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.

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.

Very special location. Excellent menu. Great portions and quality. Romantic and ideal for a special…read moreoccasion.

Oh my goodness. This place was amazing…read more I'm not sure where to start, so let's start with the view. The pictures uploaded by others show the view from the restaurant, and it doesn't matter where you're seated--floor to ceiling glass windows give diners an unobstructed view of the shimmering Mediterranean sea. (I'll try to upload a photo as well.) I was there for lunch in August with a few friends (most of whom were locals). We ordered a number of seafood appetizers to share, including raw shrimp and other fish. Presentation was beautiful, and everything was fresh. For the main course, I had spaghetti with sea urchin. Simple, right? Yes, simple done right. The pasta was cooked al dente and smoothly mixed with the sea urchin. Every bite delivered a heady mix of perfectly cooked pasta flavored with the slight brininess from the sea urchin. I finished off my plate fast and looked hopefully at my friends' plates, hoping they weren't able to finish theirs so I could have more. Alas, they seemed to like the pasta just as much as I did as their plates were empty as well. A few others ordered a variety of cooked seafood, including swordfish. Their orders were presented on a heated tile of pink Himalyan salt, which I found fascinating. Yes, I'm easily impressed. :D I tried a bit of swordfish, and though I'm typically not a fan of this particular fish, it was amazing. We finished off our meal with some espressos (passed on dessert as we were all so full). Amazing lunch. The price was more than reasonable too, considering the breathtaking view, the warm and friendly service, and the quality and freshness of the food.

I have to admit that this is a unique location in an ally with an abundance of Italian flavour. it…read morewas an easy spot to stop and explore. The staff were friendly and we sat down to enjoy a wonderful plate of mussels and were looking forward to the main course. I ordered the seafood spaghetti and it was ok but lacking in flavour. my wife who grew up in a fishing community ordered the cod. I watched as she pushed the meal around her plate without hardly eating any of it. I asked what was wrong and she said it was inedible. still surprised I tried a piece and had to spit it out as if it were a grissled piece of beef. not one to make waves we informed our waitress that it was inedible. We were offered a second piece, however as there had been no service to our table in 15 minutes we turned down their offer. I paid for the meal that was uneaten and was still chastised by the staff insisting that it was the strong local flavour. had I not grown up eating cod she may have fooled us however I wouldn't eat here again if I had just been rescued from a shipwreck.

Went last night and now tonight! This is where all the locals are eating... The ambience is rustic…read more/ local but the food is out of this world. The seafood was swimming this morning. If you go, order the LOCAL wine. I mean this was made the next block over and the seafood was swimming in the bay (within view). Started with fried squid, then on to swordfish marinara. Oh frickin yes! What a local treat....

The carbonara was stunning. The best I've ever had. Would go back in a heartbeat. Would recommend…read morea reservation if you go because we did have to wait a little bit.

One of our favorite meals on our girls trip. Every dish ordered was amazing. The wine selection was…read moregreat. The staff and servers all so nice. We closed the place last to leave. I'd go back again as it was exceptional.

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.

My wife and I had one of the best dining experiences of our life at Trattoria Giglio Rosso…read more This morning, while walking in Catania we spotted this place and decided to visit it tonight...BOOM! It was delicious! I think we were taken care by the owner judging by the care and passion he gave to us. He gave us some recommendations which we skipped because we wanted to have pasta that night. We ordered grilled octopus with verdure sauce as an appetizer, it was super fresh and delicious. After that we ordered our pasta dishes, my wife went for the Catanian classic Rigatoni alla Norma and I went for the linguini alla Giglio Rosso ( with mussels, prawns, tomatoes, parsley and toasted almonds), it was to die for. We were full by the time to order desserts, my wife and decided to share one, the owner ran away and brought a dessert of its choice for two! BINGO! He blew our taste buds again! We thanked him for the experience and the wonderful food. Top notch!

Service was flirty and delightful. Seated immediacy and the. They were patient as we added another…read moretwo to the table with 45 min wait. We came because it was as recommended as a great pasta al Norma which is ubiquitous but not always well done. This was divine. Of also recommend the pasta with garlic and lemon, the tuna and the prawns - as table favorites. The menu was broad and as a smart one does we followed server advice and had two apps - antipasto and ' a thousand leave a of Parmesan' ( a mini eggplant lasagna) , two pasta and three fish dishes for 6 folks to share and we were pleasantly full (no solid meals that day until this sit down at 2100). We crushed several bottles of local wine and had Camilo (a Sicilian creation) and tiramisu for desert- only because they're ran out of the promised divine panna cotta- stinking cute charming server! All was delish. Will recommend forward and at here again - possibly this weekend!

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!

Beautiful!!!! The Gambero Pazzo in Catania and popular for their local cuisine and excellent…read moreservice. I would highly recommend to try one of their fish dishes. All fish is caught local and prepared to perfection. It is very typical in Sicily to order an Antipasti (starter), a first main dish, a second main dish, as well as a dessert and a cafe (espresso) when at a restaurant. If you like to try all - I would recommend to share with your partner. The portions are very generous! Make sure not to forget to order a bottle of water. Unlike in the US you pay for water in Europe at all restaurants. However it is very affordable at about 2.00 Euro for a large bottle.

This is my favorite restaurant in Catania. The people are friendly and the seafood is fresher than…read moreanywhere else.

We are so happy with our choice of restaurant selection in Al Saraceno! It's best to make a…read morereservation in advance for optimal table selection as the restaurant has a beautiful patio seating, with amazing views overlooking Mount Etna. One item to note though is if you are walking on foot from the heart of Etna, there are steps and not just a small amount, it's a lot (think of a huge hike) so just be mindful of that. My husband and I work out a lot and it was not an easy task for either of us. When we arrived, we made it a few minutes before our reservation and were promptly seated for dinner on the patio, and the views throughout the entire meal were absolutely amazing! The restaurant servers were all so friendly and welcoming and answered any questions we had. We ordered a bottle of wine from the Mount Etna area to start as we wanted to try a wine from the area. They had wine pricing of all options and varieties. For starters, we ordered the wild boar pasta (22 Euros) and the Taglioni with pistachio cream (22 Euros). All of the pasta was OMG so fresh and homemade, it was all outstanding! We also ordered the Sea bass filet (28 Euros) and it was also fresh from the area as well and also truly outstanding. For dessert, we ordered the deconstructed cannoli (10 Euros) and the presentation and quality was also outstanding and very fresh. The entire meal and service were outstanding and very memorable. The owner closed out our check at the end and thanked us for our visit, and it was truly an amazing and friendly family establishment. Definitely try to stop by for a meal if you're in the Taormina area!

I didn't like the food. Very expensive for what we got…read more Fish with aubergine potato and broccoli. The broccoli and potato came in cold cubes. The texture of the aubergine on top of the fish didn't taste right. Also, both of us didn't finish our meals but the waiter only asked my husband if anything was wrong. Lots of people enjoy it there but not for us.