Mount Etna and Eastern Sicily Restaurants
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Mount Etna and Eastern Sicily - browse our top choices for Restaurants during your stay.
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46 Recommendations
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1. Forno Biancuccia
$ | |Lawyer-turned-baker Valeria Messina has singlehandedly revived the use of heirloom grains in Catania. At her welcoming little corner bakery, she uses tumminia, perciasacchi, maiorca, and timilia flours to create crusty sourdough loaves, focaccia, buttery biscotti, and traditional pizza marinara. Don't miss her schiacciata (a sort of filled pizza) stuffed with the ingredients of the season, from broccoli or chicory to roasted peppers with mint or anchovies and capers.
Via Mario Sangiorgi 12, Catania, Sicily, 95129, Italy095-6681018Known For
- From-the-oven tastes of ancient Sicily
- Schiacciata stuffed with seasonal ingredients
- Rye from the slopes of Etna
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. -
2. Francesco Arena
$ | |You'll smell this panificio and focacceria before you arrive, as the scent of baking bread wafts down the street. The 45-year-old Francesco Arena works with ancient grains (like tumminia, perciasacchi, and rusello) and a hearty mother yeast to produce tender focaccia topped with everything from sun-sweetened tomatoes to escarole, crusty loaves, ham-and-cheese filled pidone, and the flakiest croissants. Arena has bread baking in his bones; his nonna opened the first family bakery in 1939, and his father followed suit with his own in 1970.
Via T. Cannizzaro 137, Messina, Sicily, 98122, Italy090-9218792Known For
- Official master baker
- Detour-worthy focaccia
- Barchette, a pizza "boat" loaded with toppings
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. -
3. Frumento
$ | |Pizza is something Sicilians eat at least weekly, and Frumento has been the area standard-bearer of excellence since it opened in 2015. Choose from five different dough options (from a classic Neapolitan-style to rye to ancient Sicilian grains) as your base, and then pick one of the 65 different topping combos. Ingredients range from the classics (tomato, buffalo mozzarella, salami) to things like capers from Salina, bottarga, 'nduja, and wild fennel pesto. The young owner is especially passionate about natural wine, and the list reflects that. They also have a second location in Catania (Via Raffineria; 095/8037564).
Piazza Giuseppe Mazzini, Acireale, Sicily, 95024, Italy095-601496Known For
- Excellent antipasti such as arancini and fried stuffed squash blossoms
- Locally made products for sale in the restaurant
- Good natural wine selection
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4. Gran Cafè Solaire
$ | |Even on rainy days (which admittedly there aren't many of), the sun seems to shine bright here. They serve arguably the best granita in the Catania area; the pistachio is so creamy you'll swear they added dairy. The blood orange highlights the robust flavor of the local citrus while the lemon is refreshingly bright, sweet, and tart and the chocolate is dark and rich. Area residents pop in to have granita with warm brioche for breakfast, lunch, or as an afternoon snack (yes, granita counts as lunch).
Via Provinciale 81, Aci Trezza, Sicily, 95021, Italy345-1656822Known For
- Shaded location off the port
- Sublime granita
- Relatively fast service
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5. Gran Caffè Urna dal 1885
$ | |What Americans know as Sicilian pizza quite frankly doesn't exist in Sicily, but at this historic café and pizzeria that's been around since the 1800s, you'll find the real pizza siciliana. Though you can find the dish throughout the area, especially in Viagrande and Zaefferana, Urna is said to be its inventor: they stuff tender calzone pastry with Tuma cheese, anchovies, and black peppercorns, and then deep fry the half-moon delicacy. The result is a gooey, savory, flaky delight. Eat it in the outside garden or get it to go.
Piazza Urna 36, Sicily, 95029, Italy095-7894579Known For
- Authentic pizza siciliana
- Casual, historic ambience
- Spacious outside courtyard
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. In Cucina Dai Pennisi
$$ | |In the back of a butcher shop that's been operating since 1968, the Pennisi family opened this meat-focused 30-seat restaurant in December 2017. In the front, you'll find cases full of dry-aged beef; house-made sausages, guanciale, lardo, pancetta, and headcheese; whole chickens; beef liver and veal tongue; and skewers of hand-rolled involtini. You choose your meat from the cases, and they prepare it over a live-fire grill in the back, which you can watch through the plate-glass wall.
Via Umberto I 11, Linguaglossa, Sicily, 95015, Italy095-643160Known For
- Salsiccia a ceppo, a hand-chopped pork sausage
- Robust Etna wine selection
- Excellent beef tartare
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. -
7. In Un Angolo Di Mondo
$$ | |Walking through the gate of this little spot feels like entering a pizza speakeasy—it's located at the end of a cul-de-sac in the garden and ground floor of the owners' home (the name means "in a corner of the world"), and you'd be forgiven for thinking you've gotten the directions wrong. They use a slow, cold fermentation process to create crusts with deep flavors that they ply to turn out calzones and about 15 different pizzas each night. The menu is scrawled on a chalkboard (take a photo when you arrive for easy reference) and features beautiful combos, such as chicory with toasted breadcrumbs and black olives or pear and walnut with gorgonzola.
Via Nazionale per Catania 180, Acireale, Sicily, 95024, Italy095-877724Known For
- Vegetarian and vegan pizza topping options
- Natural wines
- Excellent calzones
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.–Wed. -
8. Pasticceria Santo Musumeci
$ | |In the picture-perfect medieval town of Randazzo, high on the northern side of Etna, this generations-old bakery sits at the foot of the basilica in Piazza Santa Maria. Now run by Giovanna, the daughter of Santo, the pasticceria is especially known for its exceptional gelato and granita, which are made with all natural products, with no artificial bases, colors, or flavorings. Look for an upgrade to the tastes you already know and love, such as rich and creamy pistachio gelato studded with orange zest and candied pistachios. Or try a seasonal granita with flavors informed by the wares of local farmers, such as wild mulberry, yellow raspberry, apricot, or prickly pear.
Piazza Santa Maria 5, Randazzo, Sicily, 95036, Italy095-921196Known For
- Torrone
- Fried rice crispelle
- Seasonally driven granitas
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. -
9. Pasticceria-Gelateria Giuseppe Arena
$ | |In the Sicilian food world, the name Giuseppe Arena is synonymous with sweets. He's a maestro gelatiere (master gelato maker) who specializes in artisanal gelato, sorbet, and granita, working with fresh fruits of the season and products from the region, such as hazelnuts from the nearby Nebrodi mountains. He made his first granita at age seven with his grandfather, and through a series of competitions has been called one of the best gelato makers in Italy.
Via Consolare Pompea 1773, Punta del Faro, Sicily, 98165, Italy090-9214738Known For
- Fantastic experimental flavors, such as clam gelato
- Citrus sorbets
- Granita made with fruits the owner harvests himself
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. -
10. Quattro Archi di Grasso Rosario
$$ | |Inside this rustic osteria, where there's not an inch of wall space spared from decor, the larger-than-life Grasso Rosario holds court as he bounces from table to table offering opinions and insight on his Slow Food--focused menu. Drawing upon the abundance of the region, the menu highlights the black hog from the Nebrodi mountains, a local cultivar of kohlrabi (in arancini and as a pasta), porcini mushrooms, and perfectly grilled and roasted meats (think pork knuckle, ribs, veal, and lamb). The Sicily-heavy wine list is a sommelier's dream.
Via Francesco Crispi 9, Milo, Sicily, 95010, Italy095-955566Known For
- Bustling atmosphere
- Kohlrabi arancini with Ragusano cheese
- Wood-oven pizzas at dinner
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed. No lunch weekdays -
11. Trattoria La Bettola
$$ | |In a town where life still has a small town village feel, locals fill the outside tables of this trattoria in the central piazza at the base of the castle. The menu is full of seafood specialties—all excellent—but your best best is to ask the server what the chef is suggesting that day. They'll guide you to the best fish brought in that morning.
Piazza Castello 20, Aci Castello, Sicily, 95021, Italy095-274516Known For
- Frittura di paranza (a mix of fried seafood)
- Plump raw gamberi rossi, dressed in olive oil and lemon
- Mussels pepato
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. -
12. Uzeta Bistrò Siciliano
$$ | |Street food meets small plates at this ode to the flavors of Sicily. Located on a foot traffic-only street below a rainbow of colored streamers, this compact bistro serves chef-style iterations of the island's greatest "fast food" hits. And they make arguably the best arancini in the region: full of meaty ragu and saffron rice, fried to-order, with a crunchy crust that crackles as you break into it.
Via Penninello 41, Catania, Sicily, 95124, Italy095-2503374Known For
- Comprehensive Sicilian wine list
- Great cocktails
- Best arancini in the east
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. -
13. Zash Ristorante
$$$$ | |Though this Michelin-starred restaurant is part of the Zash Country Boutique Hotel, it's worth a visit all on its own. Chef Giuseppe Raciti highlights the traditions and flavors of the area with a repertoire of elegant riffs that delight and surprise without overwhelming you with gimmicks. Located in a restored wine palmento, the traditional winemaking structure of Etna, the stone dining room looks over the surrounding citrus orchards whose scent wafts through the open windows. The owners, the Maugeri family, are winemakers, and naturally, you'll find their bottles on the wine list. But they are also wine lovers, and the roughly 70-page tome reflects that.
Strada Provinciale 2/I-II 60, Sicily, 95018, Italy095-7828932Known For
- Incredible wine list (including wines from the owner's vineyards)
- Thoughtful tasting menus
- "street food" antipasti, including a mortadella mousse canolo
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. -
14. Al Castello Girarrosto-Gastronomia
$ | |Pick up lunch or dinner to go from Al Castello, perfect for a seaside picnic or a meal at your Airbnb. They roast whole chickens daily (rotisserie-style) and have an impressive line of baked pastas, roasted potatoes, sautéed or grilled vegetables, and involtini stuffed with cheese, bacon, or pistachios. The storefront is tiny (there's no on-site dining), and it's best reached by foot; Via Re Martino is the main artery of Aci Castello and has extremely limited parking.
Via Re Martino 189, Aci Castello, Sicily, 95021, Italy347-0492860Known For
- Roast chicken
- Excellent take-away options (no on-site dining at all)
- Grilled vegetables
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15. Anchovy Fish Bar
$ | |For a quick lunch, stop by this eatery right off the port. They specialize in sandwiches, fish burgers, and five different options for fritto misto.
Via Provvidenza, Aci Trezza, Sicily, 95021, Italy095-7116047Known For
- Swordfish arancini
- Fried seafood
- Quick sandwiches
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. -
16. Arcobaleno Ristorante
$$ | |Located above the boat yard at the far end of the lungomare, this eatery's second floor dining room offers a unique perspective on Aci Trezza. Light permeates the room thanks to the open balcony at the front of the building, which gives an alfresco feel even though you're indoors (a nice compromise in the heat of August). Go for the pasta and grilled seafood; the grilled calamari is particularly good.
Via Provinciale 212, Aci Trezza, Sicily, 95021, Italy380-7044749Known For
- Upstairs dining room that removes you from the chaos of the lungomare
- Bird's eye views
- Grilled seafood and pizza at night
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed. -
17. Bar del Sud
$ | |Throughout Sicily there are fierce arguments about who makes the best granita, and everyone has an opinion. But for many Messinese, the end of the discussion is Bar del Sud, a neighborhood favorite since 1968; their dairy-free granita is spectacularly creamy and resembles gelato in its consistency. Sit at one of the tables on the narrow sidewalk or order directly from the counter.
Via Garibaldi 85, Messina, Sicily, 98122, Italy090-675212Known For
- Strong coffee
- Delicious granita
- Gianduia gelato
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18. Bella Blu
$ | |If you fancy a meal with a view but don't want to spend a lot, this casual and convivial seafood and pizza restaurant caters to an international crowd with multilingual staff and decent prices. Try the spaghetti with fresh clams and mussels or the pizza alla Norma (with ricotta, eggplant, and tomatoes) while you watch the funivia fly up and down from the beach, with the coastline in the distance.
Via Pirandello 28, Taormina, Sicily, 98039, Italy0942-24239Known For
- Lovely views of the funivia and coast
- Tasty pizza
- Moderate prices
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Jan.–Mar. -
19. Bellavista Ristorante
$$$ | |With views of the sea and Calabria in the distance, this bright dining room framed by plate glass windows serves picture-perfect plates of composed antipasti, fresh pastas dressed with every sea creature possible, and showstopping secondi, such as lobster from the Messina Strait and fish cooked to perfection. During the summer season, they often set up alfresco tables directly along the water.
Via Circuito, Punta del Faro, Sicily, 98165, Italy090-326682Known For
- Excellent wine list
- Beautiful sea views
- Fine dining presentation
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. -
20. Caffè Europa
$ | |It's worth a visit for the sheer wow factor when you walk in and see the long pastry cases filled with every Sicilian delicacy you can imagine. Since 1962, they've been supplying the Catanesi with their daily raviola fritta (a fried pastry stuffed with sweetened ricotta) and short pulls of espresso. At aperitivo, order a drink and your table is instantly filled with a cornucopia of arancini, pizzette, potato croquettes, nuts, and chips.
Corso Italia 302, Catania, Sicily, 95100, Italy095-372655Known For
- Great people-watching
- Almond granita
- Perfect aperitivo
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues.
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