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!

We popped in upon the recommendation of our airbnb host. There is a large selection of both seafood…read moreand non-seafood dishes. The food was sooooo good. Our server Showeb and the owners were extremely friendly. One of our party spilled sauce on her shirt and the owners graciously brought out stain remover. You do not get that kind of service in my home country. They also ended our meal with complementary homemade almond wine. I highly recommend this restaurant.

I had the mixed platter #2 (horse meat). It was a large plate with a grilled thin steak (like a…read moregiant cutlet or thick slice of roast beef), a large, horse meatball , grilled sausage and cipollata (bacon-wrapped green onion) The food was all good and they brought over a basket of bread and the tray with seasoning condiments (salt, pepper, olive oil, hot pepper oil, balsamic vinegar) which I used in different combinations for my platter of meats & grilled veggies. The food was tasty even without condiments though. Also, I ordered a melon & prosciutto antipasto (appetizer), the grilled mixed vegetable side dish, and an awesome pistachio tiramisu for dessert. All the dishes were very reasonably priced. As there was no breeze on this hot day, I decided to dine inside and the manager turned the A/C on for me. The restaurant is a stones throw from Ursino Castel and I five minute walk from S. Agata's Cathedral Square. Highly recommended!

Came back again the second day before leaving town, the place is still permeated with deliciousness…read morewhile servers busy in and out of the kitchen with plateful of hearty dishes, while the location is not steps from Catania's biggest seafood market selling catches directly from and by the local fishermen, so despite the menu offers appealing grilled meats , we came again for the produce from the sea, had a sauté mixed seafood which came with swordfish, shrimp, razor clam...etc. Razor clam tasted so sweet that's unforgettable. Also ordered calamari and steamed clam, they are plump and juicy, the portions are amazingly huge, what a seafood feast at incredible bargain.

The food was very tasty and it was lovely sitting outside with a view of Castello Ursino.read more

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.

Dined at Trattoria Il Mare while in Catania, and it may have been our most truly authentic Sicilian…read moremeal of the trip. The atmosphere was cozy, with a small streetside feel, and the service was genuinely traditional -- it honestly felt like dining in someone's home. We enjoyed a full plate of alici fritti, Insalata Pantesca, pasta con vongole, and scaloppina al Marsala -- everything was perfectly cooked, full of flavor, and paired beautifully with the vino di casa. Overall, a fantastic spot and a definite trip highlight. I only wish we had more time for repeat visits. Saluti

Wanted seafood so tried out Trattoria Il Mare for dinner. It was packed outside but no wait for a…read moretable inside. Menu and ordering is straight the QR code. Coperto was 2,00€/person. - White wine (1,50€ for 1/4L) - Red wine (1,50€ for 1/4L) - Mixed platter (12,00€) - mix of octopus, oyster, squid, sardines, baby shrimp and mixed fried seafood. Favourite was the octopus. Came with a fried fish fritter (surprisingly tender). - Mix grilled seafood (15,00€) - swordfish was dry. Seafood wasn't grilled. Platter was better - Red peppers (4,00€) - cold, marinated style. Meh - Grilled mushrooms (4,00€) - cold, salty porcini mushrooms. Skip it

For a unique Sicilian seafood treat, Scirocco has got you covered!…read more The fishy/lively atmosphere, the location overlooking the Catania Fish Market, and the flavorful fried foods, makes Scirocco a good spot to relax and people watch. If you're unsure of what to get and/or you're not really too adventurous, just get the fried octopus and squid cone. Do get a Sicilian beer to go with your meal. It's little gems like these that make a trip worth your while!

Located in the heart of Catania's fish market is Scirocco, a renowned street food eatery serving…read morecones of fried fish and other seafood dishes. The item that caught my eye as I walked by was their dish of the day, a seafood caponata. Caponata is a typical Sicilian dish made of chopped eggplants, peppers, onions, tomato paste, olives, capers, and pine nuts, but the unique feature of Scirocco's caponata was that it also contained fried chunks of a local Sicilian fish called capone (incidentally making this a capone caponata!). The eggplant salad was served chilled and had the perfect balance of sweet, acidic, and savory flavors from the combination of the cooked vegetables and tomato paste, but it was the meaty chunks of fish that really brought this caponata over the top!

We had some really good pizza while we were in Sicily, and this was, for me, #1. We specifically…read morepicked this because it was (1) off the beaten path and (2) very well rated. Come here to have lunch with the locals, and get a really, really, (really) good pizza. (If you're not in the mood, there's a lot of other options - we sat near plenty of pasta eaters if that's what you are in the mood for.) This is the definition of a quick lunch spot, the chairs, tables...super casual. Almost like a cafeteria, but maybe one slight notch above from an ambiance perspective. Not much AC, super hot, who cares. I got a gigantic, ice cold beer to mitigate the heat, and it was a perfect pairing to the pizza. Super simple - sauce, cheese, prosciutto. They even cut it in half for us since we were splitting it. Somehow those three ingredients came together so perfectly that the pizza was almost creamy. That pizza, a 66cl beer, and a huge water - super delicious, we walked out full, and it was only €16. Insanity.

I really enjoyed the food at this restaurant. There was a good variety of pastas, fried chicken and…read morefish and enjoyed the options. We ordered fried swordfish, chicken cutlets, pasta with fish, lasagna with eggplant. The service was extremely good and the owners very friendly. Not knowing Italian in Italy is always a challenge but ordering was extremely easy with a friendly servers . They even called a taxi for us back to our hotel. Highly recommend this place for food and service.

Loved this place! Great food and service. The wine was fantastic! If ever in Sicily we will…read moredefinitely go back.

This place is a bit tricky to find. It's a very n the middle of an alley. We went 2 nights in a…read morerow. Food and service were great. Good selection of food options and specials. Good wine and very friendly English speaking servers. Would recommend

Amazing cafe to grab a cold beer or cocktail. Plenty of people watching with the patio seating…read more Lucky enough to have a musician playing in the plaza. Stop by and check them out. Enjoy!

Awful. Food was just awful. Out of a can but the pasta was cooked perfect sauce was terrible!…read more Wine was good tasted like apple juice cider vibes. The outdoor seating was very nice. We sat under twinkle lights and in comfortable chairs. The service was fast, friendly and kind. I recommend for drinks but for pasta no. Tasted like Chef Boyardee!! Crap I hate to say that in Italy but hated it. Ordered two meals which came in plastic bowls, some wine, and that was it for 22.00£ Doris almost approved 2.8 stars.