Sicilian restaurants offer some of the best cuisine in the world. Italy has always been known for its excellent food, and Sicilian food is no exception. And it’s not just the food that makes eating in a Sicilian restaurant a memorable experience, but the relaxed way it’s presented has turned it into a fine art. The approach to Sicilian food is the greatest of the meeting of paths between the best popular traditions and the best aristocratic ones. Sicilian cuisine reflects the unique and diverse cultural heritage taken from its history. Sicilian food is an experience that is sure to be enjoyed.
Many restaurants in Palermo and other coastal cities focus on seafood dishes. Although there are cheaper places in the city, Palermo also offers some of the best Sicilian restaurants in the area. In Palermo, the most prominent for tourists to try are:
Il Ristorantino – acclaimed by Italian critics for its classic and authentic Sicilian and Mediterranean cuisine
La Scuderia: (located about 3 miles north of the city, at the foot of Monte Pellegrino), is known as the grandest restaurant in Palermo with excellent international and Italian cuisine.
Il Mulinazzo – A highly acclaimed Sicilian restaurant offering an exquisite dining experience
Spinnato – This is an elegant yet affordable cafeteria-style restaurant that offers tempting lunch dishes such as bresaola (cured beef served with fresh endive and arugula with added Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese), which is a timeless favorite.
Cin-Cin – Offers a serene setting tucked off the beaten track down a flight of steps between the Opera Politeama and the Giardino Inglese (English Garden). The culinary offer is refined and in an aristocratic ‘baroque’ style. It has a great wine list that includes many fine Sicilian vintages. A standout dish to enjoy is the fillet of beef with sea urchin sauce.
Piazza Olivella: One of the most popular casual dining spots in Palermo. This really isn’t just one Sicilian restaurant, but is made up of around 15 places in and around the district’s square of Via Cavour, Via Roma and Via Maqueda, near the Teatro Massimo.
In Taormina, the demanding tourist can also find excellent Sicilian restaurants:
Gran Duca – Housed in a baroque palace built on medieval foundations, this restaurant offers exceptional seafood, an extensive wine list, and excellent service.
La Buca – A charming Sicilian restaurant offering an intimate atmosphere and a varied menu. The outdoor terrace with the sea and the mountains in sight is exquisite.
Casa Grugno – Considered to be one of the most creative and exciting restaurants in Sicily, with a modern take on Sicilian cuisine and excellent international dishes.
Borgo Antico – Located near Taormina in Castelmola, this summer-only restaurant offers fantastic views of Mount Etna and has a varied menu. Pasta with wild fennel and shrimp is a house specialty.
Other noteworthy restaurants in Taormina that the discerning tourist may wish to try are: Dracena (open only in the warmer months), Gambero Rosso (a pizzeria that also serves beef, lamb and seafood) or Zammará (a traditional restaurant that offers local specialties). ).
If you travel to Catania, the best restaurants to visit here are:
Al Gabbiano – Serving extraordinary fresh seafood and fish. This restaurant is located in the heart of the old town of Catania.
Osteria I Tre Bicchieri – dubbed the best restaurant in Catania with its excellent continental cuisine. The chef’s Mediterranean fish is a must.
Le Zagare: A Grand Hotel-style dining experience located on the eastern coast of Sicily. An elegant dinner is offered with the best of Sicilian cuisine and a sample of continental dishes.
Subway: Serving creative and traditional dishes amid stylish decor.
Syracuse’s Sicilian restaurant offerings include:
Trattoria Kalliope – In the historic district of Ortigia, with excellent seafood dishes served in charming, traditional surroundings.
Don Camillo – Exceptional and affordable food inside an impressive medieval structure. Extraordinary seafood and Sicilian recipes are creatively prepared.
Il Barocco – Serving incomparable Sicilian seafood from the Ionian Sea in a building converted from an 18th-century stable block into a historic palace.
The above are just a sample of the great Sicilian restaurants to be found in Sicily. Wherever you go in Sicily, you’re sure to find excellent seafood, with tuna, swordfish and red mullet forming an important part of the island’s traditional cuisine, as well as the fresh fruit and vegetables that the warm climate and rich soil encourages. And of course the pasta dishes that are famous throughout Italy.
The Sicilians have the gift of good food to offer to anyone who visits their island. Any Sicilian restaurant will reflect your talent for offering exceptional cuisine.