Dined at A Marina while in Cefalù, and what a treat. The lively street-side setting felt pure…read moreSicilian energy, and the staff welcomed us like old friends. I went straight for the seafood pasta -- unbelievably fresh, perfectly cooked, and bursting with flavor. My wife is still raving about her eggplant parmigiana, calling it one of the best she's ever had -- simple, soulful, and downright delicious. Overall, an easy must-try for anyone craving honest Sicilian cooking done exceptionally well. Saluti!

An A'Marina specialty: House made ravioli stuffed with an delicate herbed grouper pâte, dressed in…read morea silky sea urchin (ricci) sauce and finished with dollops of sweet grape tomatoes, roasted eggplant and fresh herbs. Superb! Marvelous service from friendly, efficient staff...on a very busy Sunday afternoon.

Wonderful, delicious seafood, best meal I had in Sicily,so fresh,and the service was excellentread more

Nice location on the waterfront and great seafood. The mussels are some of the best we have had…read moreand we are used to fresh seafood. The staff was friendly as well. Only gripe is they seem to charge a premium for the location. I guess this must be a resort town or something, but it was nearly double the price for the same dishes you could get in Palermo. Quality food and wine though, even at the price it is worth checking out.

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.

I came here about 9 years ago .... As I was in the area again ( since I live in U.S.) I remembered…read morehow wonderful it was so I decided to go and try it again. Food and service were wonderful ! Flavorful, perfect presentation and price was reasonable. I hope it won't take 9 more years until I get to try this delicious food again !!!

We honestly had a really great experience here. We loved the drinks and food. They were friendly…read moreand kind.. not sure I understand the other comments about them not being kind. We highly recommend coming here to eat and enjoy.

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

This venue was recommended by the accommodation host. Glad that I went immediately after they…read moreopened for dinner as they seemed to be full later and I didn't have a reservation! All servers are polite, professional, and speak great English. The Italian menu is written on the blackboard on the wall. They'll provide you a QR code for English menu. While I was going to order pasta and main dish (fish) which a kind server suggested against due to the pasta portion. She was 100% correct, so I ordered tuna tartare and squid ink pasta. Both dishes were fantastic: tuna tartare was fresh - sushi/sashimi quality, and pasta dish was excellent despite the huge portion, lol! They suggested different wines for each dish to try, and I appreciated that they pay attention to details. While they would be a bit pricier compared to other restaurants in the area, if you're looking for solid food with polite service in the quiet environment, this is your place!

We had a lovely dinner here at the recommendation of our local Airbnb host, who kindly made a…read morereservation for us when the place opened (7pm). We enjoyed the amberjack carpaccio, which was super fresh and served with a fennel and orange salad. We then shared a pasta dish with shrimp and Trapani pesto - very delish. We finished with grilled amberjack with grilled eggplant and seared tuna with roasted potatoes. Both fish dishes were tasty and the quality of the fish was very good. The tuna was cooked a tad over and the skin on the amberJack could have been crisper ( the flesh was moist and well-seasoned) but overall we enjoyed the food very much. Our first waiter recommended a nice white wine from Etna - we ordered two bottles for the 3 of us. The lovely woman who then brought our food was delightful and charming. The evening we dined there, Canadian Amazon Prime was shooting a food network show on site and we ended up being a part of it (we consented to be interviewed and to do multiple takes and signed releases). It clearly was very exciting for the restaurant and we were happy to help, although the owner never acknowledged us at all. One quibble was that it took an hour after we asked for the check ( three times) for us to pay and one of us needed to get some work done on LA time. All in all, this place is worth a visit. It felt like good value and we had a very enjoyable time.

Food was great until the bill came and we saw they charged us 3x the prices listed on the menu…read more Completely ripped us off and said they gave us larger portions that we didn't ask for. Also brought a "free dish" they ended up charging us for. Come here if you want to be lied to and taken advantage of.

Don't. The hostess was unfriendly and the wait staff overall inattentive. I will say the salad with…read moretuna was fresh and good. The pasta was good, but the special fish served whole was undercooked and gooey, the lamb chops were truly awful-tough stringy and fatty. We had to ask for a steak knife and left 90 percent of it on the plate. Nobody bothered to ask why we didn't eat it. Such a disappointment. 100 euro and what should have been a lovely evening was wasted.

The food was delicious. A Wonderful meal at a reasonable price. The carbonata was the best we have…read morehad in Sicily. The sea bass was grilled, light, and flavorful. Linguine with clams and mussels was excellent. The Tiramisu was outstanding. The wine and spritz were generous and reasonably priced. The staff were friendly, helpful, and responsive. They obviously like working there. The ambiance was natural, authentic, and not ostentatious. We felt welcomed. Staff spoke fluent English. We even bought a T-shirt to preserve the memory.

A great meal at Ortigia Fish Bar. Carlotta provided amazing service and great conversation. We…read morestarted the meal with caponata which boasted 18 ingredients. It did not disappoint. It was followed by an orange fennel salad which was so refreshing in addition to the fried fish fritters. Our main course consisted of grilled prawns, calamari & swordfish. The prawns were so sweet and delicious! Accompanying our meal was a bottle of Le Sabre Dell'Etna white wine. To finish off the meal we had cannolo and tiramisu. An after dinner drink of amaro rounded out the meal. This restaurant is a must try!

Such a great view with friendly service! We walked in just in time to see the sun set. Their system…read moreof taking orders is efficient and the food comes out rather quickly. Much of their wine is in bottles so if you want a glass the options are limited. Our server basically asked me if I wanted white or red, dry or not dry, and he put in the order. I have no idea what I even drank! The food was fine. Our favorite was the salad, which I think came with smoked swordfish and salmon. The octopus was a touch over cooked but the flavor was nice. Definitely a pleasant experience!

Hidden gem with seating above the sea! Our meal was amazing! Fresh seafood, fresh pasta, fresh…read moretomato onion salad with capers olives and tuna. We all enjoyed our meals and very much look forward to returning in our next trip! Service exquisite- kind and perosnal