La Bettola dei Marinai — Restaurant in Acireale

We had high hopes for the infamous Italian food in Sicily, but our first night here turned out to be a major disappointment. It all began with the incredibly rude waiters, who seemed to become even more unfriendly once they realized we weren't Italian (we tried to communicate in Spanish to bridge the language barrier). They didn't even bother giving us the menu for the night.

The antipasti was just okay, nothing special, and quite mediocre. It was comparable to what you can get at any random snack bar in Catania. The first pasta dish was basic and tasteless, and the risotto tasted like it had been burnt. The second dish, the fish, was decent, but the scampi tasted like they had been bought from a supermarket.

And don't even get me started on the dessert. They served a store-bought half frozen tiramisu and lemon sorbet in plastic dishes, giving off canteen vibes. It was a complete joke.

But the worst part was the bill. We were shocked to see that it came out to 50 EUR per person. It was an absolute rip-off considering the quality of the food and the terrible service. Needless to say, we won't be coming back...

Not your typical restaurant experience, you don’t really order the food. You eat what you are given, I did not mind this one bit, actually it made the experience more so. Definitely a very popular place to eat in Santa Tecla. If you are close by, why not stop by and give it a try ———————————————— Poor - 1 : 2 : 3 : 4 : 5

We were a party of four of which 3 work in hospitality. This is a great find if you're wondering how bad the service can be in Sicily. Unnecessary unpleasantness, plates being thrown from afar, no effort whatsoever to understand you even though we speak basic Italian. Santa Tecla is a lovely village with little restaurant options and the amount of locals eating there is what attracted us. It was somehow comforting seeing it wasn't only the tourists being treated badly. The cuisine is mediocre at best except for the divine Chef's special which is a spaghetti con frutti di mare. To be avoided unless you're into masochism. Oh, and Covid-19 does not exist in...