Best Places to Eat in Sicily | Catania, Taormina and Siracusa

Last Updated on July 19, 2021

JC and I have never had an issue eating well in Italy, whether on tortelloni con crema in Bologna, or bacio gelato in Milano, we cannot get enough of all the mouth watering delicacies the country has to offer, as well as the rituals observed around the Italian’s favorite pastime: eating and drinking. Sicily is no different when it comes to the art of eating. We successfully spent three full days there feasting on seafood (Sicily is an island after all), gorging on brioche con gelato, gobbling up granita, and eating artisan panini about the size of my head. Read below to find out the best foods to try and places to eat in and around Catania, Sicily.

*Eating is a pleasure, in Italy, and even more so, in Sicily*

Breakfast ( ‘colazione’)

I lived in Milan for almost two years, so a croissant (cornetto or brioche) and a cappuccino for breakfast is standard issue for me. Italians love their sweet breakfasts (as opposed to American’s typical savory eggs). However, the standard brioche gets an upgrade in Sicily: say hello to the brioche con gelato.

brioche with gelato — *Typical Sicilian breakfast of granita and brioche con gelato*

The brioche is absolutely heavenly– sweet bread, not dry at all, you can eat it by itself or with gelato inside, as you can see in the photo above. However, fitting the entire thing in your mouth like a sandwich is no easy feat…

*JC trying to eat his brioche con gelato like an ice cream sandwich*

…..and not advisable. Best to eat the gelato inside first, and then the brioche.

Another breakfast treat famous in Sicily is the granita.

A semi-frozen dessert, halfway between gelato and sorbet, it is eaten at breakfast or as a refreshing afternoon snack. The most famous granita can be found in Taormina at Bam Bar.

Best places to eat in Sicily - Bam Bar — *Having the famous granita at Bam Bar in Taormina*

Lunch (‘pranzo’)

For Italians, lunch is oftentimes a three-course meal eaten with careful consideration, not a sandwich eaten while walking or commuting or worse yet, eaten in front of a computer screen. However, a sandwich that is made with the same amount of precision and care as an haute atelier, with the same passion and quality of ingredients as those used in the best restaurants, with a history of craftsmanship passed down from generation to generation— now, that is a sandwich even Italians can get excited about. And this is exactly what you will find at Borderi Gli Artistri on Ortigia Island in Siracusa. Not your run-of-the-mill sandwich shop, you cannot miss this experience. If sandwich making were an art (which, I am now convinced it is), Borderi is Michaelangelo.

Catch a glimpse of the artist at work on the best sandwiches you will ever eat in your life, in the video below.

Best places to eat in Sicily - Borderi — *With our giant panini in hand at Borderi on Ortigia Island in Siracusa*

The artist, Borderi, at work

Aperitivo ( Happy Hour)

While living in Milan, I could happily make aperitivo into dinner, and I was happy to see that Sicily also indulges in this favorite Italian pastime. We had our aperitivo at Pasticceria Savia, known for its Sicilian pastries, and sat outside with Aperol Spritz, a granita, and a cannolo to share, as well as an entire plate of snacks that came with our drinks for free: say ciao (hi!) to the feast that is the Italian aperitivo.

Dinner (‘cena’)

For dinner, my friend recommended we go to il Gambero Pazzo, so I made a reservation ahead of time. She also highly recommended we order the set fish menu, and thank goodness we did. For 25 EUR each we had a bottle of wine, a bottle of water, too many antipasti seafood dishes to count of, two types of pasta, an entire fish and limoncello to finish. Mamma mía! If you want to eat like a king for the price of a pauper, I highly recommend it.