Ate here last year on a cruise stop. Food was delicious and atmosphere was nice sitting outside…read more May go again when stop here again!

Cute little place right across from the port. We had a view of our ship…read more I had the swordfish pasta with eggplant that was very tasty. The pasta is Al dente. Hubby had the shellfish risotto. The risotto was too Al dente the seafood, except for the shrimp and clams tasted old and rubbery. The shrimp and clams were excellent. I had a glass of Messina wine, Malvasia, which was delicious. A bit on the sweet side. Hubby had biere Messina which was excellent as well. The cannoli, which originated in Sicily, was delicious. The shell was a bit thick, but the filling was creamy deliciousness.

Looking for an experience of authentic Sicilian culture? You'll find it here. Authentic, old…read moreworld, charming and delicious. It is slow food, at it's finest. Dishes that other won serve, because they require time, love and attention. Lots of seafood, freashly caught and you can taste the difference. Amazing vegetarian pasta. Lots of dishes to select from. Too many. You could dine here for a week and still not explore it all. Go! You will be delighted!

We arrived at the restaurant and was told there were no tables available for the evening and was…read moreturned away. I then informed them I had made reservations to celebrate my wife's birthday and was promptly seated. The highlight was the bread and the olive from Mt Etna, amazing splash of olive oil!. Then things went down hill from there. Service was mediocre, the food was not as expected. I had Spatola and had to search for bits and pieces of fish. The taste was off and I elected not to finish my meal. I assume they were having an off-night but after seeing some of the reviews, I don't think so. I traveled throughout Italy, Sicily and Sardinia and must say this was not enjoyable. I would not recommend this place of business until they re-evaluate their menus and staff.

It's not hard to find a cool restaurant by the water in a place like Messina, but when it's a…read moreThursday night and everywhere is absolutely packed and you get lucky enough to fit a group of 12 into a place like Pizzeria 38º15' Grecale, it's a dang miracle. We showed up here around 9:00PM on Thursday night expecting to get turned away for not having space like some of the other places we tried, but luckily a large group just left and we were able to get a large table on the outside patio. The focus of this trip was to order a ton of pizzas to split and that's exactly what we did. During this trip to manage to try some of them Margherita pizza, the Americano pizza, the Buffalo mozzarella pizza, and even a slice of arugula pizza (It was my last night in Italy, don't judge me for eating so much). Margherita Pizza- A simple slice covered in delicious sauce that was sadly the last of the slices I tried. Americano Pizza- The fact that Italy has pizza covered in french fries and hot dogs is both a curse and a blessing. The pizza itself is absolutely delicious and somehow my favourite of the bunch. Buffalo Mozzarella Pizza- This is basically a basic cheese pizza with extra cheese on it (and Buffalo of course). I would say this was the pizza I ate the most of, and also the cheese I enjoyed the most as well. Arugula Pizza- I am not a huge fan of arugula pizza but when someone hands me a slice and says "eat" I give it a go. The slice itself was not bad and tasted pretty good, although it definitely wouldn't be something I would personally order. Overall, I had a really good time and a really good meal at Pizzeria 38º15' Grecale. I would of rather of enjoyed some actual Sicilian Pizza while visiting but when I'm not the one choosing the place, I can only eat where I'm told too. This place is an amazing set up, great staff, and an absolutely stunning view from the outside patio. If you are looking for a beautiful night out in Messina, this is definitely somewhere you should check out.

Holy heck, what a find! It was just about the only good choice in the little town of Spadafora, a…read moregreat place (my grandfather is from there so that's why we were visiting) and worth a stop if you have a few hours. The name has apparently changed several times and the current chef/owner is in the wrong place (but right for us)! He belongs in an upscale restaurant in a big city, his cuisine is that good. We had the chef's tasting menu, 13! courses in all, which was absurdly cheap (about 20 euros if I remember right) and maybe 8 more for a great bottle of local "viagnier" (OK they can't spell that well, but I do mean great, we are wine snobs). So for antipasti we got 7 (that's right, seven) little gems that were absolutely exquisite, Almost all seafood, insanely fresh, creative and perfectly cooked. For the pasta we were treated to a great seafood risotto, but by that time my wife was stuffed, so I had the second course, a "sea bass" fillet done en Papillote (baked in parchment but he used what I think as a turkey bag, same principal), also with mussels and clams and fresh veggies. Even though I'm pretty sure it was branzino (everyone likes to call their fish sea bass these days) it was cooked perfectly. Dessert was just OK, an obviously homemade strawberry ice cream that was frozen too hard but otherwise tasty. Brush up on your desserts and I would say you are ready for the big time. he came out to see what we thought and I told him he just about killed me with his food, he thought that was very funny. I said his was the freshest seafood we had in Italy and he pointed towards the sea, and said "from there". Probably caught the same day. His sole waiter was friendly, he had been to NYC so he was pretty good at English. The owner's family was eating a couple of his Sicilian pizzas next to us and I almost asked them for a taste, it looked that good. We joked with his brother about getting free food and he said he'd pay for it anyway (as would I if he offered it to me for free)! PS. if you want the real "Stromboli" stuffed pizza (not a calzone!) as far as I know you have to be within sight of the famous volcano offshore from Milazzo. Spadafora was the only place I have seen it outside of a very few "true" US Italian restaurants, and it was delicioso at a little pizzeria we picked at random for lunch.

The most popular restaurant in all of Taormina does not disappoint. Be prepared for long lines with…read moreno reservations. The atmosphere is lively, the hospitality unlike any restaurant we visited. Very family forward. Ladies kept kissing my daughter's head. The men kept tapping it. They love children. The food was very good. Mixed seafood pasta and the pasta Rita had unique flavors I've never had. Very touristy but experience felt very local.

Osteria da Rita lives up to the reviews (a 4.5 rating for me)- delicious, traditional Sicilian…read morecuisine, welcoming and efficient staff, good energy. We had lunch there two days in a row and the meals were consistently good and the best we had in our two days in Taormina. There seems to be a good social media buzz about the place. Let's start with seating. As all the reviews convey, there are no reservations; first come first served and always a line to get in. For lunch, when we arrived at 11:45 for the line, we were able to get an inside seat when they opened at 12 noon. In the second day we arrived at 11:40 and were able to get a prized outside seat. My observation for lunch is that if you arrive between 11:50 and 12:00 you may risk not getting in the first seating and I heard the staff communicate it would be up to an hour or 90 minutes before the second round of seating. For the food, on the first day we ordered bruschetta (a single piece is complimentary on the house but if you want more should order off the appetizer menu): fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil. One of the best bruschetta's I have had. We also ordered caponata which had whole garlic cloves and traditional elements; would also recommend. Ordered a bottle of the house white which was solid. We both had the braciola (rolled meat) because my wife had a recipe for it from her grandmother and we wanted to compare; it was a good portion and hearty for lunch. We shared a tiramisu for dessert, very rich and creamy and we like that the lady finger cookies still had a bit of a crunch. Next to us a couple from California had the grilled sardines and tuna which they said they really enjoyed. On the second day, we both ordered spritzes (Aperol and Limoncello) and started with the fried calamari; it had a good taste and was very lightly battered and fried. I was expecting something with a bit more batter and maybe more crunchy but glad we tried it. We also ordered a fennel and orange salad which was the highlight of the lunch - so refreshing and a perfect balance. For entrees, I had the spinach and ricotta ravioli which I would absolutely recommend and my spouse had the pasta with a ragu sauce - equally delicious. We decided to hold on dessert and save room for granita later in the afternoon. While sitting outside, many passers by commented to their companions that "this is the place to eat in Taormina". From our experiences there, we would certainly agree.

Five of us had dinner here and everyone thoroughly enjoyed their chosen dishes. I took a break from…read morepasta and had a grilled beef steak with roasted potatoes. It was perfectly prepared. The flavor of the steak was delicious, topped with olive oil. The roasted potatoes were also delicious. Simple meal that hit the spot! Two other friends had steak as well but with a Gorgonzola cheese sauce. They thought it was absolutely delicious. My hubby ordered the carbonara and it was one of the most outstanding versions ever. The carbonara sauce was amazing. The bacon was even crispy which is a rare sight! Service was friendly. The outside covered patio was beautiful, calm and a delightful place to have dinner. The inside of the restaurant was where the local diners were eating, sounded like a big party inside, while it was serene outside where we were. We had lots of pleasant dinner conversation without it being noisy! Wonderful dinner experience. Highly recommend!

Had an amazing experience with Anthony and Giuseppe! Such an authentic and beautiful experience…read morewith fantastic service and traditional dishes. You must have the ravioli with pistachio cream-- it is life changing. I hope to come back again before we leave!!

Amazing restaurant! Can't get any fresher seafood than this! Great location on the water,…read moreoutstanding pastas and seafood. Not to mention the great owner and staff. Wow!

From the owner: ristorante sul mareread more

Family run restaurant famous for pane cunzato. They make the bread which is basically a toasted…read moreslice of bread the size of a frisbee topped with a variety of ingredients depending on what you order. The servings are huge and are enough for 2 persons or get a half serving for one. I got the Eoliano which included fresh cherry tomatoes, capers, olives, onions, anchovies and pepper flakes. The saltiness and juicy tomatoes was perfect for a hot day. Only 6 euro for half a serving. They also make some of the best granites in Sicily. Located facing the waterfront and beach, it's a great location to relax and have a great lunch for a very reasonable price.

Following the trail of my ancestry, we visited Salina last month. We took the bus 3km from Santa…read moreMarina to Lingua for Da Alfred's famous pane cunsato, a sort of flatbread similar to focaccia, but better. Sitting at the water's edge on a lovely Mediterranean day, it was difficult to choose from the many toppings, but simple is always best in Italian cooking. So, it was the most glorious tuna with ruby red tomatoes, amazing creamy mozzarella and fresh basil, all in large chunks. We ordered a half, which was plenty to share. The whole ones are huge. Outstanding! We finished lunch with their other famous delight -- the most wonderful, flavorful granita siciliana. This is the real thing. I had the venerable pistachio, my daughter the coffee. My only regret is that I'm not there right now!

Amazing dinner, a little gem in Messina. Loved it! I would return next time I am going to be here.read more