Cantine Stevenson — Restaurant in Lipari

This place honestly deserves a review ...and not for the reasons they’d hope.

Let’s start with the food. I ordered pasta with fish, which turned out to be an entire fish — head, bones, chaos and all — dropped onto spaghetti floating in what I can only describe as fish water. Not sauce. Water. The presentation was unappetizing, the taste even worse. I can cook better at home with half the effort.

My husband ordered tuna with fries. What arrived looked suspiciously like something pre-frozen, cut into odd little triangles, definitely not what you expect when you’re paying these prices. Because yes — it’s not cheap.

The service? Cold at best, dismissive at worst. Some guests were given proper menus, while we were told to scan a QR code — curious, considering the difference in how other tables were treated. The waitress carried herself as if working there was a punishment rather than a job.

And then there’s the attitude toward animals. They kept chasing away the local cats — which, on an island like Vulcano, feels not only unnecessary but rather sad. Tourists usually find them charming, part of the atmosphere. Ironically, the restaurant itself had a small dog wandering around, which made the whole thing even more absurd.

In short — the view might be nice, but the rest? A disappointment dressed up as a dining experience. Definitely not worth the price, or the time.

Edit: Tourist trap! DO NOT COME HERE. The replies to negative feedback show clearly where is the engagement and as I said before it's not on good manners nor cooking skills. The owners as confirmed by other reviews, have a bad reputation on Eolian Islands......

It's a fair nope from me. My wife ordered pasta with fish. What arrived looked like someone had dropped a full fish: head, bones, eyes, the whole trauma onto a puddle of warm fish water. Calling it sauce would be generous. Presentation straight out of a biology lab, taste equally educational.

I went for the tuna with fries. What I got looked like something rescued from a freezer after losing a fight with an air fryer. Odd little triangles of mystery meat. The only thing fresh about it was my disappointment.

Service? Let’s call it uninspired. Other tables got printed menus; we were told to scan a QR code, as if paper menus were for VIPs. The waitress looked like she was being held there against her will, and honestly I started to feel the same way. When taking our order, she seemed visibly bothered that we were asking basic questions. Short, clipped answers, zero warmth. At no point did anyone ask if the food was okay or if we were enjoying it.

Then came the highlight. A dog, yes a dog, relieved itself right next to our table. Nobody apologized. The staff brought a dry mop, smeared the puddle around like they were spreading pesto, and walked off. No disinfectant, no shame. Just Eau de Dog Urine slowly blending with our dinner.

Meanwhile, the same staff kept chasing away the local cats. The same harmless, sunbathing creatures that make every Mediterranean island charming. But apparently, their own dog gets to wander freely and mark the territory. Beautiful logic.

From their public replies, they seem keener to argue with customers than fix the basics: cook decent food, check on tables, and...

Walked in with a good feeling. Nice terrace looking over the bay. The menus looked a bit grimy and old but whatever, we were hungry. We ordered a vongole, another pasty which name I forgot, and a pizza. Prices were a bit steep, but still I had good hope on well made Italian food. The drama started with the beer I ordered on the side which tasted really odd.. Had never had this weird taste with beer, maybe the keg was over due? After waiting a bit, which I don’t mind, the pastas came. But no sign of the pizza... They sad it would take to 2 minutes for the pizza to arrive. No big of a deal because we shared the plates, but still annoying. After we finished the pastas the pizza still wasn’t there! So the pizza came as a kind of a dessert haha. The food was not that bad, but still had much much better this vacation and for way better value for money. The restaurant was on coming in at 3 stars at this point. But when I went to the toilet after finishing eating I say a giant COCKROACH walking around. Definitely lost a star there!! Not the best place to recommend...