Ristorante La Tavernetta

A lovely restaurant in the heart of Taormina. The seafood options are cooked well, with the famous Sicilian red prawns grilled exactly as you would hope. The pastas and cous cous are all Sicilian classics cooked with great ingredients and skill. The service in this restaurant is friendly and very professional.

My identical twin sister and I went to La Tavernetta because it was recommended to us by our hotel. We’re so glad they recommended it! We had an amazing dinner and the chef came out personally to greet us to give us menu suggestions. We finished every single thing on our plate! It was so delicious!!! The customer service was top tier and it was the best limoncello spritz we’ve ever had! Highly recommend!

Recently taken up new ownership, an amazing experience. Felt like we were having authentic home cooked meals, based on old recipes passed down from generations. Salvatore is a friendly, attentive host with great attention to detail. Definitely worth a visit for a traditional, delicious dinner.

Came here at the recommendation of our hotel. It was new year's day so very quiet. But, Salvatore hosted us like we the most important guests he'd received and I saw him do this with other diners too, making everyone feel special.
We had the raw fish platter to start. Amazingly fresh seafood - the tartare, the shrimp scampi and the tuna were to die for.
We also had the fresh sea bass Sicilian style and that was sublime. Very fresh, perfectly prepared fish and the broth and potatoes and olives and tomatoes were perfection.
Salvatore was a gentleman - so hospitable with interesting stories and wanted us to have a wonderful experience. Tonight's dinner will be a top 10 moment of our trip to Sicily. thank you!

Fresh, exquisite and attentive ✨
Just the coperta bread is in its own league!
Top shelf wine selection 🍷
The Best!
…accordingly priced ;)

From the moment we walked in the host Salvatore made us feel incredibly welcome. The restaurant has just reopened (August 2022) under new management and is now sister restaurant to Osteria Rosso Divino, so ignore any reviews before August!

On top of the fantastic welcome and continuously friendly host, the outdoor seating area was beautifully lit and a pleasure to sit in.

Then the food, my goodness the food! I won't claim to be a fish lover but the catch of the day was the best fish dish I've ever tasted. The raw seafood platter starter was also absolutely excellent and well worth experiencing.

Couldn't recommend visiting this restaurant enough, we had a memorable and delicious dinner.

Taormina has many fine restaurants, but this is another level. Fresh, delicious and beautifully prepared food curated by Salvatore, the perfect host. Set on the steps leading up to the Greek amphitheater, it has charm to spare, but believe me - the food belies the heritage of the restaurants name (they took it over a year ago).

Excellent authentic Sicilian food and amazing service. The restaurant is beautifully designed and the owner makes you feel like at home. We really enjoyed everything and we will definitely come back. Highly recommended

Superb local food, very high quality and excellent wine list. Can recommend fish cooked Sicilian style and bottle of local method. My best meal in Taormina and we had some pretty special ones !

New owners, reopening was Aug 6. Fresh absolutely delicious carpaccio, wine and Sicilian style fish. The panna cotta was my favorite of my time in Sicily! Attentive service!

Salt baked fresh fish melts in your mouth. Tasty local wine selection and home made breads. Excellent service, quiet staircase off the main areas gives off relaxed, picturesque vibes and cozy dining experience.

Absolutely incredible restaurant with phenomenal wines and very special food. Octopus was soooo tasty and pasta with red shrimps, burrata and pistachio was to die for!

We are visiting from the United States, and can say this was one of the better restaurants we’ve been to in Taormina. This was more of a fine dining than casual and that was reflected on the price per dish. Next time we come and visit, we will stop by this restaurant again. Everything we had was excellent.

My husband and I were walking down the street and walked past the restaurant looking for another, I’m so pleased we came back!! The food was excellent and the service was even better! The owner explained the dishes and gave recommendations. Would highly recommend

Very good food (&the best homemade bread we had in Sicily so far). The staff is also very lovely & professional. They even created some 'new' dishes according to our wishes and what they had to offer. It was a wonderful dinner.

Very friendly service and great food! Nice atmosphere. Doesn’t serve pizzas but absolutely worth it.

Wonderful dinner in Taormina. Under new ownership - this place definitely shines in a sea of great restaurants. The staff of La Tavernetta are wonderful and so attentive. Salvatore personally spent time with us explaining the menu and the traditions and region of the food. The food was indescribable. Wine menu is also terrific. We had Linguine com scampi e tarufo Nero senese, caserecce alla palermitana, and filetto do manzo- all so delicious. Homemade bread and dessert. Best dinner in Taormina. You won’t be disappointed!!!

One of the most spectacular dining experiences in Sicily. Salvatore and the entire staff create a magical and spectacular experience with fantastic food and wine. This is a special place and should be a must go to if you’re in the area.

A huge thank you to Salvatore and his team for restoring our faith Taormina cuisine.

I found the restaurant on Google and read the reviews and learned about the recent opening under new management - it turned out to be one of the best decisions of our holiday so far.

The welcome at La Tavernetta was great with the Salvatore greeting us whilst clutching a fine looking octopus - clearly the seafood was fresh.

The restaurant is family owned and run. There is a relationship with a fishmonger that ensures only the freshest and finest seafood.

The dishes were cooked with care and pride, the food was delicious. We were recommended a fantastic white wine from the slopes of Etna.

After dinner I was introduced to an Amaro liqueur that is made in the mountains surrounding Taormina by an old boy who has been perfecting his recipe throughout his life - wow!

Salvatore was later met by his wife and son, his wife took over La Tavernetta in 2019 to bring the restaurant back to life.

He gave up his position at the Belmond to run this restaurant, whilst his wife runs another that they own, bringing his experience of service and high standards with him. What a great team they clearly make and their little boy is a superstar!

All in all you really should make a meal at La Tavernetta a part of your visit or stay in Taormina. This was a gastronomic experience that demonstrated what dining in such a beautiful spot should be and probably was before the economics of tourism took over.

Buon appetito

Best meal in Taormina by a long way. The fresh fish, pasta, bread, olives and panna cotta were all a definite cut above, while the service by the very engaging Salvatore and his calm, measured staff was also excellent. Highly recommended.