The 9 Best Food Experiences I Had While Living In Sicily
Sicily is the land of food. Even mainland Italians can’t help but comment on how wonderful Sicily’s cuisine is. It’s undeniably good.
While there are countless places to eat in Sicily, some spots are exceptional. It might be the atmosphere, the kindness and generosity of those making or serving the food, or simply the taste of the food itself.
And in some special places, all those factors meet together to create unforgettable experiences.
While living in Sicily, I ate and drank many incredible things, but I want to share with you the best of the best.
Here are the most memorable food experiences I’ve had in Sicily. If you can incorporate any of these into your next trip, do it!
Gelato in Ragusa Ibla
If you find yourself in Ragusa, you need to have gelato at Gelati DiVini. It is a gelateria/wine shop that features many natural and local flavors in its gelato.
My experience there was very memorable because their gelato is incredibly delicious, but also because of the flavors I chose. I’m a fairly adventurous eater, so funky gelato flavors don’t scare me.
I had flavors called Lacrime Dolci, made with onions, and Gocce Verdi, an olive oil gelato. They were amazing! I regret not stopping at Gelati DiVini more than once that day.
If onion and olive oil gelato is not your thing, you’ll still love this gelateria. They make high-quality versions of the classic flavors, like pistachio, almond, hazelnut, chocolate, and strawberry.
But if you’re a little adventurous, you could try ricotta, chocolate and chili, or a wine-flavored gelato.
It should be noted that this gelateria is located in Ragusa Ibla, which is either a drive down a very winding road or a 30-minute downhill walk from the main city of Ragusa.
Downhill going there means uphill coming back. But it’s worth it for some of the best gelato in Sicily.
Mandrarossa Winery
On a beautiful, sunny day in early March, we took a day trip with friends who were vacationing in Sicily. They wanted to visit Sambuca di Sicilia, a gorgeous town on the list of Italy’s most beautiful villages (i borghi più belli d'Italia).
They also wanted to visit a nearby winery and gave me the task of finding one. I ended up finding and booking a tasting at Mandrarossa Winery in Menfi. I couldn’t have chosen better!
I can’t say enough about how much we loved our experience at this winery. We loved our guide who tasted the wines with us and knew exactly when to chitchat and when to leave us on our own for a while.
To be honest, our first impression of the winery was that it felt a bit cold and uncomfortable. Have you ever been on a wine tour and tasting and felt like you didn’t belong there? That was our initial feeling.
I think it was because there weren’t any other visitors there that day, so we toured an empty, modern, slightly industrial-looking building.
But by the time we sat for the wine tasting, we were happy that we were the only ones there. Our guide spent more time with us, there was no rush, and we got to try a few extra little treats.
I haven’t even talked about the wine yet! Sicilian wines are so amazing and Mandrarossa’s wines are no exception.
We tried some whites, reds, and the best for last, a passito. The Passito di Pantelleria blew my little mind. This wine is made with sun-dried grapes and has a sweet, robust flavor.
I’ve always turned my nose up at sweet, after-dinner wines, but this wine has forever changed me. Personally, it’s one of the best things I’ve had in Italy. And that’s probably the biggest reason why I loved this winery and the whole experience. It expanded my horizons.
I’ll also mention that this was no Tuscan, “a few drops in a glass” wine tasting. Sicilian wineries are often generous when pouring. At Mandrarossa, they left us with the bottle of each wine we tasted. So we helped ourselves to a few more sips.
Lemon granita in Salina
I could talk all day about Salina and still feel that I haven’t accurately described how wonderful it is. It is a stunning, wild island off Sicily and is part of the Aeolian Islands archipelago.
Our time on the island is imprinted on my memory for many reasons, but here I will tell you about one amazing afternoon.
We decided to rent scooters one day (best decision ever) and make our way to Spiaggia di Pollara, a unique beach reached by a downhill winding road and pathway.
The ride into the small village of Pollara and the walk down to the beach was maybe the most exciting experience I’ve had in Italy. It is breathtakingly beautiful there.
After swimming and relaxing on what felt like a movie set (and has actually been a movie set), we headed to L’Oasi Snack Bar in the village of Pollara for some refreshments.
The owner of the snack bar was lovely and suggested that we try her lemon granita. While delicious lemon granita can be found all over Sicily, there was something about that place and time that made it the best lemon granita.
With the salt sea in our hair, the remains of sunscreen on our skin, and the beauty of Salina surrounding us, there couldn’t be a greater setting to enjoy a granita.
It’s also the only place in Sicily where I was ever offered a lemon granita with beer poured over the top. A pretty spectacular combo.
Hauner Winery
I’m not quite done talking about Salina yet. Another highlight from our time on the island was Hauner Winery.
Visiting Hauner and trying their wines was the most fun I’ve had at a winery. We were with great friends, the wines were wonderful, and the atmosphere was very cool and relaxed.
We started with a tour of the winery, which took a whole 10 minutes. Hauner isn’t a huge establishment, but a family-run, unpretentious winery.
While we started the tour with several other visitors, many only stayed for a single glass of wine and we quickly had the place to ourselves.
We enjoyed the full tasting, trying several wines and Mediterranean bites. The highlight of the wines (for me) was the Malvasia delle Lipari, a sweet wine made with grapes that are dried on outdoor racks.
Like many Sicilian wineries, the tasting portions were generous. It lent to a lingering evening, never feeling pressured to hurry and leave. We sat among the beautiful flora and took in the view of the sea and neighboring islands.
Our experience at Hauner Winery has stayed with us because of who we were with, the kindness of the staff, and the wines that matched the scenery. The winery felt like an impossible secret. Actually, the whole island of Salina felt like an impossible secret.
“While there are countless places to eat in Sicily, some spots are exceptional. It might be the atmosphere, the kindness and generosity of those making or serving the food, or simply the taste of the food itself. And in some special places, all those factors meet together to create unforgettable experiences.”
Everything in Randazzo
Randazzo, apparently the nearest town to the summit of Mount Etna, became a regular destination for us. We loved bringing friends there via a slow, old train from Catania.
But it wasn’t just the lovely views of Mount Etna that brought us to Randazzo again and again. Randazzo is a bit of a secret foodie spot. It has given me some of my best bites in Sicily.
The first gem we discovered there was a simple butcher shop, Macelleria Sparta. The funky, savory smell of cured meats and cheeses lured us in from the street. The shop owners were lovely and proudly gave us some pieces of cheese to try on the spot.
The pecorino with peppercorns was among the hardest and saltiest I’ve had in Sicily. Perfect for adding to pasta and other dishes.
But for me, the salami stole the show. I’ve never had anything like it, and it only got better as it hung and aged in my kitchen. I picked some up every time we visited Randazzo.
During our first trip to Randazzo, my husband and I felt that we had life-changing pistachio gelato at Bar Pasticceria Arturo. We later found out that there’s another pasticceria in town with gelato that has been hailed as some of the best in Italy.
I stumbled across a news article that described the acclaimed gelato flavors at Pasticceria Santo Musumeci and made a point to go there on our next visit to Randazzo. It did not disappoint.
We went on a chilly day in December and indulged in Musumeci’s gelato by a fire. It was wonderful. To me, the texture and flavor of their gelato is like frozen cake batter.
I particularly loved the Pirandello gelato made with toasted almonds, lemon zest, and chocolate.
Here’s a pro tip when traveling in Italy: get restaurant recommendations from older Italians. Anytime we weren’t sure where to eat when visiting a new place, I would approach an elderly local and ask them where they go for typical, affordable meals. They never led me astray.
In Randazzo, an older man led us to a great restaurant, Ristorante San Giorgio e Il Drago. We loved the atmosphere and the food. It’s on a quaint, quiet dead-end street, a far cry from the restaurants we love in Catania.
Randazzo has a solid, solid food scene. Everything I’ve eaten there has been memorable. It shouldn’t be a surprise, given its location on fertile Mount Etna where some of Sicily’s best ingredients are grown.
Yet, I’m constantly amazed at the insanely good food that can be found in a small, unassuming town.
La Terrazza del Barone
In Catania, there’s a certain kind of restaurant you won’t find in smaller Sicilian towns. They’re fast-paced, no-nonsense restaurants with a ton of tables and serve simple, typical Sicilian food.
My favorite of this style of restaurant in Catania is La Terrazza del Barone. We ate at this restaurant several times and the experience was always the same.
The service isn’t amazing, but the food is. The atmosphere is loud and a bit chaotic, but that’s Catania. The prices are awesome, but you should check your bill for mysterious charges.
There’s a lot of give-and-take at this restaurant, but it’s worth it. Most friends we took there said it was their favorite eating experience in Sicily. And when I’m in Catania next, I’ll be going back.
It’s a bit of a microcosm of Catania. A true Sicilian experience. And if you’re willing just to sit back, take it all in, and go with the flow, you’ll love it. If you expect to get special care and a peaceful atmosphere, you’ll hate it.
It’s on a bustling street that I would say is famous for chaos and charcoal smoke. If you sit outside, you’ll see and smell meat being grilled at restaurants all over the street.
The menu at La Terrazza is filled with simple Sicilian fare. While I’m sure anything you order will be delicious, I have a few suggestions.
Inside the restaurant, they have a table full of delicious, room-temperature antipasti. There are seasonal vegetables, like peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, and artichokes, prepared in several ways. You’ll find some bites made with egg or potato, marinated olives, and eggplant. There’s a huge selection. If you’re not much of a meat eater, you’ll especially love the antipasti!
If you’re adventurous, I recommend trying the spaghetti al nero di seppia (squid ink pasta) or polpette di cavallo con crema di pistacchio (horse meatballs stuffed with pistacchio cream).
Horse meat is a specialty of Catania, so watch for “cavallo” on menus, whether you’d like to try it or stay far away from it.
Trattoria L’Arco
Modica is one of my favorite places in Sicily. Its beauty surprised me because more is said about the Baroque towns of Ragusa and Noto, while Modica is often only mentioned for its famous chocolate.
Its beauty aside though, Modica is also a favorite of mine because I had one of my best restaurant experiences there.
While on a day trip in Modica with friends, we were in search of a spot to stop for lunch. Applying my earlier advice, I asked an older Italian woman we met on the street where we should eat lunch.
Not only did she give us a great recommendation, but she also called the restaurant on the spot to ask them to hold a table for us.
(When it comes to food, Italians are eager to help you out. I once asked a man sitting on his balcony where I should eat and he came down to walk me about 15 minutes to his favorite restaurant. Adorable.)
So we made our way to Trattoria L’Arco, a small restaurant that specifically serves Modican food.
We enjoyed an antipasti plate of local treats. I ate something that the server/chef/owner suggested; cavati (homemade pasta) mixed with macco (fava bean puree). I hadn’t heard of macco up until then, but it was DELICIOUS.
My friend had a bowl of lentils that she still raves about, two years later. In Italy, fava beans and lentils can send you over the moon.
The food was incredibly simple, but it still stands out to me as one of the best meals I’ve had in Italy. Overall, it was such a great day. Amazing food, laughs with friends, and a beautiful place to explore. And we didn’t skip the Modican chocolate.
Pizzeria Lievitando
Of all the places on this list, I can unequivocally say that this pizzeria is our favorite eatery in Sicily.
We discovered Pizzeria Lievitando during our first week living in Sicily. I did a quick Google search of pizzerias near our apartment, and Lievitando was the closest one. So we went.
Little did we know then that it would essentially be the only pizzeria we would eat at in Catania.
The pizza at Lievitando is AMAZING. The pizzaiolo (pizza chef), Mario, is very particular about the food he serves. He uses only fresh, high-quality ingredients.
And the name of the pizzeria can be translated to “leavening”, which is a nod to the fact that the pizza dough is left to rest and ferment for 48 hours. This process enhances the flavor of the dough and makes it more digestible.
We always felt good after eating a whole pizza there, which is not something I can say about pizzas where I come from.
Everything at Lievitando is delicious, but there are two pizzas on the menu that are special and hard to find at other pizzerias. If you have the opportunity, try the Dulcisin Fundo and the Guanciale pizza.
The first is topped with pork, caramelized onions, and gorgonzola cheese. The mix of sweet onions and salty pork and gorgonzola is the best! My personal favorite.
The second, the Guanciale, is made with pieces of pork cheek, almonds, green onion, and honey. A unique mix of very local ingredients!
Even though the pizzeria is very small and mainly caters to take-out, I highly suggest eating there. The pizza is THAT much better when it’s enjoyed straight out of the oven. I’m telling you.
Now it would be amiss for me to only talk about the food at Lievitando. There’s great pizza all over Catania, but the staff at “our” pizzeria always made us feel at home.
Lievitando is family-owned and we feel like we got to know the whole family. They were always incredibly kind to us, even when my Italian was very limited in the beginning.
The pizza was great, but the warmth and friendliness of the people there made us go back again and again… and again.
In a busy, fast-paced city, like Catania, some shop owners are impatient if you don’t know the language and may also try to overcharge you. It happened to us many times.
But never at Lievitando. They always treated us fairly and patiently.
During our final days living in Catania, I shed more tears at that pizzeria than anywhere else. It was very difficult to have our last pizza and say goodbye.
I think Lievitando gave us an experience that many hope to have in Italy… to be welcomed and treated like family at a place that also happens to make amazing food.
If you go, be sure to say “ciao” for me.
Friends’ homes
A real treat of living in Italy is to be invited to an Italian’s home for dinner.
When we would get an invite, my husband and I would get so excited thinking about what we might be eating. Not because we were expecting some elaborate meal, but because it’s so fascinating to see what and how Sicilians eat in their homes.
They would think I’m ridiculous for saying that, but it’s true! Eating with Sicilians in their homes is always an experience if you love Italian culture and food.
What will we eat? When will we eat? Will the wine be homemade? Will they argue over food? Will nonna be there??
It’s all wildly exciting.
The food I’ve been served at friends’ homes in Sicily was usually simple. I’ve had mightily delicious parmigiana di melanzane (eggplant parmesan), crazy simple fennel salad, comforting pumpkin soup, and meats almost exclusively cooked over charcoal.
A commonality of these meals was the length. When Sicilians, like all Italians, sit down to eat, it’s to relax and slowly enjoy their food. This is where I’m Italian at heart. I love longggggg, lingering meals with wine, lively conversation, and no pressure to inhale your food.
It’s probably not super realistic to expect to be invited into a Sicilian’s home while visiting the region, but if it happens, soak it up!
I hope these food experiences have left you craving a visit to Sicily! These are some of the gems I found and loved in the region, but there’s so much more to discover.
Have you already been to Sicily and had an amazing food experience? Or are you looking forward to eating at a certain place when you do go? Let me about it below!