This place was literally right outside where the cruise ship dock. It was like a trip to grandma's…read morehouse. I happen to have a grandmother and all the food was recognizable and tasty. I really appreciate this place. I hope this thing business forever. The service was even terrific.

Ate here last year on a cruise stop. Food was delicious and atmosphere was nice sitting outside…read more May go again when stop here again!

Looking for an experience of authentic Sicilian culture? You'll find it here. Authentic, old…read moreworld, charming and delicious. It is slow food, at it's finest. Dishes that other won serve, because they require time, love and attention. Lots of seafood, freashly caught and you can taste the difference. Amazing vegetarian pasta. Lots of dishes to select from. Too many. You could dine here for a week and still not explore it all. Go! You will be delighted!

We arrived at the restaurant and was told there were no tables available for the evening and was…read moreturned away. I then informed them I had made reservations to celebrate my wife's birthday and was promptly seated. The highlight was the bread and the olive from Mt Etna, amazing splash of olive oil!. Then things went down hill from there. Service was mediocre, the food was not as expected. I had Spatola and had to search for bits and pieces of fish. The taste was off and I elected not to finish my meal. I assume they were having an off-night but after seeing some of the reviews, I don't think so. I traveled throughout Italy, Sicily and Sardinia and must say this was not enjoyable. I would not recommend this place of business until they re-evaluate their menus and staff.

Amazing dinner, a little gem in Messina. Loved it! I would return next time I am going to be here.read more

This place was decent. Variety of things from pastries to sandwiches to noodles, pizza etc. We…read moreordered a variety of things all of which came out pretty quickly. The pastry looked better than it tasted, the pizza was just so-so, the noodles were plenty and decent and the surprise hit were the sandwiches for like 3 euro. They were big, warm and tasty on fresh bread. We stopped here because not much was open on this day and we needed something before we went back to our ship. You aren't going to get a great Italian meal here but it will fill you up and be quick.

Yes! I was all up in here when I visited Messina, Italy very recently with a relative. I had the…read morelemon granita and a creme filled pastry. The granita puts any Italian ice I have ever had in America to shame honey! *two snaps and a head roll* I wanted to lick my cup when I was done. I also tried a delicious, soft-baked roll split down the middle and filled with homemade, whipped heavy cream. We ended up here after the tour guide gave us free tasting coupons and we thought this was the shop she was talking about. After some very unique conversation in broken English, Spanish and Italian between the server, cashier and myself; we quickly assessed that we had the wrong shop. However, the employees were very nice about it and still gave us a smile while helping guide us into the correct direction. I decided to stay and just pay the couple of euros because the experience was worth it. There were a lot of places I felt unwelcomed as both an American and a Black person while traveling in Europe but this place was NOT one of them.

A small typical Italian coffee shop. What shocked me was that when I walked in, there was a…read morewaiter/barista standing by the front door (inside) and smoking a cigarette! When he saw us, he proceeded directly to the counter and served us some sweets without washing his hands! He didn't use any tongs to get mentioned sweets, just a napkin and anyway he touched it with his bare hands. When we pointed it out, he apologized and rinsed his hands under water for 2 seconds - no soap, nothing! I guess he thinks he disinfected his hands after smoking in this way. Well, I don't. I wanted to tell the manager, but turns out the manager was on the floor when the barista was smoking, so it look like he doesn't give a rat's ass either. I figured I should save my breath and don't see anything in the end.

After our Messina tour, we wanted to have lunch so this spot was nearby and recommended. Also…read morefound out they have locations all over the world. Arrived around 12:30 on a Thursday and we sat outside. Empty inside but filled up by the time we were done. Good mix of menu options from salad, pasta, pizza, main entrees including burgers. . We started with the Ruoto di Bufalo- a good mix of fried veggies, Arancini, fried cheese and dough. All delicious except the fried dough was a bit bland and that was the biggest portion. For main, Spaghetti alla Nerano with fried Zucchini and cheese was tasty and enjoyed. Based on recommendation, also ordered pizza fritta-a monstrous calzone that is fried and filled with tasty buffalo ricotta and pork cracklings-enough for two. A Naples dish and they did it right. We finished with a couple of Macchiatos which hit the spot. Service was attentive and friendly. They have been ranked top 50 artisanal pizzerias in the world for the last 5 years. Close to the port and definitely worth a visit.

Outside of the tourist areas, in a working class city, this is what Sicilian cooking is. Very…read moredelicious food, and good service. The pizza and everything we had was very good.