TANTìKKIA - cucina e vino — Restaurant in Catania

Tantíkkia: A Fresh Start You can’t judge a book by its cover, but when it comes to restaurants, you can usually judge them by two things: their bread and their staff. Tantíkkia has recently changed management and reopened this February, so I was curious to see how it would fare under its new leadership. Italy, as always, sets the bar high for food, and Catania is no exception—you’re spoiled for choice here. But if you’re like me and value fresh pasta over boxed, and care as much about the people serving you as the food itself, then Tantíkkia is worth your time.

Let’s start with the swordfish. It was tasty—depending on your taste, you might find it just right or slightly overdone. For me, it leaned a little more cooked than I’d prefer, but it was still flavorful. I’ll admit I’m no expert in swordfish, though, so take that with a grain of salt. What I am an expert in is vongole—and their pasta alle vongole was exceptional.

The spaghetti was perfectly al dente, with a sauce that struck an elegant balance between simplicity and sophistication. The briny clams shone through without being overshadowed by heavy seasoning—a true testament to the beauty of Italian cooking. Pair this dish with their Etna wine; their cool minerality and sharp finish will complement the meal beautifully. While white wine is traditionally paired with seafood, I trust my gut over convention. That day, I was in the mood for red (and had already had too much white the night before at a pricier, less satisfying restaurant around the corner). The staff recommended an Etna Rosso, and it turned out to be just as enjoyable—its rich body and simplicity wonderfully supported the flavours of the vongole without overwhelming it.

What truly stood out at Tantíkkia was the staff. Have you ever been to a restaurant where you can tell the work isn’t their calling? It’s not uncommon in hospitality—many people see it as a stepping stone rather than a destination. But here’s what I admire: even if this isn’t their final resting place in life, these staff members serve as if it were. There’s a sense of care and purpose in how they approach their work that elevates the entire dining experience.

I was almost reluctant to write this review because Tantíkkia feels like one of those rare gems you want to keep to yourself, but it deserves to succeed—and I hope its newfound success doesn’t take away from the charm that makes it so special.

(UPDATE: it is NOT under new management,...

I would’ve expected much more from a fish restaurant that’s right on the fish market’s doorstep! What I did not expect were prawns and mussels with more air miles than a Virgin jumbo jet. Why serve that crap when fresh fish and shellfish are literally next door. The pasta al tartufo, the most expensive pasta dish on the menu, a ‘special’ had barely a whiff of the said tartufo. The pasta itself was good, but pasta al tartufo, as the name implies shouldn’t be pasta with butter and a few sprinkles of tartufo as an afterthought. The only thing that was actually good were the drinks - an aperol spritz and a negroni, both good. All in all, a very disappointing experience 😠

UPDATE: the restaurant has replied and commented that I should’ve ‘complained while there and not eaten the food, only to write a bad review after’ So, not only does this restaurant serve crap food, but they also lie about their customers! The mixed seafood was barely touched as I ate just one prawn and a couple of anchovies (which were the only fresh thing on the plate) and left the whole lot there. The pasta was eaten because it was 10.30 at night and my companion was starving. Still does not justify the 25 Euro price tag for a butter drenched dish purporting to be ‘al tartufo’ MOST IMPORTANTLY - I did complain to the person to whom I paid the bill and I made it very clear that the food was disappointing at best, but he just shrugged and moved away and did not bother to do anything about the whole sorry situation. Therefore, now even more so today I believe that this restaurant should be avoided...

Average food, very disappointing service. For a place called cucina e vino, I was expecting good wines by the glass on offer but not really, the premium was not available and not much choice. On to the food, the grilled fish portion for 20 euro was rather small and the fish to our standards was not very fresh, when we mentioned to the waiter the fish was not so fresh, he took offense and started fighting with us, I have never seen this behaviour anywhere else… he was very offensive. We had the seafood pasta and the fish soup, they were better but not amazing… maybe after being in Puglia where good and service is very good we got spoiled. For a 4.7 rating restaurant and the price tag this was very...