L'Horloge — Restaurant in Catania

We had a friend in town from New York and last minute decided to go out instead of cooking. Our favorite place was fully booked so we ventured here. Bad decision. Not sure if it’s trying to be French or French inspired, either way it missed the mark (except on pricing). We started with the Grand Pere and Mere, regular and sweet potato fries respectively. They came with a very small amount of BBQ sauce and lime mayonnaise. Neither was housemate and there wasn’t much if any lime in the mayonnaise. Our friend got the onion soup which looked to be in a gelatin mass and not a broth. I ordered the stinko which came with more fried potatoes (a good restaurant would suggest a substitute since we started with potatoes). The stinko was absent any seasoning and the potatoes had no salt nor any spice. The beef Bourgogne suffered the same fate as the stinko, no flavor or seasoning. I didn’t try our friend’s fish but it didn’t look fresh and he said it was no where near our favorite seafood place we visited the night before.

As mentioned earlier, the only thing about this place that is French is the pricing. Way too expensive by Catania standards and there are many places where you can eat...

There’s something magical about L’Horloge, maybe it’s the warm vibe on Via Santa Filomena, or maybe it was the pistachio fondue that stole the show. Either way, this spot delivers. We started with the burrata and anchovy bruschetta (simple, salty, creamy perfection) and the “Après Demain” salad, which was fresh and beautifully balanced. But the real star? That fondue. Pistachio rich, velvety, and paired with roasted potatoes, bread, and pickled veggies, it was indulgence done right. The rib steak mains were seared perfectly and laid on a bed of crispy sweet potato fries, drizzled with more pistachio sauce because, hey, when in Sicily… Service was another highlight. Nicole guided us through the menu with genuine care and paired our wine like a pro, great bottle, very fairly priced. To top it all off, we had a surprise visit from @rockin_kitchen_sicily, whose energy and good humor made the night unforgettable. L’Horloge is more than a meal, it’s an experience. 5/5. Would come back...

🌟 Tao's Google Restaurant Reviews 🌟 We as a group of 4 saw many great reviews for this place and decided to try it out. We got the squid ink pasta, seafood pasta, hamburger pizza, burger, and fondue. The fondue with pistachio was pretty good with a raclette, a sharper more fragrant cheese, very filling, and we ordered the small size which was 20 euros and enough for the 4 of us. Squid ink pasta was nice and al dente, though flavour profile was a bit on the milder side. The overall great though. Our server was quite nice and you're on the main restaurant street where it's hustling and bustling, great way to experience Catania. Overall, it's not a tourist trap, food is good, and presentation and experience are overall very good. 🍲Food: 4 🧑‍🍳Service: 5 🍴Atmosphere:...