Visiting Sicily this spring and looking for dining recommendations. Most of our time will be split between Palermo and Etna (staying in Riposto), and we’ll have a short stay in Syracuse. We’ve traveled in Italy extensively but this is our first time in Sicily, so any recommendations for restaurants, wine bars, bottle shops, or anything else are greatly appreciated.
Following, as I’ll be in Sicily for a week in May, with a few days in Syracuse with the rest of the time spent at a villa roughly between Mt Etna and Catania,
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I am also planning a trip to Sicily- so I’m happy to compare notes on my research etc- but have never been either so I’m here to learn as much as provide
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Not been down there for a while , in the Etna area I can recommend Cave Ox, Pennisi and the restaurant at Shalai.
Trattoria Corona in Palermo
Nino in Letojanni (near Taormina)
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Thank you!! 
I know this is late for Ethans trip but for others following I 2nd the Cave Ox and we also had a good meal at Ristorante San Giorgio e il Drago in Randazzo
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+1 on Cave Ox, Dai Pennisi, Shalai; Vineria Modi in Taormina was another great find.
Appreciate all the recommendations that I got here, so I figured I would follow up with where we went. The food in Sicily was incredible and we had a great time on our trip.
Palermo:
Corona Trattoria - Recommended from this thread and one of our favorite spots for dinner in Palermo.
CiCala - Awesome dinner spot in Palermo that was right by the marina, and had a great wine program with a lot of well aged Sicilian wines.
Quattro Mani - great dinner spot in Palermo that was recommended to us by our host.
dal Barone - awesome wine bar recommended to us from some winemakers we visited. They also sell wine to go.
OJDA - great wine bar we stumbled upon with a very good list of local wines.
Etna area:
Menage - This was our favorite dinner spot in Catania. Great wine list, awesome dry aged Sicilian beef, and a very fun vibe with top tier service.
Materia Spazio Cucina - great dinner spot in Catania.
Piccolo Scalo - awesome dinner spot in Riposto that ended up being just a short walk from our lodging.
Vermut - awesome wine bar in Palermo recommended to us from winemakers we visited.
Nelson - great local wine shop in Catania with a huge selection of Sicilian wines and amari.
Honorable mention for Cave Ox - it did not work out for us to drop by, but it was recommended from this thread and it is certainly the popular local haunt for Etna winemakers who all individually recommended it to us.
Syracusa:
Latteria Mamma Iabica - this spot was awesome for dinner and has a huge Slow Food commitment
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Recently returned from a Siracusa/Ortigia-Ragusa-Randazzo trip and also picked-up great recommendations here so happy to pay it forward:
Siracusa/Ortigia
- +1 Latteria Mamma Iabica: fantastic atmosphere with the open kitchen and attentive service; loved the mashed fava beans with fried tuna, lamb pappardelle, and grilled octopus. Caravaglio Malavasia di Lipari was a treat. Reservations can be made on the Fork App.
- Fratelli Burgi & Tito Mare: a sandwich shop and seafood spot on the same street, great lunch spots especially when the market is bustling.
- Not a restaurant but B.O.A.T.S bar had cool cocktails (mezcal-leaning) and a perfect view of the central ruins in Ortigia
Ragusa Region
- Caffe Sicilia in Noto is on most people’s radar but the almond granita & an espresso was worth the hike plus the stunning Baroque buildings
- Osteria Radici Accursio in Modica: Central Modica was bustling with bars and restaurants late on a Wednesday night; osteria picks-up the contemporary feel of the Michelin-starred namesake; loved the cuttlefish and sea urchin maccheroni, tuna capponata, and gnocchi. Carob cream creme brulee was excellent. Made a reservation request through their website.
- Sakalleo in Scoglitti (coast): picked-up this recommendation from an older thread and so glad we were able to go; they start bringing dishes and you go through courses until you’re full - or you just keep going; tuna crudo, local gambero rosso crudo, seared tuna, roasted octopus, steamed mussels, and the best pasta vongole of the trip; all washed down with COS Pithos. The first secondo was going to be a whole fish so we tapped out. Highly recommend! Had the hotel call ahead for a reservation.
- Vossia il Mare in Marina di Ragusa: another elevated choice in a casual setting, sommelier was engaged and made sure we tasted anything we were interested in, definitely recommend going off the specials board when ordering; more great pasta vongole, tuna capponata, and roasted catch-of-the-day with bagna cauda and bitterroot greens. Reached out directly for a reservation and I also think they are available on the Fork app.
Randazzo/Etna
- Vitis Vineria in Randazzo: went here for a late dinner after driving-in; walk-in cellar for bottle selection; eggplant with ricotta and pesto was great and so was the pepper & cream pappardelle.
- +1 for Ristorante San Giorio e Il Drago: walnut ravioli, rabbit stew, and some of the best cannoli of the trip; setting in the old fort. Had the hotel call for a reservation but it probably wasn’t necessary for a weekend night before the summer season really kicked-off.
- Cave Ox: Eggplant with roasted tomatoes is highly recommended, was tipped-off on the pistachio pesto and it was great but definitely a heavier dish on a warm afternoon.
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Messina:
Toronero is a fantastic steakhouse. Long BTG list including less popular Sicilian styles including Faro wines plus some well-known Tuscan/Piedmont producers.
We ate at don camilo in Siracusa which was fantastic.
Duomo in Ragusa was also amazing.
Was just here a couple weeks ago and can’t recommend it highly enough. Wine skews natural and local (Sicily and Mt Etna in particular), but we were a group of 13 who are much more “conventional” and they were able to find wines we really enjoyed. We ordered 4-5 different starters and shared many of the mains and it was all between good and damn good. Great ingredients with relatively simple - but near perfect - execution.