Carlito's — Restaurant in Catania

Was not expecting to find a Mexican place in the middle of Catania, but there I was. Was just walking by an alley and saw flags and someone putting up sombreros and thought hey, that looks Mexican! And, in fact, it was.

For what it's worth, I am from the States, so I've had plenty of Mexican food...from authentic street tacos to strip mall Mexican. I went in with zero expectations. As it turns out, it was pretty darn good. And the locals seem to think so, too, as it was hopping from the time they opened at 1900.

The menu had mostly usual suspects...tacos, burritos, fajitas, etc. Some of it had unusual descriptions, but nothing would have been out of place at any other Mexican restaurant I've been to. I settled on the burrito de carne, chips and guacamole, and washed it down with a Corona. The flavors were slightly different and the rice was definitely not what I would have described as "Mexican", but it was all very good. The salad was distinctly Italian...it had some sort of vinaigrette which was a little out of place, but again, not bad. The guacamole was whipped, maybe, so a little different than chunky guac that I'm used to, but the flavor was good. All in all, the meal was very satisfying, generous portions, and reasonably priced. The service was also excellent.

Again, it wasn't what I was expecting to eat on a trip to Sicily, but I'm glad I found it and would recommend anyone visiting Catania to...

After two weeks of Sicilian food we needed a change - and Mexican sounded just like what we were craving for.

During the day this street is a rather dirty old alleyway in which you would rather not spend any time. At night, though, it transforms into a bustling eating mile - just like many parts of Catania. And who would have thought, suddenly it felt really cozy in the narrow street.

We ordered a mixed veggie starter and - as usual - were a bit overwhelmed by the size of the portion. Everything was delicious - onions, nachos, mini quesadillas, flautas with guacamole and salsa... Yum! Problem was, we couldn't eat anything else for a while and asked if we could wait for half an hour. After that time our main course arrived, quesadillas with fresh mushrooms and cheese, and tacos with spicy pork. The meat of the latter was basically falling apart and was seasoned to perfection. The quesadillas were also very good (according to my wife who normally would never eat that much food).

We were served by a nice young lady who was attentive and courteous. The price value relation is more than fair.

A...

My tacos were cold in the middle, and staff were not on the ball, I had to ask twice for a beer and 4 times for the bill. There appeared to be a minor or local big shot and his family on premise 2 tables away who came in after we had ordered. They were served their dinner before our drinks arrived and were constantly gushed over by the 5 staff. The staff also passed comment about us in italian not realising I speak the language rather well. Will not be returning, didn't bother complaining about the cold pork stew in my tacos and they didn't ask either. The staff were outside smoking and chatting when we arrived and were doing that when we left. One visit to chiquitos in Glasgow would have these guys lamenting what they think qualifies as a...