Michelin starred restaurant while on holiday in Sicily.
If you want to eat in a Michelin starred restaurant while on holiday in Sicily, there are certainly plenty to choose from. We’ve got all the information on the starred restaurants here so that you can select one near you.
2 stars
La Madia Madia means a big cupboard, and it is the perfect name for this restaurant. Pino Cuttaia, the chef, has created La Madia with an eye on the best ingredients in every dish. The menu is sparkling in its quality and depth. You can tell Pino delights in being in his hometown, using fresh local ingredients to create a menu with plenty of Sicilian depth. No fewer than seven types of bread are baked in the ovens each day. Local sources of fish are put to good use as well, particularly with his signature pine cone smoked fish among other treats. The restaurant can be found near the Agrigento Temple Valley, on the southern coastline of Sicily. Just one more reason why the fish here is so fresh! Make a reservation for La Madia in Licata now, at Corso Filippo Re Capriati, 22. Nearby visit our Villa Terra del sole.
Locanda Don Serafino Locanda Don Serafino is a gastronomic experience unlike any other. It benefited from its dramatic setting, with tables neatly and adorned in an outdoor section where you can sample the food al fresco. Centred in Ragusa Ibla, it is the perfect place to finish off an exploratory trip to this part of Sicily. The chef, Vincenzo Candiano, has created true masterpieces in his menu selection. Each dish is a true work of art, not just in the balance of flavours and ingredients, but in the presentation. You would be forgiven for feeling nervous about cutting or biting into it! Perhaps the best way to sample the delights here is to try a tasting menu, available with either six or nine courses. They also provide a lunch menu with a more manageable three courses – ideal for fitting into a busy day of sightseeing. To give a taste of what may lie ahead, look out for black ink spaghetti, creamed salted codfish and rump of lamb with a herb crust, among other temptations. You’ll certainly be able to spot a few significant Sicilian inspirations here when you take your seat to sample their menu.
Ristorante Duomo Few would need an excuse to visit Ragusa while in Sicily. Still, in case you needed another reason, you should book into the Duomo Restaurant to see why it earned two Michelin stars when the inspectors from the famous guide paid a visit. Words such as seductive and baroque were used to describe the food on offer here. The cuisine is thoroughly recommended by the inspectors, and if you ever have the opportunity to try it, you should. Ciccio Sultano is the man behind the experience. He is an accomplished chef, and he is dedicated to providing a wide array of dishes that are almost mini-masterpieces in themselves. There are many choices of the menu here too. If you are visiting for lunch, you can enjoy their lunchtime menu, which runs to three courses. Evening meals include many more courses than that, enabling you to sample many ingredients all finely balanced and put together in ways that amaze you. Many who have visited the restaurant in Via Capitano Bocchieri in Ragusa have noted the service is just as good as the food. That’s reassuring if you want to be sure you enjoy every aspect of the experience.
The Principe Cerami This is one of three restaurants provided at the San Domenico Palace Hotel in Taormina. Located on the eastern coastline of Sicily, the chef here is Massimo Mantarro. The restaurant makes the most of its location, bordering the Ionian Sea, but your attention will be firmly taken by the cuisine you will enjoy here. Massimo Mantarro has created some wonderful dishes that take full advantage of the range of fresh fish available in the area. Stuffed anchovies, sea bream with a millefeuille of baked vegetables and catch of the day in parmesan style – all this and more awaits you here. Elsewhere on the menu are reliable beef fillet tataki, rustic noodles, a rabbit stew and many other mouth-watering choices. In fact, we believe the most challenging thing to bear in mind at The Principe Cerami is to narrow down the many delightful options. Making the menu with Mantarro’s unique style is the traditional breakfast enjoyed by Sicilian farmers in ancient times – a filling dish of bread, cheese and tomatoes. Two Michelin stars for this, you may wonder. Yes, indeed – and they are very well-deserved too. Please take a look our villas in Taormina
1 star
Ristorante Coria
Inland, moving inwards from the south-eastern reaches of Sicily is a place called Caltagirone. In the Old Town in this region, you’ll find Ristorante Coria. Awarded one star in the Michelin guide, it is the brainchild of two chefs, Domenico and Francesco Patti Colonnetta. Together they have created a simply sublime menu. The restaurant was the first one to gain a Michelin star in the Catania region. A quick look at their website (or better, a long look at the dishes you are served in the restaurant itself) reveals you have many amazing treats to enjoy. This is culinary artistry at its best and most innovative, and it shows in every dish. A tasting menu is available, allowing you to sample the widest range of freshest ingredients during your time at Ristorante Coria. The chefs select the finest meat and fish to include in their dishes every day, ensuring you get the freshest meals created by true artisans in the field. You’ll certainly want to appreciate the look of your meal before you eat it, and to savour everything your taste buds get to try. See our villa in Caltagirone Villa Palmento.
La Capinera
La Capinera is known throughout Sicily and for a good reason. Many critics have taken the time to go there and sample the menu, and with chef Peter D’Agostino at the helm, it is not difficult to see why. This excellent restaurant in Taormina is all about Sicilian cuisine. It aims to bring it to a much wider audience in new, fresh and mouth-watering ways. To us, that sounds like the perfect combination. There are two options for you here. Firstly you can opt to try the tasting menu. One of the six-course menus focuses on fresh fish in its many forms, with Mazara prawns and raw seafood featuring among the delights at writing. Alternatively, the Land of Flavours tasting menu provides nine courses, and apart from the first course consisting of fish, you won’t know what is coming next. Perfect for the more adventurous among you! The main menu features a wealth of dishes that are hard to choose from too. Everything here is designed to look good and taste even better from fillet beef with smoked cheese to white snapper and Mediterranean tuna to a duck confit with candied oranges.
Il Cappero Ristorante Gourmet
Referred to in English as the Caper Restaurant Gourmet, it matters little what language you use to describe this restaurant at the Therasia Resort. It has undoubtedly earned its Michelin star and sits in an enviable position on Vulcano Island, just off Sicily’s coast. It may not be the easiest Michelin-starred restaurant to get to, but the journey is certainly worth it. Candlelit dinners with views of the Aeolian Islands are par for the course here. The chef in charge is Crescenzo Scotti, and he hails from Campania. Now though his passion is purely Sicily and its stunning cuisine, he has achieved things that wonderfully speak of Sicily. Perhaps the best bet here is to try the chef’s menu, as you will get a specially-selected choice of dishes to sample throughout your meal. Several people have mentioned how good the risotto is (watch out particularly for risotto acquerello ai gamberi Rossi). The menu is generous with fish-based dishes, making Il Cappero a good choice if you liked this type of dish. While there is an a la carte menu, the tasting menu is ideal if you are keen to sample as wide a selection of Sicilian-inspired dishes as possible in one sitting.
Bye Bye Blues
What a quirky name for this charming restaurant achieving a Michelin star in Palermo. This fresh take on Mediterranean cuisine can be enjoyed at Via del Garofalo, 23 Mondello in Palermo, and it doesn’t disappoint. Patrizia Di Benedetto is at the helm here, offering her own take on food inspired and from the Mediterranean. She has stayed close to home here too. Patrizia was born in Palermo and opened Bye Bye Blues in 1991. People come from miles around – and of course from abroad on holiday – to sample the menu here. Everything is sourced locally and is presented most beautifully. Starters, first courses, second courses and desserts are all on the menu, but you may find it challenging to try and narrow down your options from there. The starters are such treats as a prawn carpaccio, a black organic rice salad with vegetables and herbs, and beef tartare and beef salad. The fish dishes are exquisite, featuring such flavours as fish tartare, sardines and sea urchin. With rib of beef, pork with caramelised lemon honey and almond and lemon cake with vanilla ice cream on the menu as well, do be sure you are ready to sample some of the finest creations Patrizia has to offer.
I Pupi Restaurant
The chef who has rightfully earned a Michelin star here is Tony Lo Coco. He opened the restaurant with his wife Laura in 2009, and it is safe to say it has gone from strength to strength ever since. Visit their website and look at ‘the kitchen’ and you will be treated to a series of mouth-watering snapshots of just some of the dishes on the menu at I Pupi. Colour, presentation and of course taste are all at the forefront of the success of I Pupi. The lifelong passion Tony has had for good food shines through in every picture and every dish. Appetisers, first and second courses and desserts are all available to be sampled at I Pupi. There is a chance to try the tasting selection as well. This is available with either three, seven or nine courses, with wine provided as an extra if desired. There is something rather appealing about handing your faith over to a chef with Tony’s experience – someone who has earned their Michelin star. To give you an idea of what you might expect, appetisers include raw fish with flavoured oils and salts. First-course dishes include risotto with seafood, while second course (or main) dishes offer such delights as roasted fish or lamb Palermo. And for dessert, a tartare of fruit or perhaps a chocolate mousse would finish your meal in an ideal manner. You can find this restaurant in Via Cavaliere, 59-90011 Bagheria, in Palermo.
Ristorante Il Bavaglino
Terrasini, nestled between Trapani and Palermo, is worth detouring to see if only to visit the Ristorante Il Bavaglino. Created in 2008, the intervening years have seen the restaurant rise to become one of the most appealing throughout Sicily. Six years later, Joseph Costa, the chef, would receive his first Michelin star for his restaurant efforts. Costa learned much throughout his early years, and after exploring Europe and learning plenty about cooking and good food en route, he returned to open his restaurant. The menus here change with the seasons, so even if you have already paid a visit to Ristorante Il Bavaglino, you should definitely return for a whole new experience. The food here is beautifully accessible and appeals to the taste buds in ways you may never have experienced before. With examples including kumquat couscous, spaghetti square with cream and shrimp tenerumi and seared yellowtail, you’ll find something to delight your palate. The wine list also provides some well-chosen Sicilian reds and whites to accompany your meal. As such, this is a real experience that brings into play lots of Sicilian taste sensations. You will find the restaurant in via B: Saputo, 20 in Terrasini.
La Gazza Ladra
Modica is popular among thousands of tourists. Yet many fans of refined cuisine are now adding it to their list of must-see places too. This is due to the many skills of Accursio Craparo, the chef who has an incredible imagination concerning good food and aims to share that image with his guests. He was born in Sciacca and travelled to Germany to learn his trade and gain experience. Eventually returning to Italy and Milan, he learned still more from Pietro Leemann before moving on to Le Calandre under Massimiliano Alajmo. Now he is sharing all he has learned at La Gazza Ladra in Modica. The presentation is just as important as the mix of flavours meeting on each plate. With an impressive menu and many treats to savour, both sweet and savoury, you have an excellent opportunity to witness what happens when Accursio Craparo pours all his knowledge and experience into one sterling menu. The website alone has a selection of photos of some of the dishes available, and each one is really a work of art. Considering you can only see what each dish looks like, you can appreciate what happens when you can taste it as well. Don’t miss La Gazza Ladra in Via Blandini 5-97015 in Modica.
Ristorante La Fenice
First earning its Michelin star in 2010, La Fenice has continued to appeal, to innovate and delight ever since. With Claudio Ruta at the helm in the kitchen, there is a real feeling of tradition in Sicilian cooking. Yet his interpretation of tradition produces something rather modern and appealing, treading a fine balance between the past and the present. Ruta insists on fresh ingredients, sourced locally. His focus uses the inspiration of recipes that were long-favoured by peasants. Seafood is the other main attraction here – not surprising given Sicily’s easy access to fresh seafood of all kinds. La Fenice offers a Grand Gourmet menu which includes an appetiser, first course, second course, pre-dessert and dessert. To give you an idea of the delights the menu holds, dishes include squid tentacles with diced tomato confit and Chiaramonte sausages with fennel seeds. Try coral pasta with morsels of piglet sautéed in spices for a first course, followed by chunks of grouper with a caponata of apples and pears from Mount Etna for your second course. There is plenty more to enjoy here too, and with a well-balanced gourmet menu like this, it is easy to try many things you may never have tried before. Everything is seasonal too, so expect frequent changes as you visit. You can also try the a la carte menu or go for the petit menu if you prefer. Visit the menu – ideally with a pre-booking – in Ragusa.
