66 Best Restaurants in Sicily, Italy

Housed on the upper story of a classic old palazzo a 10-minute walk from Villa Palagonia in the center of town, this relaxed but elegant trattoria makes the perfect refueling stop in the middle of a day of sightseeing. The moderately priced menu leans heavily towards seafood, best sampled in such starters as calamarata dello chef (king prawns, squid, and creamed zucchini) and spaghetti allo scoglio (with mussels, clams, shrimps, swordfish, and squid). Among the mains, stand-outs include swordfish involtini (roulades) and the catch of the day, while you can't do better than rounding off your meal with a canolo. As well as the teal-blue dining room, a roof terrace is open for dining al fresco in summer.

This small, unassuming restaurant run by ever-smiling Angelo is Santo Stefano's finest, and its long, elegant dining room and terrace are popular with locals. The menu includes beautifully crafted dishes featuring Sicilian produce such as beef, veal, swordfish, squid, and porcini mushrooms.

Just behind the public beach in Mazzarò Bay, this intimate little terrace restaurant is shrouded by an enormous old grapevine and looks out onto postcard-perfect views of paradise. Since 1981, the family-owned trattoria has been serving pristine seafood to discerning locals and in-the-know tourists. It's best accessed by the tunnel at the lower entrance to the funivia.

This wonderful restaurant is housed in a part of the Palazzo Bongiorno, making it a beautiful spot to sit and savor the tastes and sights of Gangi and the Madonie. You will spoiled for choice from a menu of antipasti of local salumi and cheeses, hearty primi of mountain soups and pastas, slow-cooked, meaty main seconds, and roasted vegetable sides. 

This refreshingly atypical spot raises simple Sicilian street food to new gastronomic heights. The exuberant owner, Rosario Umbriaco, has won national prizes for his arancini; try the version with two strata of rice and melted saffron Piacentino Ennese cheese to find out why. He also makes what may be the most divine cannoli in Sicily, frying the tubular wafer in olive oil, rather than lard, and filling to order with cool, fresh, just-sweetened ricotta and candied orange from Noto’s famous Caffè Sicilia. In summer there are tables outside.

Though this Michelin-starred restaurant is part of a hotel, it's worth a visit all on its own. Chef Giuseppe Raciti highlights the traditions and flavors of the area with a repertoire of elegant riffs that delight and surprise without overwhelming you with gimmicks. Located in a restored wine palmento (the traditional winemaking structure of Etna), the stone dining room looks over the surrounding citrus orchards whose scent wafts through the open windows. The owners for nigh on a hundred years, the Maugeri family, are winemakers, and naturally, you'll find their bottles on the wine list. But they are also wine lovers, and the roughly 70-page tome reflects that.