Cortile Spirito Santo — Restaurant in Syracuse

This restaurant is very far from expectations of a Michelin star place. Our arrival set the whole tone for the meal. Having booked this place to celebrate my wife’s birthday, when we arrived, we were told that we had already been seated and our name ticked off, which is highly unusual as we have a fairly unique surname. We were then seated without an apology for this misunderstanding. The setting itself is beautiful, it feels like dining within a riad, with a garden inside a courtyard.

We ordered the meat and seafood tasting menu and a glass of sparkling wine each to start. It took about 45 minutes for our first dish to arrive. The food itself was very hit and miss, with dishes being bland, pasta being fairly undercooked (I like my pasta al dente), and unbalanced with overpowering elements. Unfortunately only one of the dishes were memorable. The food looks a lot better than it tastes.

Whilst the service was generally good eg. They would seat you, pour water when the glass is empty, there were several things that let the establishment down eg. having marked down we had arrived when we hadn’t, a waiter who had bumped into the same stand with the food 4 times, the extremely slow service and finally giving us the incorrect bill (we were undercharged by about €60), which they reissued after I noticed.

We spoke to the manager afterwards, and he did say that if we mentioned before we paid, he could have offered compensation, however, this is not the point, as the chefs have worked hard on these dishes, which unfortunately haven’t resonated with me. He blamed the service on a last minute reservation, but I don’t see how having one extra table caused so much chaos.

I sincerely hope that their service improves...

Cortile Spirito Santo was the most exquisite restaurant experience we have ever considering we ate at many Michelin starred restaurants across the world from New York to Paris to Roma. Of course you need someone who is a master and artist in order to orchestrate the finest dining experience you could ever imagine and this was by Signore Luca Mariano. Hopefully he will be recognized for such a wonderfully crafted experience. We brought our daughter who is only 7 years old, very well mannered, and used to engaging appropriately at such fine dining establishments. Often at other high class restaurants, we are assumed to have made a mistake by bringing our child to such a luxurious dinner and can typically be rude and not welcoming. However, we are in Sicilia where children are always welcomed and adored. Signore Mariano was welcoming, accommodating and his staff made her feel like she truly was a principessa. She is still talking about her experience. My wife and I took a flight through a trusted paired wine selection by Signore Fabio who brightened food and brought out the flavors elegantly. Signore Mariano and the staff displayed what I can only describe as if you were eating the most delicious art and listening to an emotionally uplifting opera. It started slow building up to a crescendo that sparked every sense. The picture is of a chocolate cigar by the way! Bravo and with a standing ovation to Cortile Spirito Santo. Michelin...

This was the most exquisite restaurant experience we have ever considering we ate at many Michelin starred restaurants across the world from New York to Paris to Roma. Of course you need someone who is a master and artist in order to orchestrate the finest dining experience you could ever imagine and this was by Signore Luca Mariano. Hopefully he will be recognized for such a wonderfully crafted experience. We brought our daughter who is only 7 years old, very well mannered, and used to engaging appropriately at such fine dining establishments. Often at other high class restaurants, we are assumed to have made a mistake by bringing our child to such a luxurious dinner and can typically be rude and not welcoming. However, we are in Sicilia where children are always welcomed and adored. Signore Mariano was welcoming, accommodating and his staff made her feel like she truly was a principessa. She is still talking about her experience. My wife and I took a flight through a trusted paired wine selection by Signore Fabio who brightened food and brought out the flavors elegantly. Signore Mariano and the staff displayed what I can only describe as if you were eating the most delicious art and listening to an emotionally uplifting opera. It started slow building up to a crescendo that sparked every sense. The picture is of a chocolate cigar by the way! Bravo and with a standing ovation to Cortile Santo Spirito. Michelin...