Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Osteria da Rita

    4.5 (73 reviews)
    ModerateSicilian

    Osteria da Rita Photos

    OSTERIA DA RITA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - Osteria da Rita

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Aaron S.

    Vastly overrated but not the most terrible. They have some actual Sicilian dishes on the menu but they definitely cater to the cruise fleas. Bruschetta was decent. We ordered the 2 more popular pasta dishes to see what the fuss was about - both were heavily salted and nothing mindblowing. I don't understand the long wait besides maybe social media hype. Trattoria Tiramisu was a better choice in Taormina city Centre.

    Flavorful homemade spaghetti
    Chante F.

    Absolutely amazing food. A must visit. The ambiance was nice, but trust me, you want the food!!!!

    Ragu
    Joe D.

    Absolutely wonderful. Great food and great staff. We had lunch here and it was amazing. Great ambiance too. Pasta, fish, bruschetta, mussels were light and perfect.

    Calamari
    Lauren F.

    This place has become super popular and is only open Thursday through Sunday, so we got in line 45 minutes before the dinner opening (we had tried earlier in our trip to go 15 minutes before, but ended up out of luck for a table). Not 100% sure if it's worth that kind of wait when there are plenty of other solid options around, but we certainly enjoyed our meal. The aunt Rita pasta is simple and delicious, and there was a local band that came by and entertained everyone dining outside for a bit.

    Part of the outside patio.
    Ruby B.

    We went back to Osteria da Rita for lunch based on the long line they had the night before when we were searching for a dinner place to go. We were told by a family that it was a very popular and desirable place to go. We only waited a few minutes for them to open at noon as a line had already formed. We had a great lunch of salad (tomato, onion and salted ricotta cheese), lasagna and a seafood pasta. I loved my hearty bowl of noodles and a variety of seafood (2 kinds of clams, mussels, shrimp---though no fish). Flavors were rich and perfectly seasoned. It was a great portion too. I saw many tables that had ordered this dish. My hubby's lasagna was incredible. He shared a few bites and wow! It was hot, great cook on the noodles and the bolognese sauce was wonderful. The salad was an additional highlight of our meal---fresh tomatoes, with the onions and cheese. And oh, the complimentary bruschetta was outstanding!! Service was attentive and helpful. We ate outside on their small patio and it was a delight to people-watch and dine on lovely food. Highly recommend!

    Tyler R.

    Osteria da Rita will almost definitely have a line. No res, no nonsense - just the line. And since it's on one of the main pedestrian areas, people that are looking for something to eat see a line and get excited...and just might hop on. If you get there on the early side you should be fine, but 7pm and onward you'll probably have to wait. We waited for about 40 minutes, and although we didn't get a table outside like we wanted, we did get a great two top right by the kitchen, which I think actually ended up being even better. Once you sit, don't mess with the wine menu, the Osteria da Rita house white wine was absolutely delicious and super inexpensive. I drank nearly the whole bottle myself and it definitely hit right. We started with the fennel salad, which was super fresh and crunch (recommend), and for our mains we got swordfish and a pasta dish with mixed seafood, and split them both. I feel like that was the right move since both were great, though I would definitely put an extra few votes in for the pasta. Those noodles and that sauce were delicious. I believe we opted out of dessert on this run, but overall I would say this restaurant is certainly worth the wait. Try for a table outside because of the ambiance of outdoor dining in Sicily, but if you end up inside, it won't be the worst thing.

    Complementary appetizer.  Very good.
    Steve W.

    Outstanding! Doesn't take reservations but the line moves quickly. Prices are very reasonable.

    Salad
    Sabrina F.

    Came here during my trip in Taormina and it was delightful! I love how small the restaurant is and the waiters were very nice! The food was very good! We started out with salad and bruschetta. The bruschetta is a must! Then we had pasta and dessert. We ordered everything at once and everything came out in order and pretty fast!

    Luke S.

    Osteria da Rita food takes you on a trip to mainland Italy rather than sticking strictly to Sicilian flavors. Don't get me wrong, the dishes are really good, bursting with flavors and made with fresh ingredients. The staff is friendly and attentive. If you're up for a taste that's a bit different from the usual Sicilian offerings, Osteria da Rita is worth checking out. It's like a slice of mainland Italy right in the heart of Taormina. If you seeking Sicilian food then look elsewhere. Highly recommended.

    Happy
    Richard D.

    A wonderful meal and I felt like family on a crowded night. Can go on and on, but will only say best meal in two weeks and I ate high end all the time. Beats the Michelin star restaurants I ate at. Period!

    Store Front

    See all

    11 months ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 2

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    7 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Joe D.
    2
    81
    48

    9 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ruby B.
    319
    375
    2478

    1 year ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 1
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0

    2 months ago

    Most amazing service with the most amazing servers. Wouldn't recommend another place more. Salvatore was amazing.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Tyler R.
    2360
    915
    2935

    3 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 2

    3 months ago

    The food is so fresh and delicious .The service is great.The ambiance is fantastic .I love Sicily.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Luke S.
    0
    239
    92

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Bob S.
    0
    30
    0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Long wait , you should make a reservation . Food is delicious , very tasty. Eggplant parm is delicious

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Krista Y.
    57
    63
    273

    12 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Tommaso S.
    18
    120
    141

    12 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Marc T.
    98
    122
    129

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Doug R.
    146
    856
    2350

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Britten A.
    404
    70
    84

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 2

    Osteria da Rita Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - Osteria da Rita

    This place is absolutely positively two yes two of our best meals eaten in all of Sicily.

    Mentioned in 7 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Verify this business for free

    Get access to customer & competitor insights.

    Verify this business

    La Tavernetta - Catch(es) of the day

    La Tavernetta

    4.9(17 reviews)
    0.1 km
    €€€

    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!

    Photos
    La Tavernetta - Local white wines from the slopes of Etna

    Local white wines from the slopes of Etna

    La Tavernetta - Panna Cotta

    Panna Cotta

    La Tavernetta - Cannoli

    See all

    Cannoli

    Osteria da Rita - sicilian - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...