Reminiscence of Sicily 2023

Regional Dining Discussions Italy, Spain, Portugal
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Trying to put together my culinary memories from the trip about 9 months prior. In general the experience was very positive. We have traveled around the coast from Taormina to Palermo with the short excursions inland. My restaurant choices were very heavily influenced by the “Slow food guide” ( AKA osterie d’italia).

Taormina was a beautiful location with rather disappointing food scene. Extremely touristy and overpriced. We stayed in Hotel Villa Ducale with the stunning view of Etna in the morning. I had low expectation from the restaurants and it was duly fulfilled. Eventually the hotel directed us to a local pizzeria where the food was not bad, but not memorable either so I did not memorize the name. The best dish we tried was a local lobster subspecies pasta. It was plenty expensive (as expected).

After a morning drive to Etna, with came down a halfway and had a lovely lunch in the clouds - 4 archi in Milo. Slow food endorsed. Reservation is necessary. The restaurant was packed with the locals. Obligatory caponata, pasta alla Norma, local egg dish etc. Interestingly local hardboiled eggs are served as an amuse bouche. They are very popular with the crowd. Everything we tried was delicious. They are especially proud of their arancini. (Important notice: It is a point of contention between the sides of the island. The east part calls it aranchinO. The Western Sicily uses feminine term aranchinA. God save you from making a mistake! T-shirts stating “aranchina e feminine” available for purchase in Palermo) Returning to the restaurant: excellent experience from all the ends. Highly recommended.

On the way to Siracusa with stopped for lunch in one of the least attractive towns in Italy - Catania. While Bellini’s hometown has its charm and historical value, but you may skip it not to be traumatized with a rather rugged environment. Pasta alla Norma hails from Catania as a commemoration of Bellini’s work. As well it has a reputation of one of the most dangerous towns in Europe. If you feel lucky, morning fish marked is a remarkable site with a delicious frito miso sold on the streets.

Me Cumpari Turiddu was our lunch choice. Slow food endorsement. Very famous establishment in town. In the same time we witnessed buses of tourists being seated in separate rooms, which probably takes a tall on the kitchen. Food was not bad, but did not leave the lasting impression. Slow food recommends donkey carpaccio (did not try) and couscous.

The dinner in Siracusa was in Osteria Sveva. Very standard fare with no outstanding dishes. My party liked variety of lightly smoked fish carpaccios… The place to go in Siracusa is Latteria Mamma Iabica, but it was closed the day of our visit.

Short stop in Noto: lunch in Nache. Not wildly renown place in very touristy town. We liked the food. But I do not remember what we ate…

Overnight in Ragusa. Ragusa is a very pleasant town with the most renown in Sicily restaurant - Duomo (two Michelin stars). We did not make it there. We witnessed multiple tour groups led to the location of the restaurant with the explanation by the guide that it is the best restaurant in Sicily… A bit weird with a lot of pressure on restaurant…

We ate in A rusticana, -nothing special, but slow food mentioned.

The best meal of the trip was in beach-side restaurant in sleepy coastal town of Licata. Slow food endorsed - Oasi osteria del mare. http://www.oasi-osteriadelmarelicata.it/ Interestingly it makes no impression from the outside. Very minimalistic beach place “a la Florida keys” or any chiringito in Spain. The food thou is mind-blowing. I had a fortune to try the grandfather of cioppino, delicately labeled as a “seafood stew”. Do not miss it! Flavor bomb!

One of the best version of frito misto. Octopus salads. Ricci pasta. The next time I am staying in town and eating through the menu. No English spoken, but somewhat understood…

In super touristy Agrigento with the plenty of Slow food recommended restaurants we somehow ended up in Michelin bib gourmand Osteria Expanifico (I guess for a change…). Delicious shrimp risotto and burrata ravioli with creamy noce sous. The restaurant has a bit of a tourist feel (thanks to Michelin…). I the same time the food was pretty good and definitely can be recommended.

Osteria il Gallo e I’innamorata in Marsala is another place I would go back any time. The place has very local feel with no greatness encrusted outside. Something between the grocery store and restaurant. It is slow food mentioned, but not endorsed. Specializing in local aged tuna/ other fish dishes. Very unique. The only place with similar experience for me was Atlantic coast of Andalusia (Cadiz/ Barbate). The best version of the local fresh past - busiate. They make different cakes daily. You just pick it from the counter. Please step by if in the area.

Will put together my feeling about the food of Trapani and Palermo within a few days…

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Thank you for taking the time to share. That was nice!

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Thanks for the report. I remember Sveva. Still some of the best tasting mussels we ever had.

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So glad for your report. Its funny we differ so much on Catania tho i guess a lot of people feel the same - I was alone there for 24 hrs last year in the spring and found it safe, interesting and buoyant in atmosphere walking in the main park and all around the historic center, including up to the university and down to the fish market. There is quite an evening passegiata on Via Etnea, and after 10 pm I found a whole group of young people gathered to sing religious songs with a monk near the statute of Bellini which was charming. It does take a while to grapple with the damage to walls and churches from WWII bombardments and the blackness of the volcanic building stone as well as the nearness of Etna but I left convinced that I wanted to revisit with my husband. I think all the industrial areas in Sicily are pretty unlovely and an abuse of the landscape. I reported on Cumpa i Turiddu last year and had some of the same reactions as you - they are definitly trying to balance their local trade with touristic pressure and appreciate that they fit me in as a solo diner without res - I think they are good but will try a less impacted place next time. The fish market is fun and requires no bravery to experience. I was sorry to have no appetite at my morning visit.

Looking forward to more!

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Thanks so much for writing!

I loved our stay in Catania and also ate at Mi Cumpari where we loved the donkey but it was cooked…donkey is a lovely sweet meat beloved in much of southern Italy. Mi Cumpari give us a lovely meal but I would not put it among the “best” of that most recent trip. Disheartening about the bus loads of tourists…thank Stanley Tucci for that, I guess.

(The honors of 'best" for me, probably would go to LA MADIA in LICATA, followed by SCALA in PortoPalo di Capo Pessaro (no atmosphere, very plain place, no written menu, no tourists when we were there) and DA VITTORIO in PortoPalo di Menfi) .

I take strong exception with the idea of Il Duomo being the best restaurant in Sicily. Maybe the most famous but for me, far from the best. Unlike Chef Cuttaia, Chef Sultano has several restaurants.

We had a good dinner there but it’s kind of formal and I cannot remember any dish we ate in May 2023. To my mind, although I am no expert, the honor of the best restaurant I’ve eaten at in past few visits to Sicily was also in Licata, LA MADIA. I remember vividly our entire lunch there.

Worth a drive of hours to get there. Chef Pino Cuttaia, Licata born, visits every one of the few tables and advises on selections (we chose a la carte). We will be back in late August, spending a week in a rural hotel between Ragusa and Marina di Ragusa and I’m debating about taking the drive to Licata to return to La Madia. (in contrast, we never spotted Cicio Sultana at Il duomo although, to be fair, it is a larger restaurant.). A bit stuffy for a small city in Sicily, I think…

Again, thanks so much for writing…give Catania another try…we will have only two nights on our upcoming trip…no enough time!
Want to try new places this time an have begun compiling some ideas… I, too walked around Catania rather late at night, a solo female, and encountered only friendliness. Never saw anyone or anything that I would describe as shady or scary. To be fair, we stayed neat the Duomo and did not venture further than the big market whose name I have forgotten…Carlo Alberto, maybe??

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Hi, another solo female traveler here who enjoyed her day and night in Catania. I felt perfectly safe, and welcomed. Always nice to read about Sicily. Makes me want to go back again. I ate at a place that I have never seen mentioned in guidebooks, and had a wonderful meal: some local preparation of shrimp as a starter, pasta with uni, and then a lovely, delicate sort of lemon tiramisu type thing for dessert. Not Michelin star food, but delicious and well prepared, and I still remember it over a year later.

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O Boy… I did not mean to stir the pot with my Catania feelings… I was there in the past and did not feel unsafe. That particular Sunday morning we strolled through the area where fish market would be if it would not be Sunday… It was not a pretty sight… My safety mentioning was kind of “tongue in the cheek” based on the European ranking… Otherwise it is a rather sizable university town with a lot of things going on. I am sure that there are a plenty of interesting food opportunities. Unfortunately in the eternal struggle between Catania and Palermo (which you learn about immediately, once you start talking to locals) my heart goes for Palermo.

As for activities of Stanley Tucci… I could not watch him talking about food. To me he was a wrong man for a job. Unfortunately the producers did not understand that being of an Italian origin does not automatically qualifies you to as an “Italian things” expert. I like him as an actor, but not as a show host.

Back to the food:

Not particularly a tourist destination, but the town of Trapani was one of my favorite stops in Sicily. It is a large terminal to the ferries going to the other Mediterranean islands. So the tourists pass through but almost never stay there. We spent 2 nights in town with the second day boat trip to Aegadian Islands. The choice of the food one the islands was made by the boat operator based on the kickback opportunities, so I will skip that information.

We visited two slow food endorsed locations in Trapani itself:

Caupona Taverna: Slow food endorsed. Really interesting place. Mostly outdoor. You are seated in the front of the church on the square in the old town. Large local families having a meal on the week night. Caponata, busiate, couscous, frito misto. All very good. Loved the food and the experience. Do not miss.

Cantina Siciliana: Another slow food endorsement. I had a feeling that have seen something on Netflix about the place, but it never got fully confirmed. Very local with a touch of upscalish patina… Packed. We had a fantastic local 15 yo cabernet sauvignon for 35 euros. Cannot beat that value! Obligatory caponata, local red shrimp, busiate with pesto trapanese (fantastic!), Palermo style Milanesa (not sure it is my thing). Interestingly pesto trapanese is served with the thick slices of the fried eggpalnts on the side. Very good experience. Would go back any time.

Subjective feeling: I think Trapani (or Marsala) is the spot through which the eggplants came to Europe from Africa. The eggplants are fantastic everywhere in Sicily, but I found them to be especially delicious in Trapani. Try to get your hands/mouth on all the caponata you can!

Mountain top Erice is a mandatory experience for every visiter to Sicily. The most spectacular view on the island over the northwest coast opens from the towns east side. The pagan temple of Venus had (seen from far away) eternal fire. The priestesses were offering love for a small donation to the temple for the ones who were strong enough to climb up the mountain (about 750m). The temple peristed well into the times of Christianity… These days there is an easy access by the cable car from Trapani. Gli Archi de San Carlo was the meal choice. The town is touristy. Luckily the restaurant is on the small side street and you will not wonder in, unless you know where you going. You need a reservation. My impression was, that all the plates had different types of anchovies in it. I like anchovies, but if it is not your thing… may be skip.

The 4th largest city of Italy, Palermo, was our last stop. The breathtaking Monreale Cathedral was probably most impressive experience of the trip. While I have enjoyed immensely walking the streets for hours every day, in the culinary sense Palermo was somewhat a let down.

The dinner in Osteria Ballaro (suggested by my local acquaintance) was a nothing special touristy place in a very beautiful old building in central Palermo. The food was a generic panItalian mishmash. Skip.

Isgro (once again my local acquaintance suggestion) was a solid meal on a street market street. I believe they are a fish shop, which as well cooks food upstairs. We had some fresh red mullets fried for us, some crudo and bottarga spaghetti. Not bad, but not a destination either.

We had two more dinners in Slow food endorsed locations:

Corona trattoria is located in a fancy part of town. Upscalish establishment with a very small and simple menu. Small portions. The quality was not as good as pretended. Similar institutions always elicit in me vague feeling of being ripped off… May be I am wrong. Someone please give it another try and let me know.

Buatta was a major disappointment. It is one of the most popular restaurants in town with a strict reservation policy. It was a “cool” modern atmosphere with, once again, a small menu. Presented as a “cucina popolana”. Not sure I liked any of the dishes. A lot of tomato sauce on everything. I could not figure out why they are so popular. They have a twin in Torino.

We did not tour the north coast, besides the brief visit to Cefalu. As well we did not see Messina. There are some very interesting locations, which we left for the next time.

In summary: Vibrant delicious cuisine once you get out of the touristy spots. Although the menus are rigid, every place essentially makes it a different dish. Please make an effort to get out in the “wild” of the island. That is where the “real staff” is.

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Thank you for your comments Erica. Always enjoyed them from the times of Chowhound. The South Shore of Sicily was the location I would love to spend more time in. Interestingly I looked at DA VITTORIO, but than decided to hold off on it and had a delicious lunch in Marsala. As for La Madia, did not even come on my radar… Thanx.

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Thank you Jen. I would return to Catania in a heart bit. My comments are not intended to dissuade anyone from the visit. I was just describing environment I witnessed. Me Cumpari does not have a bad food. It is a lovely place. They are just trying to make their living and seem to be seating on too many chairs.

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So great to read your musings with good tips on restaurants!
Oh, the glory days of Chowhound!!! Why does this site get so little activity?

The two places you ate in Trapani were on my list but we had only three nights…there were so many enticing places I wanted to try in the city, which we loved! Our favorite there was La Betolaccia (maybe misspelled…). I got a good look at the edges of town because, naturally, I wanted to go to supermarket (one of my favorite activities, crazy me!). So the nearest large one was quite a walk along the Lungomare (surprising how nice the beaches were even in the center city). Then I had to dip into the inland part of town to the supermarket. Bought a load of busiate and other things but the big find was on the slipper rack! Partner needed new slippers and I found some for less than 10 euro. Happily schlepped them back along with all the other stuff on the return, much longer with all those bags. Partner tries on the slippers and of course they are too small!! Another schlep back to the supermarket to exchange for the larger slipper size!!! All pretty fun although it wiped me out a bit for the rest of the day! But that area outside the center looked like there might be some good eating spots known to locals only… I’d like to go back there.

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Bummer you had such mediocre food in Palermo. While we weren’t lucky enough to travel the rest of this stunningly gorgeous island, we had fantastic food pretty much wherever we went, including at the Ballaró fish market. A lovely plate of mussels for lunch, very simply prepared at one of the food stands, a veritable feast of seafoods at another market restaurant, fabulous pizza on Via Alloro (and wonderful caponata - the best we had on our trip), and fantastic seafood and pasta at a tiny place in the same nabe.

I’d love to return to explore more of the island, but there are so many other places I’ve not been to that will likely take priority.

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It’s been almost 7 years since we spent 3+ weeks traveling around Sicily but I remember the experience as one of the best we’ve had. We had previously spent considerable time in Florence, Rome, Venice, driving thru Parma, Milan, Ravenna and cities in Umbria & love(d) being in Italy. But I never felt any of it as anything I knew – it was new and novel. When I got to Sicily, I felt at home. Here were the cultures that I grew up surrounded by in Brooklyn. All the foods that I grew up with, but had come to believe were not really Italian, since none of my previous travels in Italy had been familiar.
While I can remember dozens of names of restaurants in Paris that we’ve been to during our stays (see Paris board), I really cant remember the names of any of the places where we ate in Catania, Palermo, and all the other cities we visited and spent time in. What I can remember, however, is that I enjoyed almost all of my meals in Sicily as much as I’ve enjoyed meals anywhere. From the dinners at several fish market restaurants & outdoor meals in a courtyard restaurant hidden from the street in Catania to the street food and upscale dining in Palermo, to the agritourismo near Agrigento, to the meals in Cefalu, Taorimina, Syracusa, Mazzara del Vallo, to the small winery halfway up Mt. Etna, to the very big winery near Trapani – none were Michelin star (or even Eater/Infatuation) listing places but all were some of the most enjoyable and memorable meals I’ve had.
One of my favorite lines about one of my favorite “go to” restaurants in NYC (now closed) to friends visiting Brooklyn for years was “Its home cooking by grandma – if grandma went shopping in Key Food for ingredients and then made everything from scratch”. Well, my meals in Sicily were the same, except “grandma” got the seafood straight from the sea, the cheese homemade & the vegetables locally grown. Damn that was good.
Just thought I’d share that & say that I’m sorry your food experiences weren’t that good.

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Okay… I couldn’t resist finding my calendar notes from our trip with the names of restaurants we liked, so here they are. I have no idea whether any are still there (or still any good):

Catania: Giglio Rosso (the hidden courtyard place); Osteria Antica Maria & Trattoria Mm!! (what a name) in the Fish Market; Il Cucinare (in the Kitane Palace Hotel); Wine/lunch at Romeo del Castello (Mt. Etna) Vineyard
Cefalu: Osteria Bacchus; Kentia
Palermo: Bolero Market (nothing like a good spleen sandwich!); Seven Restaurant (Hotel Ambasciatori Rooftop Garden); Gagini
Mazara del Vallo: Cafe Garibaldi

Couldn’t find the lunches in Syracusa, etc.

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