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BLUF: nice fresh food not too far from the main roads and hotels We went here for dinner our first day in town. If you want to go be sure to make a reservation, which you can do online. It gets very busy around 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. The location is right at the edge of the road so you can expect some foot traffic and motorcycles and so on going by. This is not uncommon among most of the restaurants there but if you're looking for a nice quiet setting it may not be for you. The service is very friendly, and the food was delicious. I had a lobster ravioli dish which was delicious, and my partner had just a very simple pasta with tomato sauce which was also very good. For appetizers we got a Caprese salad and camponata. The tomatoes in the salad were amazingly fresh with a nice chunk of fresh cheese. The camponata was absolutely delicious. We had to get more bread so we could spread the camponata on it.
Went here at the recommendation of the concierge. The street side table of this less touristy place/location was great. Yes a little loud with motor bikes and the smoking (btw - I forgot about the European smoke break between apps and entrees. I thought it was over but I guess not). They were crazy busy with walk ups and reservations but the staff was friendly and fairly well coordinated to make sure orders and food were taken and delivered. I am really starting to love these Etna region wines. Another good one for 45EU. I thought we ordered the cold seafood salad but we got the hot one. It was great and the broth was good for mopping with the bread. This bread was served a little chilled and was not great but definitely good. I don't think you can go wrong with anything on the menu. We got he linguine and mixed seafood and the shrimp raviolis with pistachio. I love pistachios and am now a huge fan of using them in more dishes. At breakfast I had salami with pistachio (yea - it was excellent) and with the raviolis it was finely crumbled over the top, providing gorgeous color and a subtle taste and texture enhancement. It is worth venturing outside the gated streets of tourist mayhem to give this place a try. That said, I can't give it 5 stars given lack of ambiance and tables on top of each other.
We were recommended to eat here by our buddy. A great recommendation. Yet it didn't start off that way. The man in charge was very rude and impatient with us. We didn't know why. Probably cuz we didn't order right away. Got the feeling that we should not have picked this venue. Things began to change quickly after 10-15 min. The girl staff was super. What we ordered was a great tasting antipasto, pasta and zuppe di pesce. The food was excellent. There aren't many tables here and the place gets crowded. AND WE USED A YELP 20% DISCOUNT COUPON.
Ate here late at night and we all enjoyed our food. The owner was very nice and friendly. The Greek salad wasn't anything too exciting but the Leone white wine was just the right amount of dry. I got the penne pesto and shrimp. So delicious and fresh. The lemon sauce pasta had some pistachios which was so creamy and delicious. The red sauce pasta was fresh and delicious.
Food made straight from the heart in an atmosphere that makes you feel that you are joining the family for dinner in their home. This is a place my husband and I will come back to again and again in our travels. If you want a pretentious atmosphere there are plenty of restaurants in Taormina I could recommend, but if you want amazing, authentically Sicilian food... come here. I cannot effectively describe all the dishes I have eaten here. You will just need to come and try for yourself. Get the house wine, get the pasta con le sarde, get the swordfish involtini, get everything.
This place is amazing! It's family run, there's a grandma helping to serve during lunch and the staff is all family. Casual, but you can dress up If you prefer. I went twice during my stay in Taormina and each time I had the absolute most delicious pasta that I've ever tasted. The Bruschetta is also delicious, very fragrant. I highly recommend this place if you want a perfect meal in Sicily! Enjoy!
Jackpot! If you are looking for a local Sicilian family restaurant in Taormina, Malvasia will rock your boat ashore and back. There is no pretense to the place, you find it off on a side street where tourists and locals hang, humble, inviting, local. Just what we were looking for. We had just sat down and out comes a gift from the kitchen: panelle (garbanzo paste, cut into squares, hot, , fluffy straight from the fryer). We smile because we knew we found a fave. First we engaged the proprietor and asked what the specialties of the house are and he said, let me give you some options. He gave us a list, a small list. We picked from his list and we fell in love with these dishes: the lemon pasta with Sicilian lemons, rind and ground pistachio (unforgettable), the simplest of simple tomatoes with octopus, the spotula (fish so fresh and light that it competed with the coating for airy lightness), the tomatoes, the gamberetti so fresh and tasty. We listened to the owner and out came jewels from the kitchen. As with most restaurants in Sicily the proprietor offers digestif, after dinner drinks. With that we started off our trip to Sicily with food that comes from generations of traditions. Soooooo awesomely deeelish this restaurant. Malvasia is the epitome of the perfect family restaurant, where every member contributes to the business and when la nonna (grandmother Eleonora) came out from the kitchen we wanted to give her a standing ovation. Malvasia is my style of restaurant, the same style my friends and I were questing........ the food at Malvasia has soul. Visits: 2 Loved it came back. Tip: Here's a simple trick to get amazing food in small family style restaurants like Malvasia. Ask the proprietor what the specialty of the house and you will not go wrong....unless for some reason you end up in a touristy joint and then it's a crap shoot.
After a tough but interesting day hiking up the incline and steps of the narrow main street of Taormina to the top of the Teatro Greco (Greek Amphitheater), Diane and I yearned for a fine Italian meal. It was lunch time but we only had an hour left before we needed to reboard our bus for the drive back through Godfather country in Sicily to return to our ship. It was difficult to decide which trattoria to try, since so many looked fetching. But we knew the less walking we had to do to meet the bus after the meal, the better our chances would be not to miss it. So, we kept walking back down the principal corridor of the town until we were almost at the main arch through which lay the final short path to our bus. Then, just to the right we saw two interesting trattorias. To diminish the chance of a time problem, we chose the less crowded one. Probably either would have been a good selection, for pizza at both looked delicious. That for me was the ultimate weather vane I was looking for to guide my stomach. We were immediately ushered to seats on the outer edge of Ristorante Malvasia, where we could sit in the balmy air and view the sea not far ahead and a constant trickle of tourists on the stone road below. The menu was in Italian, but with many Italian meals behind us we had a pretty good idea of what the various terms meant. Plus, our waiter spoke pretty good English. We quickly made our selections, and patiently waited for our ordered food after asking for bread, butter, and a bottle of still water and two Cokes to begin. The fresh Italian bread and butter took the edge off our hunger, and were appreciated, even though there was a charge for the bread. I ordered Vegetable Soup and Pizza Diavolo, and Diane opted for a Prosciutto Pizza. When the soup arrived, it was in a large elongated dish--more a vat than a bowl. It was a tasty concoction containing fresh peas, carrots, lentils, chick peas, and potatoes in a light broth. As is common in Italy, the pizza was very thin with a billowing, Lavosh cracker bread-like texture and all-white crust. On top of mine, ample slices of cooked hot (spicy) pepperoni that looked more like thin ham, and a few fresh mushrooms, were arrayed across the pizza dough on a covering of piping hot (heat hot) Diavolo Sauce and melted Mozzarella Cheese. It was all very good, and didn't take me long to finish. I don't usually like Diavolo Sauce because it can overpower other ingredients, but this was more akin to a kicked up variety of Pomodoro Sauce, and I liked it. Besides, I was looking for something a bit different than what one can find back in the States. I wanted and got the native fare. Diane also enjoyed her pizza, and we finished and paid our bill of about 28 Euros ($40) with about 15 minutes to spare. Service was leisurely, as it tends to be in Italy, but efficient. The soup and pizzas were cooked to order with obviously fresh ingredients. We would dine here again without hesitation. But, alas, we have too many other world destinations to mark off our lengthy bucket list, and less and less years left to live and travel as they swiftly tick by. So, the odds of that happening are extremely slim. But at least we got to visit Sicily once, and enjoy a memorable lunch here.
The food at this restaurant was extraordinary. Very good flavor. Even the simple pasta with tomato sauce was great. As far as the "rude" owner goes, he was not overly friendly but cannot be described as rude. This restaurant is family friendly and family run. Would definitely eat her again.
18 days ago
3 months ago
Lovely little restaurant. We had a lovely meal, service was good, they were accommodating to us sharing items. Fills up by 8pm. Very affordable. read more
BLUF: nice fresh food not too far from the main roads and hotels We went here for dinner our first day in town. If you want to go be sure to make a reservation, which you can do online. It gets very busy around 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. The location is right at the edge of the road so you can expect some foot traffic and motorcycles and so on going by. This is not uncommon among most of the restaurants there but if you're looking for a nice quiet setting it may not be for you. The service is very friendly, and the food was delicious. I had a lobster ravioli dish which was delicious, and my partner had just a very simple pasta with tomato sauce which was also very good. For appetizers we got a Caprese salad and camponata. The tomatoes in the salad were amazingly fresh with a nice chunk of fresh cheese. The camponata was absolutely delicious. We had to get more bread so we could spread the camponata on it. read more
1 year ago
Went here at the recommendation of the concierge. The street side table of this less touristy place/location was great. Yes a little loud with motor bikes and the smoking (btw - I forgot about the European smoke break between apps and entrees. I thought it was over but I guess not). They were crazy busy with walk ups and reservations but the staff was friendly and fairly well coordinated to make sure orders and food were taken and delivered. I am really starting to love these Etna region wines. Another good one for 45EU. I thought we ordered the cold seafood salad but we got the hot one. It was great and the broth was good for mopping with the bread. This bread was served a little chilled and was not great but definitely good. I don't think you can go wrong with anything on the menu. We got he linguine and mixed seafood and the shrimp raviolis with pistachio. I love pistachios and am now a huge fan of using them in more dishes. At breakfast I had salami with pistachio (yea - it was excellent) and with the raviolis it was finely crumbled over the top, providing gorgeous color and a subtle taste and texture enhancement. It is worth venturing outside the gated streets of tourist mayhem to give this place a try. That said, I can't give it 5 stars given lack of ambiance and tables on top of each other. read more
We were recommended to eat here by our buddy. A great recommendation. Yet it didn't start off that way. The man in charge was very rude and impatient with us. We didn't know why. Probably cuz we didn't order right away. Got the feeling that we should not have picked this venue. Things began to change quickly after 10-15 min. The girl staff was super. What we ordered was a great tasting antipasto, pasta and zuppe di pesce. The food was excellent. There aren't many tables here and the place gets crowded. AND WE USED A YELP 20% DISCOUNT COUPON. read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
7 years ago
4 years ago
Ate here late at night and we all enjoyed our food. The owner was very nice and friendly. The Greek salad wasn't anything too exciting but the Leone white wine was just the right amount of dry. I got the penne pesto and shrimp. So delicious and fresh. The lemon sauce pasta had some pistachios which was so creamy and delicious. The red sauce pasta was fresh and delicious. read more
4 years ago
8 years ago
Food made straight from the heart in an atmosphere that makes you feel that you are joining the family for dinner in their home. This is a place my husband and I will come back to again and again in our travels. If you want a pretentious atmosphere there are plenty of restaurants in Taormina I could recommend, but if you want amazing, authentically Sicilian food... come here. I cannot effectively describe all the dishes I have eaten here. You will just need to come and try for yourself. Get the house wine, get the pasta con le sarde, get the swordfish involtini, get everything. read more
This place is amazing! It's family run, there's a grandma helping to serve during lunch and the staff is all family. Casual, but you can dress up If you prefer. I went twice during my stay in Taormina and each time I had the absolute most delicious pasta that I've ever tasted. The Bruschetta is also delicious, very fragrant. I highly recommend this place if you want a perfect meal in Sicily! Enjoy! read more
3 years ago
Jackpot! If you are looking for a local Sicilian family restaurant in Taormina, Malvasia will rock your boat ashore and back. There is no pretense to the place, you find it off on a side street where tourists and locals hang, humble, inviting, local. Just what we were looking for. We had just sat down and out comes a gift from the kitchen: panelle (garbanzo paste, cut into squares, hot, , fluffy straight from the fryer). We smile because we knew we found a fave. First we engaged the proprietor and asked what the specialties of the house are and he said, let me give you some options. He gave us a list, a small list. We picked from his list and we fell in love with these dishes: the lemon pasta with Sicilian lemons, rind and ground pistachio (unforgettable), the simplest of simple tomatoes with octopus, the spotula (fish so fresh and light that it competed with the coating for airy lightness), the tomatoes, the gamberetti so fresh and tasty. We listened to the owner and out came jewels from the kitchen. As with most restaurants in Sicily the proprietor offers digestif, after dinner drinks. With that we started off our trip to Sicily with food that comes from generations of traditions. Soooooo awesomely deeelish this restaurant. Malvasia is the epitome of the perfect family restaurant, where every member contributes to the business and when la nonna (grandmother Eleonora) came out from the kitchen we wanted to give her a standing ovation. Malvasia is my style of restaurant, the same style my friends and I were questing........ the food at Malvasia has soul. Visits: 2 Loved it came back. Tip: Here's a simple trick to get amazing food in small family style restaurants like Malvasia. Ask the proprietor what the specialty of the house and you will not go wrong....unless for some reason you end up in a touristy joint and then it's a crap shoot. read more
After a tough but interesting day hiking up the incline and steps of the narrow main street of Taormina to the top of the Teatro Greco (Greek Amphitheater), Diane and I yearned for a fine Italian meal. It was lunch time but we only had an hour left before we needed to reboard our bus for the drive back through Godfather country in Sicily to return to our ship. It was difficult to decide which trattoria to try, since so many looked fetching. But we knew the less walking we had to do to meet the bus after the meal, the better our chances would be not to miss it. So, we kept walking back down the principal corridor of the town until we were almost at the main arch through which lay the final short path to our bus. Then, just to the right we saw two interesting trattorias. To diminish the chance of a time problem, we chose the less crowded one. Probably either would have been a good selection, for pizza at both looked delicious. That for me was the ultimate weather vane I was looking for to guide my stomach. We were immediately ushered to seats on the outer edge of Ristorante Malvasia, where we could sit in the balmy air and view the sea not far ahead and a constant trickle of tourists on the stone road below. The menu was in Italian, but with many Italian meals behind us we had a pretty good idea of what the various terms meant. Plus, our waiter spoke pretty good English. We quickly made our selections, and patiently waited for our ordered food after asking for bread, butter, and a bottle of still water and two Cokes to begin. The fresh Italian bread and butter took the edge off our hunger, and were appreciated, even though there was a charge for the bread. I ordered Vegetable Soup and Pizza Diavolo, and Diane opted for a Prosciutto Pizza. When the soup arrived, it was in a large elongated dish--more a vat than a bowl. It was a tasty concoction containing fresh peas, carrots, lentils, chick peas, and potatoes in a light broth. As is common in Italy, the pizza was very thin with a billowing, Lavosh cracker bread-like texture and all-white crust. On top of mine, ample slices of cooked hot (spicy) pepperoni that looked more like thin ham, and a few fresh mushrooms, were arrayed across the pizza dough on a covering of piping hot (heat hot) Diavolo Sauce and melted Mozzarella Cheese. It was all very good, and didn't take me long to finish. I don't usually like Diavolo Sauce because it can overpower other ingredients, but this was more akin to a kicked up variety of Pomodoro Sauce, and I liked it. Besides, I was looking for something a bit different than what one can find back in the States. I wanted and got the native fare. Diane also enjoyed her pizza, and we finished and paid our bill of about 28 Euros ($40) with about 15 minutes to spare. Service was leisurely, as it tends to be in Italy, but efficient. The soup and pizzas were cooked to order with obviously fresh ingredients. We would dine here again without hesitation. But, alas, we have too many other world destinations to mark off our lengthy bucket list, and less and less years left to live and travel as they swiftly tick by. So, the odds of that happening are extremely slim. But at least we got to visit Sicily once, and enjoy a memorable lunch here. read more
6 years ago
The food at this restaurant was extraordinary. Very good flavor. Even the simple pasta with tomato sauce was great. As far as the "rude" owner goes, he was not overly friendly but cannot be described as rude. This restaurant is family friendly and family run. Would definitely eat her again. read more
7 years ago
10 years ago
Saporita!! Delicious!! Our first day in Taormina and we were lucky to stumble upon this place when the recommended "Tiramisu" had closed their kitchen already for the afternoon closing. We shared octopus salad, seafood risotto, linguini scampi, and fried calamari. We had a delicious bottle of wine at the owner's (?) recommendation. Topped it all off with mini cannoli and espresso. Again, ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. The staff were standoff-ish but in a kind way [very Sicilian of them :)]. And at the end of the meal they thanked us for coming and chatted with us a bit which was really nice! I highly recommend this place. read more
9 years ago
12 years ago
After traveling three weeks through out Italy , it is nice to find a family own restaurant in the middle of the tourist town that is reasonable and great food and great staffs or owner that want you to return and recommended other to the restaurant. Higher recommended and a beauty city and people! read more
7 years ago
10 years ago
10 years ago
I've eaten at top restaurants all over the world and this is truly one of the best. Casual, warm and authentic. Mom cooks and her son serves with genuine love of his food. The home made pasta and tomato sauce is to die for. The sea bass was delicious and the olives are the best ever. The family harvests and make the olives themselves. And after raving about them, mom came out with a jar to take home. If you are in Taormina don't miss Malvasia. read more
11 years ago
7 years ago
10 years ago
11 years ago
More info about Malvasia
Via Apollo Arcageta 8
98039 Taormina
Italy
Directions
340 3077032
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12 years ago
