After a wonderful dinner, we returned to Da Bacco for lunch and dinner the next day to see if our…read morefirst night had been unusual. Things went from very good to great. Stefano not only continued sharing his knowledge of Sicilian wines but recommended Enoteca Picone to further our experience which was perfect advice. Lunch for me was fried octopus, which was 4 legs, each 6" (150 mm.) long and crispy on the outside and tender but slightly chewy on the inside like great fried chicken. I had seen a plate the night before and actually dreamed of them. They did not disappoint. She chose another iteration of cozze from the specials menu. These mussels were steamed in beer with fresh ginger and were comparably good to the sautéed but slightly more subtle. It turns out that dishes on the specials menu can work their way onto the standard menu if the patrons insist and the chef came out to ask for a comparison. We repeated the contorni plate of chef's choice vegetables that repeated the potato slices but added grill zucchini and oven dried onion that was sweet with all of the bitter components gone and the consistency of a very thin potato chip. We tried to rein in for dinner with pasta only. I had the Sicilian classic Pasta a la Norma with strong fresh tomato, soft eggplant, and sweet onion. It demanded scarpetta even with a white linen table cloth. She had pasta with prawns that was subtle and delicate with a lighter tomato sauce with herbs. We repeated the wines from the night before. We left feeling sad to think we probably wouldn't be back on this trip but smiling from the stomach up.

At Da Bacco located near the historic center was this beautifully charming whole in the wall where…read moreI called into going to grab a bite to eat. I decided to have a bucket of clams, awesome! Then in addition, the prosciutto with melon, also the carbonara which had thicker noodles. I dont know that I necessarily care for that, but it was yummy, and so flavorful. I loved it. The service was very direct slightly pretentious in a feel good way. So fun and such a good way to end your night in Italy.

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

When visiting Siracusa, I wanted to enjoy some pistachio pasta while dipping on a refreshing…read morespritz. This place did not disappoint. There was a table outside available just as I approached the place so I was fortunate enough to not have to wait. The space inside is very small and only about 4 small tables on the outside so be prepared to potentially wait. I simply put in my order for the Pesto di Pistachio Pasta and Hugo Spritz and people watched while I waited. The spritz came quickly so I enjoyed the refreshing spritz while waiting for my pasta. When I got my order and took that first bite...pure bliss. The al dente pasta and the subtle pistachio pesto flavor was delicious. Bite after bite and sip after sip, the whole experience on that outdoor table while watching the time pass was relaxing and satisfying. As I dined, I saw more and more people come and wait and I learned they have another location very close by. The waiter would walk them over to that location if they so pleased. The staff mainly speak Italian so be prepared for a language barrier. However, they were all very patient and friendly so no need to worry :)

One of our favorites when coming to Ortigia. I absolutely love the bruschetta and the pesto di…read morepistachio! Amazing!!!! You will not regret dining at this wonderful place.

Easily one of the best meals I've had in Italy. This is a fish/seafood restaurant principally, but…read morethey do have a couple vegetarian options I believe. We all ordered the fixed-price lunch menu for 26 Euros, which was comprised of 3 cold appetizers, 2 hot appetizers, and a main course with a choice several types of pasta or cous cous. Each plate was delicately crafted, well presented, and delicious. I highly recommend the house fixed-price menu, since you get to try a bit of everything.

Delicious food and great service! We were highly recommended to come here and I'm glad we did, I…read morewish we had gone every day we were in Caltagirone it was so good, but we wanted to try as many places as we could. We will definitely be returning when we come back though. Service was awesome and very knowledgeable about the food and wine. I wish I had thought to take pictures of the first 3 appetizers, but I was enjoying the food too much!

The location is not on the main street. And we ate outside of restaurant and felt so good. The…read morefood what we order are pizza and spaghetti. It doesn't impress us at the beginning. But we feel more tasty when we eat more. I think their material is more natural and healthy. I do enjoy whole dining experience. I bet dinner will be even better. Of course service is very good. Highly recommend!

Food was cold and not good. It lacked flavor and the lasagna was old and mushy. They had the tv…read moreon a game show and the lights were very bright. The waitress stared at her phone the entire time we were there and wasn't into her job at all. Horrible experience

Outside. Beautiful. Table clothes. Very nice and kind service. Food came out quickly, almost too…read morequick. Didn't care for any of the food. We had two apps and left. Wine was ok they brought out two different bottles to try, place is now packed. Try at your own risk. Not my favorite here. Doris approved 3.5 stars. The whole meal everything pictured was 22.00euro Everyone else cleaned their plates so maybe we didn't pick the right meals.

Delayed flight, transfer to the hotel (which confusingly had a high name similarity to several…read moreothers, such that we initially went wrong), and in the end, it was about 10 pm before we could go hunting for food. Is that a problem. It would be in the US, but in Italy, nessun problema! We walked through the narrow and still very crowded streets of the center around the Dome. The trattoria di Antonio was packed (with mostly Italian guests), but Antonio just created an extra table to seat us. What else would you expect from Italy than having delicious food? And so it was: Antipasto siciliano, octopus salad, rigatoni and risotto pescatorio were all perfect - paired with the warm outdoor seating and the so charming attitude of the Italian staff. Bookmarked for return!

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.

Definitely THE place to eat pork. It's a local specialty. Everything is home made. This is not a…read morefancy place but a real one. You can tell that it is a family business.

This place is off the beaten path and a little hard to find but trust Google and let it guide you…read morethere. Once you get there you will be seated in a 100 year old wine pressing room. That alone is a great experience. We ordered our first plate, the Sicilian typical starter and wow, it did not disappoint. 10 small dishes each one better than the last. Our next plate was the steak for two. Mind you we are from Kansas City (USA) and we know about steak and the taste and quality and this was by far the best steak we have had as of yet! This steak was surrounded by smoked vegetables that were delicious! Tiramisu for our dessert was fresh and amazing as well. Both house red and house white were also wonderful. Our dinner was wonderful but the best part of the evening was the chef who served us our entree and spent a lot of time with us Americans. She was what made our evening and experience. 10 months later we came back. Still just as good as the first time.

Excellent food , enjoyable atmosphere and service that is hard to compare. Our waiter offered us…read moresome local specialities to try, made sure we tried local specialities and did not stop to bring us some fresh bread and olive oil.