Dined at Trattoria Il Mare while in Catania, and it may have been our most truly authentic Sicilian…read moremeal of the trip. The atmosphere was cozy, with a small streetside feel, and the service was genuinely traditional -- it honestly felt like dining in someone's home. We enjoyed a full plate of alici fritti, Insalata Pantesca, pasta con vongole, and scaloppina al Marsala -- everything was perfectly cooked, full of flavor, and paired beautifully with the vino di casa. Overall, a fantastic spot and a definite trip highlight. I only wish we had more time for repeat visits. Saluti

Wanted seafood so tried out Trattoria Il Mare for dinner. It was packed outside but no wait for a…read moretable inside. Menu and ordering is straight the QR code. Coperto was 2,00€/person. - White wine (1,50€ for 1/4L) - Red wine (1,50€ for 1/4L) - Mixed platter (12,00€) - mix of octopus, oyster, squid, sardines, baby shrimp and mixed fried seafood. Favourite was the octopus. Came with a fried fish fritter (surprisingly tender). - Mix grilled seafood (15,00€) - swordfish was dry. Seafood wasn't grilled. Platter was better - Red peppers (4,00€) - cold, marinated style. Meh - Grilled mushrooms (4,00€) - cold, salty porcini mushrooms. Skip it

My wife and I had one of the best dining experiences of our life at Trattoria Giglio Rosso…read more This morning, while walking in Catania we spotted this place and decided to visit it tonight...BOOM! It was delicious! I think we were taken care by the owner judging by the care and passion he gave to us. He gave us some recommendations which we skipped because we wanted to have pasta that night. We ordered grilled octopus with verdure sauce as an appetizer, it was super fresh and delicious. After that we ordered our pasta dishes, my wife went for the Catanian classic Rigatoni alla Norma and I went for the linguini alla Giglio Rosso ( with mussels, prawns, tomatoes, parsley and toasted almonds), it was to die for. We were full by the time to order desserts, my wife and decided to share one, the owner ran away and brought a dessert of its choice for two! BINGO! He blew our taste buds again! We thanked him for the experience and the wonderful food. Top notch!

We popped in upon the recommendation of our airbnb host. There is a large selection of both seafood…read moreand non-seafood dishes. The food was sooooo good. Our server Showeb and the owners were extremely friendly. One of our party spilled sauce on her shirt and the owners graciously brought out stain remover. You do not get that kind of service in my home country. They also ended our meal with complementary homemade almond wine. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Loved this place! Great food and service. The wine was fantastic! If ever in Sicily we will…read moredefinitely go back.

This place is a bit tricky to find. It's a very n the middle of an alley. We went 2 nights in a…read morerow. Food and service were great. Good selection of food options and specials. Good wine and very friendly English speaking servers. Would recommend

For a unique Sicilian seafood treat, Scirocco has got you covered!…read more The fishy/lively atmosphere, the location overlooking the Catania Fish Market, and the flavorful fried foods, makes Scirocco a good spot to relax and people watch. If you're unsure of what to get and/or you're not really too adventurous, just get the fried octopus and squid cone. Do get a Sicilian beer to go with your meal. It's little gems like these that make a trip worth your while!

Located in the heart of Catania's fish market is Scirocco, a renowned street food eatery serving…read morecones of fried fish and other seafood dishes. The item that caught my eye as I walked by was their dish of the day, a seafood caponata. Caponata is a typical Sicilian dish made of chopped eggplants, peppers, onions, tomato paste, olives, capers, and pine nuts, but the unique feature of Scirocco's caponata was that it also contained fried chunks of a local Sicilian fish called capone (incidentally making this a capone caponata!). The eggplant salad was served chilled and had the perfect balance of sweet, acidic, and savory flavors from the combination of the cooked vegetables and tomato paste, but it was the meaty chunks of fish that really brought this caponata over the top!

I had the mixed platter #2 (horse meat). It was a large plate with a grilled thin steak (like a…read moregiant cutlet or thick slice of roast beef), a large, horse meatball , grilled sausage and cipollata (bacon-wrapped green onion) The food was all good and they brought over a basket of bread and the tray with seasoning condiments (salt, pepper, olive oil, hot pepper oil, balsamic vinegar) which I used in different combinations for my platter of meats & grilled veggies. The food was tasty even without condiments though. Also, I ordered a melon & prosciutto antipasto (appetizer), the grilled mixed vegetable side dish, and an awesome pistachio tiramisu for dessert. All the dishes were very reasonably priced. As there was no breeze on this hot day, I decided to dine inside and the manager turned the A/C on for me. The restaurant is a stones throw from Ursino Castel and I five minute walk from S. Agata's Cathedral Square. Highly recommended!

Came back again the second day before leaving town, the place is still permeated with deliciousness…read morewhile servers busy in and out of the kitchen with plateful of hearty dishes, while the location is not steps from Catania's biggest seafood market selling catches directly from and by the local fishermen, so despite the menu offers appealing grilled meats , we came again for the produce from the sea, had a sauté mixed seafood which came with swordfish, shrimp, razor clam...etc. Razor clam tasted so sweet that's unforgettable. Also ordered calamari and steamed clam, they are plump and juicy, the portions are amazingly huge, what a seafood feast at incredible bargain.

This restaurant is in the heart of the fish market. We sat outside and could see the workers…read morecleaning fish in the market (the smells). The place is a bit hidden away but the seafood is very fresh. This is not anything fancy but worth a try if you are in Catania.

An absolute gem! Incredible fresh seafood and amazing service! If you are in Catania, you must stop…read moreby!

Very lively evening atmosphere sitting on Via Santa Filomena that really gets hopping later on (If…read morethat is what you are looking for, wait until 8PM (20 00) and after). Very nicely prepared, very fresh ingredient dishes at reasonable prices. Definitely worth a try.

We loved loved loved the Pasta alla Norma here so much that when we were in Palermo, we had it…read moreagain! FYI, Pasta alla Norma is Catania's signature dish and absolutely delicious. We also had the Caponata, a must try appetizer. The Porchini Pizza was good, I used the crust to mop up every last bit of the pasta sauce. Ambiance is loud, we sat outdoors and this is located on a bustling street full of restaurants and people. A definite must try if you are in beautiful Catania!

This is a gorgeous spot with outdoor dining and a connected bar across the alley!…read more Service was great and English-speaking friendly . The pizza was good but not for us, with New Yorker palates. The pizza as floppy, covered in olive oil to the point of being soupy, and was not cut so it had to be cut while being super soggy. I would recommend if you like this type of pizza, but avoid if you want a crispier slice!

My husband planned all meals in Italy and so we came here for drinks and Sicilian pizza! Drinks…read morewere fantastic and pizza was so good! It was huge and so we decided to order 1 pizza among the both of us - either of us couldn't finish it! Very flavourful yet simple. Be sure to make a reservation as this place got packed pretty quick.