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.

My husband and I came here via cruise ship bus transfer from Messina and are so glad we did! We…read moreonly had about 3 hours in town, and eating pizza was one of our goals! We were the only customers when we arrived at opening time for lunch. Service was prompt and we were allowed to sit outdoors in the shade. We ordered 1 white and 1 red pizza. They were both delightfully crispy and fluffy and flavors delicious. We enjoyed the red one more because we prefer the tart tomato flavor. We wish we had more time to stay and eat more in town, but unfortunately had to go back to our cruise ship. We still think about this pizza from time to time.

Immersed in a large garden of an ancient villa villa Zuccaro has lots of shade to hide from the…read moreSicilian summer heat. The service and food disappointed me. Although the food was fresh my pizza was loaded with 5 toppings and super thin crust that could not hold the pie together when lifted. The waiter would not let me sit at a table of my choice and refused to turn a fan on in the hot heat because he wanted to prioritize another table who when asked; did indeed want the fan on as well as me. The waiter asked me how was the food was after 15 minutes; I told him the issue and he said the pizza is always so thin crusted that you can't lift it and that they use wet mozzarella and that makes the pie even more unstable. I don't understand why they wouldn't just thicken the crust or dry the mozzarella; no pride of ownership.

The Arancini Etna at €4.50 is pretty yummy. A rice ball deep fried to a nice thin light brown…read morecrunch. There's mildly spicy sausage in mildly spicy marinara inside. It's filling and, if you're not careful, slightly messy - use your hands, no fork necessary nor suppled. Grab an espresso or americano to go along with it. Or them, but they're filling, remember, and you're going out for dinner later. Take a number and you'll be served soon. The staff spoke good English when we went. The extensive menu is on your phone, though locals just point at the myriad items on display. Tell them you want your receipt before you pay with your credit card if you are expensing. Sit outside in the very small covered piazza or the very small inside eating area. You'll need to bus your tray yourself. Go there.

Visited Da Cristina while in Taormina -- because you can't come to Sicily and not have arancini…read more The setup is very casual with fast ordering, though expect a long wait (worth it). Service was efficient despite the crowds. We tried the prosciutto and cheese arancini, and honestly, it was the first time I truly enjoyed one -- the cheese and prosciutto melted together perfectly, with great texture and flavor. Overall, a classic Taormina stop and definitely worth a visit. Saluti

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.

Found this beautiful scenic restaurant on our trip to Sicily The pizza was amazing! Definitely a…read moremust when traveling to Taormina

For our last, bittersweet meal in Taormina, Sicily - we decided it was an absolute MUST to get our…read morehands on the tastiest pizza we could find. Thanks to the trusty Yelp app, giving us guidance through-out our trip through Italy we stumbled upon Vecchia Taormina. Admittedly, we walked past the entrance as the numbering system of Corso Umberto is decidedly "different" in a few spots. Eventually, we honed in on the alley entrance and found ourselves on a charming terrace, flanked by old buildings, covered with large patio umbrellas and the delicious smells of wood-oven pizza wafting out. It couldn't have been more quintessentially Italian...with children running through, families opening and closing doors, neighbors calling to each other...it was the perfect atmosphere. In all our time in Italy, we hadn't seen mozzarella sticks on any menu (right!? haha, so American we are) but we weren't expecting them either. Queue Vecchia Taormina who served up delightfully fresh balls of fried mozzarella. Lightly, lightly fried - such fresh cheese, light hand with the breading ... delicious. Then, we ordered two pies...two gigantic pies. We probably should have shared, but with the plethora of options (50+ pizzas!!!) screaming for attention on the menu...we had to try at least a couple. We ordered a Funghi and a Patate..first time I've had potato on a pizza and certainly not the last after the brilliance of this pizza. The dough was perfection...the white sauces creamy and balanced...the ingredients fresh...just the perfect bites of pizza. The house wines (I tried rose and JT tried the white) were also amazing...no need to order more expensive bottles when the house wines are already so satisfying. Great spot, hidden gem - good for couples and families alike.

Definitely not a tourist trap but I think you can do better in Taormina. Staff was extremely…read morefriendly but not the most attentive. Seeing the bread on the table looked to be a potential reminder of home, but then had to remind three times to get the bread, and it wasn't very fresh. Food was bland and pizza wasn't the "I went to Italy pizza" you want to write home about. Main dishes were bland. Prices were reasonable thankfully.

We had one of our best meals while visiting last September. Staff was very friendly, serving their…read morehome made wine. Classic Sicilian Swordfish dish was fresh beyond belief. Wife had Shrimp with pistachio pesto - unreal. Magda was great and the location was beautiful. Much better than some of the pricier restaurants we ate at.

Food was just okay and barely enticing. I took most of it to go and did not eat it after I got it…read morehome. The service however was good and I did feel that the staff cared; do go to this location and not the other villa zuccaro in the garden. The location in the garden has trash service but this place was better. They had no business the entire time i was there; after trying the food...I know why

My friend said "you can give them zero, if that's possible"…read more Overpriced for the low quality food. Super touristy. Menu caters to the American palate. Hard bread. Service isn't the best. Had to open our own bottle of water and pour it. Wine is a house wine at best. At the end we were served a yellow after dinner drink... "I wish they never brought it" -my friend. Lol. When we saw that it was on the main street, we were extremely reluctant but with over a thousand reviews averaging 4.4 stars on Google Maps, we tried it anyways. Should have trusted our instincts. Also, the photos posted on their review page aren't of current menu items.

We were told by our guide that we needed to try an Arancini while in Taormina. We stumbled upon…read morethis cute little shop- and what a pleasant surprise! We only tried one flavor per group, but everyone agreed it was the best we had. So full of flavor, so fresh, so delicious! We'll be dreaming of these for awhile!

Lets start off by saying their food is actually amazing. I am gluten free & they had many gf…read morearancini options & calzone (both absolutely amazing) and many vegan options for both as well (I think they might have had vegan cheese too) I tried to go last night at 9:30 pm (because I was really desperate for Arancini) and their website says they closed at 10. The doors were wide open, lights on and there was a lady at the front. I asked if they were open and she looked at me like I had 10 heads, then said no. She was really rude about it. Tried again this morning (again because I was desperate for GF arancini) and what a completely different experience. The girls at the front were so nice & the food was so worth it. Amazing amazing gluten free arancini & calzone. (I had the spinach & cheese arancini & the eggplant calzone) Also if you go right next door to Pasticceria (something) they have gluten free cannoli.

Espresso martini was not good, over powered w vodka. Veal was salty & I don't finish it, meah…read more.. fries were not great.... Salad was very good!

OMG, food coma! The staff is great and the food is so good you don't want to stop eating it. We…read moreshowed up at 8 pm and they asked if we had reservations, keep in mind the place was mostly empty at that time. They told us they would squeeze us in and I have to say I'm so happy they did. Within 30 minutes there wasn't a table left open and I understand why now. We had three courses and I think I'm going to have to role down the hill back to our hotel since my belly is so full. I will definitely be back here again. After I purge for a week so I can make room in my belly.

Cute little place, in Taormina , with tasty pizza and a variety of cocktails and wine. Friendly…read moreservers, we sat on the patio shaded by umbrellas and enjoyed a very nice lunch which included pizza and wine. The very interesting fact about porta Messina is that you can take a pizza making class here or perhaps a cannoli class. If I were staying for a longer period of time I would have considered it.

I liked the atmosphere a lot, but the food taste was just not much expected. The fresh orange juice…read morewas not taste enough. The staffs were very nice and friendly.