Catania Restaurants

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What a pitty, I can't remember the name of this restaurant, can't even sugget to other potential visitors where to go and enjoy in really delicious food.
The ambient is typical Italian, rather small restaurant with several tables only and looking more alike trattoria. It is one of those places for which Italians usually saying; "si manggia bene" (eating good food). The food is fresh and really good while the staff very friendly and helpfull.
The restaurant offers great "Swedish table" - antipasti, with deliciously prepared first dish in a typical Sicilian way.

Favorite Dish: As already said, the first dish was just perfect and very tastefull. We choosed seafood for the second and it was very logical choice, grilled calamari (squidfish) for my wife while I took grilled fish fillets. The weiter suggested some white and unbottled local wine which was pretty good. We paid around 40 euros for two.

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My buddy and brother Mike glanced in the window as we passed on our way to another restaurant. He insisted we change plans. He was so right. What caught our eye was the antipasti table.

Mother cooks, Sister serves, Brother runs the grill and Dad runs the bar. It just does not get more family run than that. They are all great at what they do.

The food was created of fresh quality ingredients. The restaurant is clean and the service was top notch. It is a rambling sort of place with rooms and nice corners. The tables and chairs are a charming eclectic mix. I felt like I was home here.

Stop for dinner here and you will remember it for a long time.

Favorite Dish: I had some sausage stuffed fresh with cheese and basil. It was then grilled and it was fantastic. The pasta is fresh and made in house. We had several pastas and they were all very good.

The antipasti table is a great option if you want to eat light or try lots of options. It was very good. I had some eggplant that I wanted to rub all over my body it was so good!

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Located behind an unassuming facade is a wonderland of culinary delight. This small and friendly place is almost beyond description. The tables are communal with a few small tables. It is warmly appointed and the staff from the owner to the wait staff were very competent and welcoming.

check the blackboard for the daily menu. The fare is fresh and seasonal. It was very well prepared and presented.

You will probably have to wait a bit to be seated but be patient because it is worth it. It is a warm and friendly place for lunch. Not to be missed.

Barbara was able to find several Vegitarian options.

Favorite Dish: I had the "choose 3" option. A pasta, a soup, a salad. We had a nivce house wine and Dolce. All were excelent.

Although in a prime location this lovely cafe was reasonably priced and a great place to sit in the cathedral square

Favorite Dish: No main meal but coffees and the local snack - arancina - an orange shaped bread crumbed savoury snack filled with vegetables, rice and cheese - very tasty.

Good selection of coffees, ice-creams and sweets. Open for dinner too - although that menu did not look inspiring, hence the hunt for a more authentic trattatoria.

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Walked passed this trattotia as we headed away from the Bellini Theatre back to our hotel and earmarked it for a meal that night - we weren't disappointed. At first we were the only couple in but it soon filled up with locals and tourists alike - a popular place, good authentic food and reasonable priced. Service was good.

Favorite Dish: We both had pasta starters (filling in themselves) and the mixed grills - which were huge with fries and a salad. Shard a desert of battered pancake - or something like that - just something a little sweet. With wine and water the bill was 44 euros for two.

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My first experience in a truly authentic Sicilian restaurant was very memorable. The restaurant did not open until 8:30 so we were plenty hungry. It was entertaining trying to translate to the waiter what we wanted to order.

Meat or Fish, is essentially what it boiled down to as far as choices. There was a good buffet of antipasta, potatoes, calamari and mussels. Watch out for the Lemoncello!

Favorite Dish: Seafood Buffet, Pasta dish and Grilled fish finished off with a shot of Lemoncello!

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We were not planning on dining in our hotel restaurant. We usually prefer to explore the city and try more local places. Although, after a long rainy day of sight seeing we really wanted to stay in. It ended up being the perfect choice. We were the only guests dining that evening. You can't get in any better than a private dining room with excellent food and a friendly and entertaining waiter. The experience was extremely first class and the evening will remain memorable. If you are seeking something private and romantic, then this is the place for you. They currently are building a terrace, so that you can dine outside in the warmer months.

Favorite Dish: We had many courses which the chef prepared for us. We requested local dishes and enjoyed every one. Definitely one of the best meals I have ever had. And the wine was fabulous too. It was made from grapes that are grown at the base of Mount Etna.

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The ambience was perfect for our first night out in Catania. It was very romantic. The staff were welcoming and friendly. The menu was written in both Italian and English, which was helpful, but you should still do your best with speaking Italian.

Favorite Dish: We had the Pasta Alla Norma. The traditional Sicilian eggplant pasta dish was renamed Spaghetti alla Norma in honour of Bellini, born in Catania. There are two stories to explain this name. The first is that a Sicilian chef was so excited by Bellini’s Norma that as soon as he got back to his kitchen he concocted this sauce where the sliced eggplant, tomato sauce and ricotta salata (typical cheese for the region) blend with the spaghetti. The second (and more likely) is that some of Bellini’s compatriots, delighted by the beauty of his opera, started using the new superlative una vera Norma (A real Norma), which was used to praise the merits of a product or a deed. Years passed, and when the author Nino Martaglio tasted this typical regional dish, he went into raptures about it and called it Spaghetti alla Norma

We read that this was a typical Sicilian dish, so we thought we would try it. I am also a vegetarian, so this was an excellent choice.