Sicily’s cuisine is legendary. Blessed with almost year round sunshine and being completely surrounded by the sea means ingredients like only the freshest of seafood and full of flavor tomatoes being what you will find on your plate. From Michelin starred meals on far flung islands, to simple pasta dishes and grilled fish at rustic tables, we have chosen 6 of the best restaurants in Sicily for you to try.
Ristorante Hotel Signum
Boutique Hotel Restaurant, Mediterranean, Contemporary, $$$
On the green and peaceful island of Salina, there is a kitchen headed by Michelin starred chef Martina Caruso. Part of the elegant boutique Hotel Signum, the dishes are as refined and elegant as the lodgings and will please even the most discriminating palate. Begin your evening at the adjacent cocktail bar as the sun sinks on the horizon and then move to the cool dining room for a relaxing and indulgent dinner. There are tasting menus paired with local wines from both the island of Salina and Sicily ranging from 4 to 7 courses. Featured dishes include local ingredients like caper berries, house made pasta and fresh fish. A signature is a connolo filled with Baccalà cream.
Make sure you book well ahead of time at this very popular restaurant in the seaside town of Trapani in western Sicily. The menu is handwritten on one sheet of paper and only lists what is fresh from the market and off the boats that day. The house antipasta, served in multiple hand printed ceramic dishes is an absolute must. Some of Hosteria San Pietro’s other specialties include Cuscusu alla Tarapanese which is local Sicilian couscous with saffron with tomatoes, almonds, fresh seafood and shellfish. Another typical pasta dish is busiate alla Norma, which is a twisted pasta shape topped with a slice of eggplant, pine nuts and tomatoes.
Set in a shady courtyard quite close to the main piazza in Taormina, Sicilian sisters and their best friends preside over this welcoming place. From easy online booking, a rare thing in Italy in general and Sicily in particular, to the blue and white tiled open kitchen, to your last sweet bite of dessert, every detail is thoughtful. The freshest seafood, light takes on traditional pasta dishes and a deep divine wine list are just the beginning of what sets Osteria Rosso Divino a step above. A real star on the menu is the impossibly light anchovy tempura. For the meat eater there is lamb, veal and steak.
Ciccio Sultano is a renowned Sicilian chef and the star behind the very famous (and with two Michelin stars,) Il Duomo Restaurant. His new venture, I Banchi, brings his star power and skill to a more casual place. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, fresh breads are baked daily and include the very local pane ragusano to the exotic for Sicily French baguette. The cuisine is innovative but is still rooted in traditional Sicilian cooking. The zuppa di pesce is deconstructed and the individual ingredients, a mussel, a red shrimp and a chunk of monkfish are served on a ceramic tile. The wine list is local and features some of Sicily’s most important producers.
The creative force behind Ristorante Crocifisso in the beautiful Baroque town of Noto is Marco Baglieri. He mixes his Sicilian traditions with continental flair, as he lived for part of his childhood in Germany. Street food snacks like panelle, deep fried chickpea flour fritters are elevated with delicate layers of thinly sliced raw red shrimp and sandwiched in a soft and fragrant brioche roll. Pasta dishes are simple but sublime, with sauces made from sea urchin plucked from the sea only hours before or darkened with skid ink. Leave room for dessert. The in house creation of coffee semi-freddo with whipped marshal cream is sprinkled with crushed torroncino, a special Sicilian style nougat.
Ristorante Vittorio is all about seafood. The setting and vibe of this place oozes pleasure and relaxation. The menu at Ristorante Vittorio, which is located right of the edge of the sea describes its pasta dishes as reflecting the hedonistic personality of the entertaining owner, chef and son of the eponymous Vittorio, Michelangelo. You will have your choice of the freshest lobster, octopus, tuna and prawns grilled to perfection. The wine list features only Sicilian producers. For dessert, the refreshing choice for a hot summer’s afternoon is tart and sweet lean granita studded with tiny wild strawberries.
