Kantunera Ristorante Ortigia — Restaurant in Syracuse

A very bad day was given a thoroughly delightful end by the fabulous chef and staff of the Kantenura.

Quite simply the best octopus either of us had ever tasted, we almost didn't order it as the mashed potatoe bed it was served on sounded unappetising. Being fans of octopus we took the risk and were rewarded handsomely with a smooth creamy and perfectly seasoned potato puree which made a heavenly match for the lightly grilled and delicious octopus perched atop.

The mussels were also lightly cooked, just until opening, with a sauce I wanted to drink from the bowl (they did call it mussel soup). The starters had wiped away all memories of the day before and we eagerly awaited the mains whilst enjoying immensely, the Sicilian white wine we'd been recommended by our friendly and exuberant waitress.

Our mains confirmed we'd made the right choice as the Sicilian pork fillet with caponata tasted just as good as it looked, whilst the swordfish was tender accompanied by a delicious traditional Sicilian sauce.

To finish with we ordered the semifreddo ricotta and the lime and basil cheesecake. Both were a sweet and creamy experience which will not be forgotten in a hurry.

And to top it all off the chef came and conversed with us happily towards the end of the night and the waitresses told tales to make us smile.

All in all a wonderful experience and well worth our time and money.

Definitely visit if you can (worth a...

We had high hopes for this place. Well, the severs seemed occupied and did not speak much English. We can understand that. However, they did not even bother to explain the special to us at all, while they did for other tables. Also, the food did not look like the pictures online. I ordered grilled red king prawns, and they were more like shrimps. Not very big. The bread we got was like dry rolls, while other tables had nicely seasoned bread with seeds on them. Why?? The servers hardly paid attention to us, and we didn’t see the point to do anything by that point. It did make me wonder if it was because we are Asian American and not white, so we received less than average treatment. For the money we spent, about €100, we could have a better experience if we went elsewhere.

Updating after reading the owner’s reply: We’re on vacation, and we’re glad to spend money for good food and experiences. We came to the restaurant, because we believed this place could give us good experience. The bottom line is: we deserve to be treated with respect. It’s totally fine if the food wasn’t entirely what we expected, but we deserve basic respect and kind treatment, as we are customers. My biggest concern is that the servers barely talked to us. And the owner’s reply just proved my point - the lack of respect and hospitality. I truthfully wish we had spend our last night in...

We ate early, I suspect, as there were no other patrons. We were greeted with warmth, and they were knowledgeable on translating ingredients into English. The restaurant is small inside, so the wait staff checking on us every 5 minutes, peaking their heads around the corner, was quite awkward and slightly amusing. We appreciated the attentiveness, but it was odd.

The appetizers, fried sheep cheese with honey, and amberjack tartar was delectable. I am gluten free, and I very much enjoyed the bread with olives in it.

The gf pasta was tender and delicious, it reminded us of gnocchi. One with anchovies, one with sea urchin. The sea urchin was served tableside, from a mini plastic solo cup, poured out like goop on top of the pasta dish. It was kind of a gross serving style. It would have been better spooned from a more elegant container, especially tableside.

We also had octopus. We ordered the same dish at a different restaurant for lunch and it was incredible, so we opted to try it again. We found this version from Kantunera not as tender, and quite difficult to cut.

We also ordered swordfish which was cooked well but nothing to write home about.

Overall, the gluten free pasta and bread, and the appetizers were very good, especially if you are gluten intolerant or have celiac. But if you're not, there are better...