Mad in Italy — Restaurant in Catania

As an American traveling alone in Sicily, I have embraced the cultural differences with a full heart. At times, with limited Italian vocabulary I have felt alone in my quest to better understand Sicilian culture. I stumbled upon Mad In Italy and I found something truly special. Great music is normal, great food is easy to find, but what I found here is a bartender who is passionate about his work, Francesco. Working in London for more than a decade has afforded him a full vocabulary of English and an openness to help a man like me to better understand his culture. His drinks were top notch, infusing his own liquors not because he was told to do so, but because he is curious in creating something new, something special. I asked him to whip up something he thinks I would like. He proceeded to make me a whisky cocktail that was distilled with boars cheek! And I must say, it was amazing. This dude knows how to make fantastic drinks. So if you decide to come to Mad in Italy, sit at the bar and get to know Francesco. He will make you specialty drinks and give you stories to tell for...

After a terrible day of travel from Reggio-Calabria (trains stopped running due to what we call Hurricanes in the USA) we could not have asked for a better meal.

Equipped with limited Italian and Google Translate, we were BEYOND HAPPY 💖 to find this place, a short walk in VERY BAD rain, and to be open.

Exceptional was our Server Andrea, with very good English. She was kind, never rushed us, and when I did not feel well (after hours of "unexpected" travel) she gave us her personal list of places to see in her beloved city.

Our food was the cheese plate (without meat, as I abstain) along with the recommended foccacia, my husband had the small steak (cooked perfectly) and I had a salad. Cocktails and wine suggestions were also exceptional.

We noticed others around us ate very quickly, even when their food did not take long. So I would recommend to those in a hurry, and also those that want to take their time.

Grazie Mille,...

We had a lovely dinner at Mad in Italy during our stay in Catania. My boyfriend and I ordered two pizzas – the Burrata and the Ardcore – and both were absolutely delicious. For dessert, we shared a tiramisu, which was just as amazing!

Towards the end of our meal, we had the pleasant surprise of discovering that our waitress, Andreea, was Romanian – just like us! She was incredibly friendly and took the time to recommend some must-see places in Catania, which really made our trip feel even more special.

Even though she's been living in Italy for many years, Andreea speaks Romanian really well, and she also speaks excellent English (and from what we understood, other languages too!). So if you ever visit Mad in Italy, make sure to ask for Andreea– her warm personality and helpful tips might just make your Catania vacation even better.

Highly recommend this place – great food and even...