Best Restaurants in Catania, Sicily august 11, 2024 – Posted in: Italy, Travel – Tags: Catania, Food, Holiday, Italy, Restaurants, Reviews, Sicily, Travel, Vacation

Where to Eat in Catania?

Great restaurants in Catania are spread generously throughout the city. However, you’ll find the really great dining spots along the stretch from Via Crociferi and the small side streets, under the umbrellas at Piazza Santa Maria dell’Indirizzo, and extending to Castello Ursino. The truly excellent and also pricey restaurants are clustered at the end of the charming party street, Via Santa Filomena.

If you do as we did and venture out on an adventure around the city, you’ll quickly discover small, cozy eateries where the locals hang out. There are plenty of great culinary experiences awaiting you! Many tourists stick to the “Umbrella Square,” and although there is also very good food here, you should watch out for the worst tourist traps.

What to Eat in Catania?

The food in Catania is, like the rest of Sicily, absolutely fantastic. Among the specialties you must try are Pasta alla Norma, horse meat, and Cassatella di Sant’Agata. Pasta alla Norma is named after the opera “Norma” by the city’s own Bellini. It is a simple no-nonsense pasta dish with pasta, eggplant, tomato, and pecorino cheese.

Everywhere you walk in the city, you’ll encounter large, smoking grill grates. It smells delicious – but perhaps only until you find out what it is. In Catania, horse meat is consumed in very large quantities. If you’re instead hungry for a snack in the middle of the day, order a Cassatella di Sant’Agata. The reason the white cake with the red berry resembles a breast is to honor Saint Agatha. The Catholic martyr refused to marry the Roman prefect Quintianus and was punished by having her breasts cut off.

Afternoon Coffee and Lots of Cake

The fine pastry shop Pasticceria Savia is exactly where you should get such a cake. After you’re done shopping on the long pedestrian street, finish off with a cake and also order an Etna coffee. The coffee is sweet and filled with liqueur, topped with whipped cream. If you find it a bit too expensive, there’s a cheaper bakery just around the corner. At Pasticceria Ficarra Luigi, you can get all kinds of cakes and bread, and it’s open all day.

Horse in Five Different Ways

As night falls, the locals flock to the restaurants. We tried for several days to get a table at the ultra-popular Trattoria da Mario, located on Via Crociferi, but with no luck. We wandered around aimlessly until we spotted a smoking grill far up the hill. You’ve probably guessed it, but at Macelleria Equina Licciardello, they serve horse meat. We dived in and tried horse in five different servings. Several locals went for a horse T-bone steak, but you might only want to order that if you haven’t eaten in a week.

Tuna Panini and Waffles

The next evening, we tried again for a table at Mario’s, and when that also fell through, we ended up next door at Pizza & Waffle. It sounds like a sad fast-food restaurant on the pedestrian street, but we actually ended up eating there two nights in a row. Their tuna panini is absolutely unbeatable, with locally caught tuna, mozzarella, sweet cherry tomatoes, and freshly baked bread. If you’re in Catania with kids, they will love this place!

Pasta alla Norma

On our last night in town, we dined at Artù Ristorante, which we had read good reviews about. Here, you can taste your way through Catanian cuisine, as the menu is large and tempting. Horse meat is also served, but we decided to try something new and ended up with Pasta alla Norma and Pasta Carbonara with pancetta.

Party Streets and Bars in Catania

Be sure to leave some room in your stomach because after dinner, it’s time to explore Catania’s nightlife. Especially on Saturday nights, the streets become a bustling crowd of Sicilians in their best clothes, strolling up and down in search of a table for the obligatory Saturday cocktail. Even though there are many people, it’s very civilized and safe, with no one being drunk. People have a cocktail or two and head home right after midnight. The party is still one of the most fun things we’ve experienced – it’s quite wild!

Most tourists quickly find “Umbrella Square” or Piazza Santa Maria dell’Indirizzo, the popular square by the fish market. There’s a festive bustle all day, and enjoy your cocktail at Lettera 82. A bit further away and next to Restaurant Artù is Gammazita. The cozy bar, which is also a cultural center, had live music when we visited.

The real party kicks off at the wine bar Razmataz, located on a side street off the pedestrian street. In the small street, there are several other small bars, and the somewhat quieter area is only a prelude to what’s ahead. After a good glass of wine, you can head further up towards Black Cocktail Beer Bar. The bar marks the beginning of the most festive street in the city, and whether you visit on Tuesday or Saturday, you’ll find a crowd of young people here.

The party street continues all the way up to Via Umberto I. On the last stretch, the bars are replaced with truly fine restaurants, something we only discovered on our last night. But then we’ll just have to come back another time!

Find a Good Hotel in Catania

Liberty Hotel in Catania

When booking a hotel in Catania, be aware that it is a city that does not mind noise. Make sure to book a hotel away from the major roads and the liveliest party streets. Fortunately, we found this travel tip online before booking, and we were quite happy about that knowledge.

We stayed at the Liberty Hotel in one of Catania’s nicer neighborhoods. This beautiful colonial-style hotel is located on a quiet street, yet only a five-minute walk from the main pedestrian street and the lovely Bellini Park. It is also the same distance to the large Benedictine monastery and the unfinished church, San Nicolò.

The small boutique hotel has only 18 rooms, and there was no crowd at the breakfast buffet. The rooms are beautifully decorated and very classically Italian. It is definitely a hotel we will stay at again next time we are in Catania!

Read more about the hotel here: Liberty Hotel

See all the other lovely hotels in Catania by clicking here or do your own search for beautiful hotels in Sicily:

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