Duomo Ristorante — Restaurant in Ragusa

(LONG REVIEW) Went here 30 April 2018. My partner and I were seated in a room where there was a family with children behaving deplorably. The children were screaming, whistling, running around the room, hitting the furniture, swinging in between the chairs ... horrendous. The parents did NOTHING, and the staff said little to the party after our first complaint. Meanwhile, I was staring at an empty table in a quieter room, thinking we could easily be moved to that table. The children's behavior got to a point where my partner was forced to raise his voice and demand that we be moved. I suggested we walk out without paying anything, even though we did have 2 cocktails and an amuse plate. At over €500, it is only right to provide your diners comfort, and if this means kicking out loud, bratty children, then SO BE IT! Eventually we were moved, but only after a firm, second complaint.

Ambiance: it is nice, but not creative. There were lamps on the table that are magnetically attached to a foundation underneath white tablecloths. Out of curiosity, I detached one of the lamps, which caused the tablecloth to rise, spilling my glass of red wine ... what a mess!

Food: everything well prepared, but there were some uninspired offerings. In the amuse plate, there was an olive that had something crunchy in the middle, but it was so cunchy and lacking in flavor that it reminded me of an olive pit. The cocktails were served with ice in them rather than shaken with ice and strained. This dilutes the flavor as the ice melts, and I do not drink cocktails fast enough to avoid melting. Furthermore, the cocktails themselves were described better than they tasted. Perhaps proportions and balance should be re-examined? The grissini and crackers served in a cup were rather pedestrian for a 2-star restaurant; there was nothing special about them, and they did not add anything to the meal. Overall, while the preparations were good, the meal as a whole was rather unfocused. There was a savory canolo, then savory pastry balls, then a bistro preparation of seafood (French in style), then a noodle dish with a "dashi" (not a real dashi), a random alcohol shot before the pigeon (too small a portion), and 3 dessert offerings, only one of which was Michelin-worthy. The problem with Michelin restaurants in Italy is that this is a country where the standard of food is so high. Later that week, my partner and I ate at a simple trattoria in Catania, essentially a nona cooking in her living room (with a TV playing the local news, a game show, etc ... ). We ate literally the best pasta al nero di seppia that Sicily has to offer, and that was maybe €11?? And did not come with bratty children.

Service: kudos to the waiters who remained calm, professional, and rather emotionless throughout the evening. There were more than 3 occasions where the waiters almost fell over the children, but they did not react. Perhaps the waiters were too robotic. In describing the food, they were reading something memorized VERY quickly, without seeming to have tasted the food somehow. The wine service was MUCH TOO FAST. I observed on the table next to us that the sommelier poured new glasses before old glasses were finished, which cluttered up the table. I felt pressured to drink my wine quickly, and - with such generous pours - I became inebriated quickly.

To potential clients: be sure to avoid parties of children for dinner. Perhaps just go at lunch when it is less expensive. Do not take the full wine pairing - too much wine for the taste buds at too fast of a pace.

To head chef: excellent cooking, but please provide a more focused journey, and have your waiters slow down in their descriptions. Also, provide customers a menu to take...

I'll never forget the incredible experience we had at this restaurant six years ago for my birthday. It was genuinely the best dining experience I've ever had and it still holds a special place in my heart.

The restaurant was located in a historic building, which added an extra layer of charm to the entire experience. We opted for the chef’s surprise menu with wine pairings. They asked if there was anything specific we liked or if we wanted a dish cooked with white truffle, as it was in season. We requested a simple taglilolini with white truffle, and they prepared the perfect pasta exactly how we liked it. Every other dish that followed was a delightful surprise. The flavors were amazing, and the freshness of the seafood stood out. I can still vividly recall how some of the dishes tasted, even after all these years. One of the specific dishes I remember was the cannoli with raw red prawn. The combination of red prawn and cannoli might sound a bit strange, but they surprisingly complemented each other and made for an amazing dish. There was an enormous amount of food for the chef’s surprise menu and I could tell that they were so generous with high-quality ingredients.

The impeccable service and romantic ambiance made the evening extra special. Despite feeling tired from traveling and jet lag, I made sure to stay awake and savor and remember every course for hours, lingering for more than 3 hours until nearly 10:30 pm.

I'm so grateful to my husband for choosing this restaurant for that day. It remains the most memorable and best dining experience I've ever had. Despite having been to many Michelin-starred restaurants, I believe this one surpasses many three Michelin-starred restaurants.

I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the staff at the restaurant for creating such wonderful memories and providing an...

I just cannot bring myself to raise it to three stars, and I feel bad for wanting to give them just one. The food was good, I will give them that much. But the standard of a Michelin Star is something you earn every day, and it is a high bar to live up to. If you have two of them you already come in with certain expectations, chefs and foodies around the world know this. Unfortunately what this place lacks is service. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, but we had to wait 30 minutes for very simple desert. By then I was already timing them to see how long it would take, seriously (hand on my phone). The check took almost 15 minutes, its simple math not quantum physics. Our meal lasted 4 hours and I would dare say half of that time was waiting for something. My family are huge promoters of the slow food movement but this was eternal. Upon arrival you feel like you just entered the place you took the time to make a reservation for, two months in advance. But as the meals progress you start to get a feeling that something is off. I will never return to this place and will warn anyone who will listen to stay away. There are better things you can do with your well earned money, this is not one of them. Too bad. It could have been the meal of a lifetime, instead it will be a punchline. Save yourself the...