restaurant that has earned its local reputation and kept it. Michelin's own guidance is direct: try the antipasti, then commit to a first or main course. That is good advice, and it tells you everything about the format here — this is a meal built around sequence and generosity, not theatre. Book it for a special dinner with someone who values substance over spectacle.
Imagine arriving somewhere quiet on Via Alessandro Minuziano and finding a dining room that holds its energy close — unhurried, warm, the kind of room where conversations run long because nobody is pushing you toward the door. That is the ambient register at La Fossa del Grano. The mood is settled rather than buzzy, which makes it a strong choice for a celebration dinner or a date where the conversation matters as much as the food. If you want a lively, high-energy atmosphere with cocktails and a crowd, this is not the room. If you want to sit down and actually eat well in Puglia's northern province, it is exactly right.
The cooking is rooted in the Apulian tradition with no meaningful deviation from it. That is not a criticism , it is the point. San Severo sits in the Capitanata plain of northern Puglia, a part of the region less visited than the trulli towns of the Valle d'Itria or the coastal strip around Polignano, and La Fossa del Grano reflects that geography honestly. The food here draws on the agricultural pantry of the Tavoliere delle Puglie: grains, legumes, local vegetables, and the preserved and cured products that Apulian home cooking has relied on for generations. This is not a menu that reinvents or reframes , it presents, with confidence, what the region actually tastes like.
The antipasti course deserves the attention Michelin gives it. In the Apulian tradition, antipasti are not a casual gesture , they are often the most expressive part of the meal, a procession of small preparations that demonstrate the kitchen's relationship with local produce. At La Fossa del Grano, this is where you understand the kitchen's priorities. Do not skip it and do not rush through it. The structure of the meal works leading if you treat the antipasti as the opening act it is intended to be, then move into a first course of pasta or a regional grain dish, or go directly to a main if appetite dictates. The kitchen is set up to support either path.
For a special occasion, the €€ pricing is a genuine asset rather than a compromise. In a region where fine dining alternatives at €€€€ price points require both significant spend and advance planning, La Fossa del Grano offers a credentialed, serious meal at a fraction of the cost. The Michelin Plate, awarded in consecutive years, signals consistent kitchen standards , not a flash-in-the-pan review season, but a restaurant that shows up at the same level reliably. That consistency matters most when you are planning a birthday dinner or a meaningful celebration and cannot afford the meal to miss.
On the practical question of the counter or bar seating: the editorial angle here is worth addressing directly. In a trattoria-style setting like this, seating at or near the pass , where you can watch preparation, ask questions about a specific dish, or simply feel closer to the kitchen's rhythm , adds a layer to the meal that a table in the middle of the room does not. If solo dining or a two-leading, ask whether counter or pass-adjacent seating is available. The proximity changes the experience from a good dinner to a genuinely instructive one, particularly if you are unfamiliar with northern Apulian cooking and want to understand what you are eating as you eat it.
San Severo is not a town that sees heavy tourist traffic, which keeps the dining room grounded in its local clientele. That is an advantage for the experience: the room reflects the actual appetite of the people who live here, not a version of Puglia calibrated for visitors. If you are passing through northern Puglia, whether en route from Naples toward Bari or making a detour from the Gargano, this is a worthwhile stop. For those already based in the city, it belongs in regular rotation for the kind of dinner that requires no special justification. See our full San Severo restaurants guide for further options across the city, and check our San Severo hotels guide if you are planning to stay overnight. The San Severo bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide are useful companions for building a fuller itinerary around the visit.
Booking difficulty at La Fossa del Grano is rated easy, which reflects the accessible side of Michelin Plate recognition at the €€ level in a smaller Italian city. You are unlikely to need weeks of advance notice for a standard dinner booking, though for weekend evenings or a specific celebration date, contacting the restaurant directly as early as possible is sensible practice. No website or phone number is listed in our current database , the most reliable approach is to visit in person during service hours or check for updated contact details via Google. The address is Via Alessandro Minuziano, 63, 71016 San Severo FG, Italy.
| Detail | La Fossa del Grano | Pashà (Conversano) | Quintessenza (Trani) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price range | €€ | €€€ | €€€ |
| Cuisine | Apulian, traditional | Apulian, creative | Apulian, contemporary |
| Michelin recognition | Plate (2024, 2025) | Star | Star |
| Booking difficulty | Easy | Moderate | Moderate |
| Leading for | Traditional meal, value | Special occasion splurge | Modern Apulian cooking |
For Apulian dining beyond San Severo, Pashà in Conversano and Quintessenza in Trani represent the region's Michelin-starred tier if you are ready to move up in price and formality.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Fossa del Grano | Apulian | €€ | Easy |
| Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler | Italian, Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Dal Pescatore | Italian, Italian Contemporary | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Osteria Francescana | Progressive Italian, Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Quattro Passi | Italian, Mediterranean Cuisine | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Reale | Progressive Italian, Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Unknown |
A quick look at how La Fossa del Grano measures up.
At €€, this is one of the more straightforward value cases in Apulian dining. Michelin singled it out specifically for traditional home cooking and authentic Puglian cuisine in both 2024 and 2025, which at this price point is a strong endorsement. If you want regional cooking done with care rather than a showcase tasting menu, the price-to-quality ratio here is hard to argue with.
Booking difficulty is low by Michelin Plate standards, so a few days' notice should usually be sufficient outside of peak summer months in Puglia. That said, San Severo draws regional visitors on weekends, so if you're arriving Friday or Saturday evening, calling ahead is worth the effort. The venue address is Via Alessandro Minuziano, 63, 71016 San Severo FG.
Michelin's own guidance points to the antipasti as the essential starting point, followed by a first or main course rather than an extended tasting progression. That framing suggests the kitchen's strength lies in its individual dishes rather than a structured multi-course format. If a full tasting menu is available, ask at the time of booking whether it reflects the same traditional cooking that earned the Plate recognition.
A €€ Michelin Plate restaurant in a mid-sized Apulian city is generally a comfortable solo option: the format is relaxed, the price low-stakes, and the food approachable without the social pressure of a counter-only omakase. Solo diners can work through the antipasti selection and a pasta course without overcommitting. No specific solo counter is documented in the venue data, so it's worth confirming the seating setup when booking.
No specific dietary policy is documented for La Fossa del Grano. Traditional Apulian cooking is grain-forward and often includes cured meats, dairy, and seafood, so guests with gluten, dairy, or meat restrictions should flag requirements when booking. At the €€ level in a smaller Italian city, flexibility may be more limited than at a larger urban restaurant, so direct communication in advance is the safest approach.
It depends on what kind of occasion. If you want a meaningful regional meal with Michelin-noted credentials at a price that won't require a budget conversation, La Fossa del Grano works well. For a formal celebration requiring private dining, tasting menus, or sommelier service, the €€ positioning suggests this is an honest neighbourhood restaurant rather than a grand occasion venue. Osteria Francescana or Dal Pescatore would be the alternative if ceremony is the priority.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
