12 Best Restaurants in Mount Etna and Eastern Sicily, Sicily

With views of the sea and Calabria in the distance, this bright dining room framed by plate-glass windows serves picture-perfect plates of composed antipasti, fresh pastas dressed with every sea creature possible, and showstopping secondi, such as lobster from the Messina Strait and fish cooked to perfection. During the summer season, there are alfresco tables directly along the water.

Light and elegance permeate this stone-walled restaurant, where the open kitchen provides theater and owner Peppe Giamboi takes the stage as a gustatory storyteller, roaming from table to table. The menu is constantly changing, but you'll find excellent work with vegetables (a rarity in Sicily) and really lovely preparations of local cod. In addition to a sublime rendition of stocco in ghiotto (cod in a Messinese sauce of tomatoes, olives, capers, and celery), it also might show up prepared under tender sheets of lardo (salt-cured pork fat) in a light orange-lemon sauce with fried leeks. 

With its dining room set in a cave above the harbor of Santa Maria La Scala, this rustic trattoria specializes in seafood. Try the insalata di mare (a selection of delicately boiled fish served with lemon and olive oil), pasta with clams or cuttlefish ink, or fish grilled over charcoal. The menu is small and simple, but expertly prepared.

Dedicated to the Slow Food movement, Casa & Putia puts the emphasis on their raw materials, with the idea that excellent ingredients need little fuss. The emphasis is on letting those ingredients shine through, such as with a flan made of artichokes and caciocavallo cheese. The word putia means bodega, and throughout the restaurant, there are displays of Sicilian products you can buy, from local herbs and jams to boutique amari.

An intimate little spot a block from the port, I Ruggeri prides itself on a mix of tradition and experimentation. For example, you might find a savory babà (usually a dessert pastry soaked in rum) made of pecorino Romano. But even the standards are prepared well, such as pasta con le sarde, made with an abundance of wild fennel, toasted almonds, and breadcrumbs. 

For really big plates of meat and a wine cellar full of red wine, head to this little "wolf's lair" that looks exactly how you want a Sicilian steak house to look (stone walls, exposed wooden rafters, and arched alcoves packed with wine). The portions are ample, so it's best to go with a group and share.

Located in the Ognina port, the little Nitto empire has exploded: what began as a mobile market in the 1960s (from the back of a Piaggio Ape) is now a standing fresh fish market and series of restaurants. Locals line up outside the little market to get their daily catch, while next door the fast-casual restaurant serves some of the best-prepared seafood in the area, including squid ink pastas, skewers of grilled fish, and raw seafood platters.

Dine right on the water's edge at this local seafood favorite on the Isola Bella beach. Seafood reigns supreme, and in early mornings you might even see fishermen pulling their boats directly up to the restaurant to make fresh deliveries. It's a perfect addition to a beach day as you can dine on the terrace in your cover-up, no questions asked. 

Family owned for generations, Cutì Lu Dissi (which means "who told you" in Sicilian) specializes in excellent renditions of Sicilian food. From their lofty open-air terrace just beyond the Porta Catania, you can see the sea below and Etna in the distance. And with a staff that's instantly familiar with guests but always professional, it's the sort of place where you will want to linger until closing time.

This restaurant claims to be located between heaven and earth, and its hillside perch with sweeping vistas certainly helps make its case. Go for classic Sicilian dishes, such as spaghetti with almond and basil pesto, or a many-layered slice of eggplant parmigiana. 

Chef Luca Casablanca is like a character out of a Sicilian storybook. Full of personality and endlessly dedicated to the showcasing the food of his native land, he adheres to the Slow Food philosophy more than anyone else in Taormina. There are very few tables at this intimate little trattoria down a narrow staircase off Corso Umberto, so it's highly recommended to reserve ahead of time.

Street food meets small plates at this ode to the flavors of Sicily. Located on a foot-traffic-only street, this compact, vaulted bistro serves chef-style iterations of the island's greatest "fast food" hits. And they make arguably the best arancini in the region: full of meaty ragù and saffron rice, fried to-order, with a crunchy crust that crackles as you break into it. There is also a good line in burgers.