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

The food was very tasty and it was lovely sitting outside with a view of Castello Ursino.read more

Outside. Beautiful. Table clothes. Very nice and kind service. Food came out quickly, almost too…read morequick. Didn't care for any of the food. We had two apps and left. Wine was ok they brought out two different bottles to try, place is now packed. Try at your own risk. Not my favorite here. Doris approved 3.5 stars. The whole meal everything pictured was 22.00euro Everyone else cleaned their plates so maybe we didn't pick the right meals.

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.

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!

Beautiful!!!! The Gambero Pazzo in Catania and popular for their local cuisine and excellent…read moreservice. I would highly recommend to try one of their fish dishes. All fish is caught local and prepared to perfection. It is very typical in Sicily to order an Antipasti (starter), a first main dish, a second main dish, as well as a dessert and a cafe (espresso) when at a restaurant. If you like to try all - I would recommend to share with your partner. The portions are very generous! Make sure not to forget to order a bottle of water. Unlike in the US you pay for water in Europe at all restaurants. However it is very affordable at about 2.00 Euro for a large bottle.

This is my favorite restaurant in Catania. The people are friendly and the seafood is fresher than…read moreanywhere else.

This place is MAGICAL…read more This is the most amazing place I have ever been to as a tourist in Sicily. Essentially Frutti di Mare da Nitto is a seafood market that also cooks for you if you want them to. This is essentially the tourist dream. I won't have known to come here if it wasn't for my Airbnb host, but I am so glad that I found it. Located one block from the beach, this shop is easily missed. In fact, I missed it twice because it essentially looks like seafood market. Who knew they would cook the fresh seafood for you?!? Most of the people that come here are expecting to purchase fresh seafood for home but during lunch time, some folding standing tables are set on the crowded sidewalk for people to eat at. Essentially, you can go in the store, point at the things you want them to cook for you, and they will prepare it and bring it out to you. Ugh, so amazing. This place is the perfect place for a foodie, seafood addict, basically anyone. With that said, they are not a restaurant. So if they run out of fresh seafood, they are out. When I was there, I had the fresh octopus salad, swordfish skewer, oysters, and these delicious small fishes marinated in chilly and olive oil. I wish my friend and I could eat more, but we couldn't. All in all, the bill was like 20 euros. Super affordable! Other possible dishes (from people watching) include squish ink pasta, mussels, sea urchins and more. Essentially, whatever you see in the market you can have them cook.

Absolutely DO NOT go here unless you want rushed and rude service. The food was okay but our server…read morecouldn't or wouldn't give us the time of day to answer questions about the menu (which was only in Italian) and refused to accommodate even the simplest request like a side of pasta to go with a plain piece of fish. We weren't offered coffee or dessert and he didn't check on us once after the sparse meal was delivered. When we left we requested a cab and the person they called charged us 20 euro for a 1.4 mile ride and the whole time tried to upsell us on trips to Mt etna and other things he could do for us. His girlfriend was in the front seat. The worst of the worst of Catania. AND for any vegan out there, forget about eating. They only serve fish, according to our server. Horrible.

This was the restaurant at the very end of Via Santa Filomena. Lovely purple tablecloths, lit…read morecandles on every table and a very inviting decor. We were invited (hustled) inside by our waiter, Massimo, who was very much the charmer and ladies man. He was respectful though and did not cross any lines. The wine was Sicilian and the food was from the sea. I recommend the mixed seafood anti pasti. It was gorgeous and it was a good place to sit and people-watch. Massiomo was attentive, but never crowding us.

Love the place. The people, the atmosphere and the food is amazing! The price is really good too. 5…read morestars!

Unassuming and perfect. Great value fabulous grub. Staying accross the road in the NB hotel and…read morewanted to avoid the overpriced food. Spent 20 euros on 2 pasta dishes and 2 drinks. Amazing value!

This is a small "tavern" mom & pop restaurant. There is only room for about 15 people inside and a…read morefew more out front. The prices can't be beat compared to what's in the city center. I never thought grilled veggies could taste so good. The swordfish was grilled perfectly. The lemon cake was served warm with slivered almonds and I think lemon liquor. Wow!

Usually the restaurants open at 8pm, we arrived early but they let us in and patiently explained…read morethe menu to us. Very fresh seafood, reasonable pricing and friendly people! Will go back for sure!

Great place for good seafood and friendly people. Awesome price too! I've been to enough places…read morearound Italy and Sicily to know that a few restaurants rip you off. This place was NOT one of them. I recommend it to locals and tourists. Had the appetizer buffet and stuffed swordfish. Really good!