Granduca

This restaurant is located slightly away from the main streets so it's not your typical place…read morelooking to capitalize on the tourist street traffic but the clientele is still mainly tourists. Right off the bat they tell you this is a fish restaurant and that the menu changes weekly. You can see the fresh fish of the day as is is brought to you table side and is priced based on the kilo. My wife and I ordered a starter, pasta and fish to share which was more than enough food for the two. We also had a glass of wine which wasn't a house wine but essentially picked based on our preference. We ended up getting the raw starter which included raw shrimp, langastinos, oyster, amberjack carpaccio and white tuna tartare. Then we had a seafood pasta with finally a fillet of amberjack served with broccoli and some mashed potatoes. All in with wine the bill came to about $150 euro. Also the bread was excellent and freshly made in house, it's charged to the table but honestly worth the $3 per person.

I recently returned from 2 weeks in Italy and although many amazing meals were enjoyed by our group…read moreof twelve, La Tavernetta stood out among all others, for both service and food quality. Our 4 hour dining experience was marked by knowledgeable staff, the freshest seafood specials, and advice on Sicilian wine pairings. No detail was overlooked, right down to the bread basket and the glossy, translucent-crusted focaccia. Grazie Mille, Salvatore! Buonissimo!

Local white wines from the slopes of Etna

Panna Cotta

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Cannoli

Osteria da Rita

4.5(73 reviews)

•€€

When we were in Taormina on vacation recently, we had Osteria da Rita dal 1991 on our list of…read moreplaces we absolutely had to dine at for dinner. One thing to note is that Osteria da Rita dal 1991 does NOT take reservations under any circumstance and is walk in only. I tried to go through the local 5 star hotel concierge at our resort and they didn't have access, and I also tried to secure reservations myself (I work for a high end travel/concierge company) and also was unsuccessful myself. But now, I understand why after going there. When you walk up, try to go towards the start of their dinner hours to get in line for a standby table. As tables "turn" the next table in the line is seated, that way everyone at the restaurant is treated fairly and is seated as tables are available. There were people in line with us that had dined there 2 or 3 times for dinner during their vacation, so we knew we were in for a treat because dining in Taormina is absolutely outstanding! Right across from the line queue, there in a gelato shop with a takeaway bar that sells wine, beer, and alcoholic drinks that you can take into the line while you wait for your table. At the time of our visit in June 2025, we were able to get a bottle of wine for 15 Euros that we drank while waiting on our table for about an hour to an hour and a half. When we were seated, we were greeted warmly by restaurant staff and they brought over the menus and complimentary bread and bruschetta. We also ordered the bottle of house wine to start as well and it was really good! For starters, we ordered the Spaghetti da Za Rita (15 Euros) and the Lasagna al Ragu (15 Euros). Both had homemade pasta and the quality was out of this world, everything was super fresh. For the entree we ordered the Lemon Flavored Meatballs (16 Euros) and these were out of this world, also very fresh and an amazing main course to share! We were full by the time we got through with dinner, so we didn't order any dessert but all of the desserts looked amazing! They did bring over a complimentary shot of limoncello to close the meal which was also greatly appreciated as well! It's truly an amazing restaurant and a must try spot if you're in Taormina!

What a lovely spot. Don't ask for butter with the bread lol…read moreComplementary bruschetta.

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Shelter

5.0(15 reviews)

0.2 km

This place had the best pizza we had in Italy! Service was friendly and fast. There is also a…read moreterrace, but it was raining during our visit.

Just had a great meal. Lots of salad choices, pasta and (something hard to find on a menu in…read moreSicily) chicken Marsala. Service very good, very attentive.

Across from a Pizzeria down an alley. Great setting.

Etna Pizza. Delicious!

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Frutti di mare pizza senza glutine e formaggio.

Pizzeria Taormina

4.6(20 reviews)

0.2 km

Bee lined for this place due to the reviews. The views from our seats inside were amazing. Only had…read moretime to order a Ham and Mushroom pizza. Thin, crispy and it was absolutely amazing. Highly recommend this place. We were cruising at had to be back to our meeting point at 12:55 so we had little time to enjoy the food and view. A must go!!!!

Great pasta and awesome pizza. The crust is to die for. The service here is really really great…read more Beautiful views overlooking the water. Best pizza so far.

View from outside

Caprese

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Limoncello spritzer

San Domenico Palace

4.5(11 reviews)

0.4 km

I enjoyed every minute of my stay at the Four Seasons San Dominica Palace. The hotel undergone…read moresome major renovation and reopened in 2021 after being part of the Four Seasons. The staff and the Italian hospitality delivers throughout our stay. The planning / correspondence with the concierge was great. I have all the meals and activities planned out about 2 weeks ahead of my stay. Recommend to also arrange your pick up from the airport (we regrettably did not - and the taxi ride was 180 Euro, more than a Four Seasons pick up in a Mercedes. We have the sea-view premium room with a terrace, which costs a fortune but the view is just the killer. The terrace is good size so it is very practical / functional to sit on the balcony, have a drink and soak in that panoramic view of the sea. We opt to venture out to a private tour organized by the hotel: horse back riding on Mount Edna, follow by a lunch and wine tasting at the winery in the area. The logistic was flawless, driver super professional, the view of Mount Edna on the horse back was fantastic, what a great combo of activities. Pool staff at the hotel is top notch, the call button on each table is the modern world way to receive the world class service of the Four Seasons. The current decor in the pool area are all Dolce & Gabbana Casa, very over the top! Even the Granita cart is Dolce & Gabbana, oh yes it is! We had lunch at the restaurant closer to the pool (Anciovi), serving seasonal Sicilian seafood dishes, fresh seafood pastas, seafood salads and fish. Book in advance for to sit next to the beautiful view. The hotel is timeless, the only complain (is any) is there is no adult only pool, so if you are allergic to screaming kids like myself.... But the timeless decor and world class service more than compensate for that.

A beautiful hotel with the most AMAZING staff! Megan is a manager here that treated us like…read moreroyalty! We asked where we could get grilled mozzarella with lemon leaves in town so she picked the lemon leaves and the chef made us this special meal. There were also keto treats in the room for us.

Grilled mozzarella

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The legendary bar crafting amazing drinks

Rosso Peperoncino

4.9(18 reviews)

0.1 km

•€€

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!!

Entrance to patio dining area. Beautiful.

Best carbonara flavor ever.

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Rosso Di Vino Osteria

4.6(16 reviews)

If you're looking for something special and different--and Osteria Rosso Divino was the perfect…read morechoice. The restaurant came highly recommended by our Italian travel agent, and even without a reservation, we were warmly welcomed and seated right away. A lovely woman came to our table to walk us through the day's specials, especially the fresh fish options. She enthusiastically described how the catch of the day could be prepared, and we chose the red snapper served two ways: one half with toasted bread crumbs and orange citrus, and the other half Sicilian-style with olives, raisins, tomatoes, and fresh herbs. Both preparations were absolutely outstanding--fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. Later, we learned that the woman who so passionately described the menu was actually the owner, which made the experience feel even more personal and memorable. If you're in Taormina, do not miss this place. The food and service were both five-star, and it was a delicious, heartfelt way to start or end our trip.

KenScale: 8.0/10 Visit: June 2023…read more Last year, my wife Jun and I spent a summer vacation in Sicily. Sicily had long been on our travel wish list, and the recent White Lotus TV show only heightened that desire to check out this beautiful island. Just like the characters in White Lotus, our main base was in the resort town of Taormina (although we didn't stay at the exact same Four Seasons hotel, we were very happy with our choice of Hotel Villa Ducale with breathtaking views of the coastline and Mount Etna). It was truly a wonderful summer trip of beach club, wine tasting in Mount Etna and other stops in Noto, Siracusa and Ragusa following our stay in Taormina. On the other hand, maybe it was we were in mostly touristy areas or my faulty research but it is hard to say we had a truly memorable meal in some of the restaurants we had visited in Sicily. One restaurant we did like a lot (thanks to the recommendation of the hotel we were staying at) was Osteria RossoDiVino in Taormina. We visited the restaurant on our second day in Taormina after a full day at the beach club. The food was mostly delicious with one standout item that Jun and I can't stop thinking about. The restaurant is located away from the touristy center of Taormina in a hidden alley. Just like a typical Sicilian restaurant, the menu is focused on seafood, and our server brought a giant plate of fish that were caught that day. If there is one item that you absolutely need to try at RossoDiVino, it is the fried anchovies with white mayonnaise. Jun doesn't even like anchovies that much but the ones at the restaurant were rather large and fried to perfection. We would've been perfectly happy eating just these without anything else for the rest of the night. We also opted to split one of the pasta specials on the blackboard, linguine all'astice with lobster. It was somewhat pricey at 40 euros (especially with a rather modest portion) but a pretty solid dish. Among the catch of the day options, we chose a bigeye fish cooked Sicilian stew style using tomato broth that was simple yet well-executed. Since we were in Sicily, we felt compelled to try some cannoli with ricotta cheese and RossoDiVino's dish was not disappointing, especially with a glass of fortified Sicilian wine of marsala. The restaurant's outdoor space is not large so if you want to book for prime-time dinner during a busy touristy season, making a reservation in advance is highly recommended (the restaurant doesn't seem to have reservations available via one of the restaurant reservation websites but if you are staying at a hotel, you can ask them for help in securing a reservation by phone like we did). Sicily's wines have been getting worldwide recognition for a while and RossoDiVino's selection from a variety of regions in the island is excellent for exploring the versatile terroir of these wines. Thanks to the restaurant's location, we didn't feel like we were dining at a touristy trap and it was great to have a relaxing summer meal in a charming outdoor seating without all the noise coming from the main street of Corso Umberto. As beautiful as Taormina is as a vacation destination, its food scene may not be what you would the best from Sicily, but if there is one restaurant that is worth checking out, I would say RossoDiVino is one such place.

Anchovies Tempura with White Mayonnaise

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Linguine All'astice

Trattoria Tiramisu

4.6(28 reviews)

•€€

Excellent Food, great service, romantic ambiance…read more Tip: Make a reservation as dinner time gets busy. i recommend coming in person to make rezy for following evening as online is not available. For two hungry people we ordered 3 pastas, a bottle of wine & 1 tiramisu. Everything was exquisite --- make sure to ask for olive oil with the complimentary bread.

Eh, pretty average food and below average service if you are from the United States. We got the…read moreinstant cold shoulder, and hardly got service. Ambiance is typical of Taormina restaurants.

Spicy penne in tomatoes

Daviola spaghetti

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Spongy bread w olive oil & balsamic

Taverna Al Paladino

4.6(9 reviews)

Lost in a Taormina fairytale, we stumbled upon Taverna Al Paladino and what a find!…read moreTucked away on a charming little street, this cozy spot had beautiful outdoor seating and genuinely welcoming service. I was craving seafood and their menu delivered! I had the shrimp pasta--rich, decadent, and perfectly cooked. My husband ordered the rabbit, which was incredibly tender with a subtly sweet sauce that paired beautifully. Highly recommend if you're looking for a memorable, romantic meal in Taormina!

With a street filled with restaurants it's hard to tell the difference between one place vs…read moreanother. We ended up here based on a recommendation from on of the local wine shops. We came here for lunch and just ordered something to nosh on with a glass of wine. We ended up getting the tuna tartare which had a nice citrus and peppery flavor due to the seasoning and microgreens. The fish was fresh and the portion size was decent based on the $20 price. For a resort town the pricing is pretty comparable from place to place.