Local cuisine
La Madia is a contemporary Italian restaurant that specialises in modern pasta dishes as well as creative renditions of classical Italian favourites. The restaurant is family-friendly, extremely welcoming and serves delicious fresh seafood pasta. Buon Appetito!
One of the best-known Sicilian pizzerias, Rosso Pizza is a very popular restaurant and the place to go for all kinds of amazing pizzas, ranging from the traditional to the exotic. The pizzeria is super friendly, with a smiling owner and lots of upbeat local music to set a merry Mediterranean tone.
Eat Pizzeria is a well-loved local pizza restaurant that is much acclaimed by tourists and locals alike for its large, delicious pizzas and various Italian specialties. This lively restaurant is busy all year round and serves large quantities of incredible pizza without compromising on quality.
Ristorante Motta 86 is a traditional Italian seafood restaurant that has been brought up to 21st century culinary standards and now stands as one of the most prominent neo-traditional eateries in Sicily. The seafood here is always fresh, caught the very same day from the bays around Sicily. Delicious food, great service and a good dose of Italian heritage to boot.
Ristorante 'O Dammuseddu is a cosy Italian grill restaurant specialising in meat dishes and cold cuts. The food here is plentiful and inexpensive, allowing diners to sample from a wide range of local antipasti and cured meats in a friendly atmosphere. The restaurant is child-friendly and remains open all year round.
Rooted in tradition, Macumba is a local restaurant serving Sicilian and Italian specialties that are cooked following unadulterated traditional recipes. The food here is authentically Italian and allows tourists to experience the culinary heritage of Sicily and beyond.
Mediterranean
Diverse and friendly, La Matrioska is an Italian restaurant that goes beyond Italy's boundaries to serve incredible Mediterranean dishes from Spain, Greece and southern Mediterranean. The menu includes mostly seafood dishes, all of which are fresh and tasty.
Apollonion Osteria da Carlo is a stylish Mediterranean restaurant serving high quality food inspired by the greatest cuisines around the Mediterranean, with a definite focus on Italian and Sicilian dishes.
Romantic and unpretentious, Kalos is a popular Mediterranean eatery that specialises in serving exquisite Mediterranean food. The restaurant serves Sicilian and Mediterranean specialties and welcomes guests with its friendly atmosphere and very polite staff. Prices are reasonable and the quality is top notch.
With huge portions and the freshest seafood dishes, it's no surprise that Il Locandiere is one of the most popular Mediterranean seafood eateries in southern Italy. The restaurant is stocked with fresh fish on a daily basis and serves an incredible array of seafood dishes.
Le 5 Spezie is a Mediterranean restaurant focusing on the Mediterranean lifestyle and the healthy benefits from eating the Mediterranean diet. The food here is always super fresh and cooked with extra virgin olive oil. The restaurant is not the most inexpensive in Sicily but its unique premise and delicious foods make for an interesting dining experience.
European
Mamma Santina is a European gastro pub restaurant with a huge menu and lots of tasty dishes to discover. The menu here is comprises British, French, Spanish and other cuisines, with the strongest (unsurprisingly) focus on Italian food and local delicacies. The restaurant is known for being very friendly.
The Nord Sud is a French / Italian restaurant that specialises in delicious crepes (both savoury and sweet) as well as healthy salads and various other tasty snacks. This eatery is an instant hit with children thanks to its cosy décor and delicious sweet treats. The menu is large and the prices relatively low considering the amount of food and the high quality of its dishes.
Wiener Haus is one of Italy's most highly rated German restaurants and perhaps the only place where you can taste authentic German and Austrian dishes in Sicily. Not your typical tourist trap, Wiener Haus serves a wide range of dishes from central Europe and caters equally to tourists and locals who wish to sample German cuisine in a Mediterranean environment.
Carillon Du Petit Prince is a unique European style pizzeria and restaurant that serves internationally inspired pizzas and dishes from all across Europe. Highlights include French pizzas and Italian dishes cooked with foreign styles such as British and American pasta dishes.
British
It's hard to find British restaurants in Sicily and Il Pozzo is perhaps one of the very few eateries where tourists have the chance to tuck into a full English breakfast as well as fish & chips - albeit in an Italian environment. The food here is British at heart but infused with a heavy dose of Italian influence.
Royal Hawaiian St. Thomas is an unusual blend of Mediterranean, British and Hawaiian cuisine. This restaurant is unique in the range of dishes but if you're missing some tastes of home head here you won't regret it.
Asian
Bangkok is Sicily's most prestigious Thai restaurant and a must for lovers of Asian and Italian fusion cuisine. The restaurant is located in a beautiful part of Catania and combines palatable prices with delicious dishes. Even though this is a Thai restaurant, the food is mild enough for western palates.
Mediterranean sushi doesn't much better than Chan's Sushi Bar's super fresh sushi. This welcoming, unpretentious sushi place serves fresh sushi dishes prepared from locally caught fish. The dishes are quite unlike any other sushi you might have tasted as they infuse Japanese tradition with Mediterranean influences.
Fusion cuisine at its best is what you can expect to find at Moroboshi Siracusa restaurant. This Japanese/Italian restaurant serves Italosushi, Japanese food prepared with Italian ingredients and Italian food prepared with Japanese styles and cooking presentation. This restaurant is intriguing and offers a unique opportunity to experience two of the world's most revered cuisines, married together to create impressive and innovative culinary creations.
International
La Medina Pub is an international fusion gastropub that cooks food with a number of different influences. Indian, Chinese, Italian, Mexican and other cuisines are seamlessly merged within the La Medina's menu to create newfound and exciting gastronomy. The restaurant is considered very modern and has a widespread excellent reputation.
Classy and romantic, Sesto Canto is an internationally inspired restaurant that infuses traditional Mediterranean recipes with international flavours to create a wide range of delicious dishes. The restaurant lends itself perfectly to romantic nights out and discreet dining experiences.
Unique to Sicily, Aisha Berber Restaurant is a Middle Eastern Arab-inspired restaurant that serves international dishes from Morocco, Turkey, Tunisia and beyond. Hidden away in the centre of Catania, the restaurant and its culinary treasures await to be discovered by tourists with a passion for sampling exotic foods from across the globe.
Al Fondaco del Conte is a laid-back international eatery where Italian and Mediterranean dishes are reinvented to become modern culinary delights. The food here is delicious and the restaurant is family friendly, with inviting prices and a relaxed atmosphere.
Fine dining
Chic and modern, Patanegra is a top end gourmet restaurant in Palermo. The restaurant serves Italian and European food. The décor is modern and minimalist, and although the prices are fairly high, the quality of the food served here is well worth the investment as you will be hard pressed to find better food anywhere on the island.
Boheme Enoristorante is Sicily's top wine restaurant and one that boasts the largest selection of fine local and imported wines in southern Italy. Located in a trendy neighbourhood in Palermo, Boheme serves incredible food to accompany its numerous wine choices and has become one of the favourite spots for wine lovers in Sicily.
Al Vicoletto is arguably Trapani's best and swankiest restaurant. The food here is meticulously cooked and will satisfy even the most discerning tastes. The restaurant is known for organising special event nights and for being family friendly; despite being a fine dining establishment. The prices are fairly high compared to most other restaurants in the area but you won't find better food in Trapani.
Overlooking the Mediterranean and offering a spectacular dining experience, Ristorante Palladio is Giardini Naxos' top restaurant. Specialising in premier quality seafood dishes as well as various local delicacies prepared by internationally acclaimed chefs with the freshest ingredients, don't miss Palladio if you're looking for an amazing fish supper.
Cafes & snack bars
Operating continually since 1897, Antico Forno de' Basoni is a very old and very popular bakery in Sicily's Adrano. The Forno is famous for its sweet pastry and its incredible savoury snacks.
Laboratorio Pasticceria Roberto is a modern Italian café and pastry shop run by the eponymous chef Roberto. This pastry shop is known for its incredible cannoli creations as well as its inventive ice cream flavours that are a huge hit with little and big kids alike.
Caffe dell'Arte is a café and dessert shop that serves up the most amazing chocolate creations in Sicily. The café is located in Modica and caters to those with a sweet tooth and a soft spot for fancy candy and chocolate bars.
The Pasticceria Capriccio is a traditional pastry shop and one of the best of its kind in San Vito lo Capo. This pastry shop has garnered raving reviews from tourists and locals for its amazing sweet pastry creations and the friendly atmosphere. Highlights include cannolis, cockles marzipans and lots more.
Verona e Bonvegna is a traditional Italian pastry shop that is known for its tasty Mediterranean dishes and more importantly for its delicious Italian desserts and sweet pastry. This is a great place to taste the best of the best cannoli, cakes and pastry in Sicily.
Gelaterias
One of the most famous Gelato ice cream shops in Custonaci, Gelateria Artigianale is ultra popular with children of all ages and ice cream lovers who come from across Sicily to sample some of the wonderfully exotic flavours that the Gelateria comes up with on a frequent basis.
Much loved by local kids and children visiting Sicily with their families, Bar Gelateria Blend is a laid-back local ice cream shop in Palermo. The Bar specialises in creating all kinds of delicious and wacky ice cream flavours as well as creating some of the most fun filled cakes for children's parties and other special occasions.
Gelati DiVini is a well-known ice cream shop that is famous for coming up with unusual and bizarre ice cream flavours much to its customers repeated delight. Highlights include vegetable ice creams, multi flavour ice creams, savoury ice creams and even sculpted ice cream creations.
The Gelateria Quaranta is one of the most popular ice cream shops in Catania, especially popular with young crowds and tourists with a serious sweet tooth. This gelateria has been serving delectable ice cream for more than two decades and adheres to a long tradition of Italian ice cream making that renders their sweet treats simply irresistible.