Ristorante Regina Lucia — Restaurant in Syracuse

The restaurant is on the main square of Ortigia and one may think it is a tourist trap BUT it is lightyears away from that. The deco is nice with transparent design chairs and lamps. It is somehow incredible to sit on that historical place next to Caravaggios' painting (opposite of the restaurant) and enjoy place and food. The restaurant offers 5 courses and more menu but we have decided to eat à la carte. We have chosen different primi and secondi to finish with a dolce. As a starter we have had a special prepared egg and gnocchi. Both were extraordinary in taste, texture and quality. For main course we have had tuna fish and a local one. Both were once again prepared and spiced to perfection. The prosecco that we have selected by glass accompanied us through the different meals and was based on the sommelier recommendation well balanced and fitted the menu. Maybe this is a moment to mention the staff which was highly professional, multilingual, working with discretion and kindness. In my eyes they have performed flawless as well as the chef in the kitchen. The hammer was for me the semifreddo al pistacchio, my favourite dessert in Sicily. I take it very regularly but this semifreddo al pistacchio was out of this world delicious, the harmony of pistachio, cream, sweetness, saltyness, mouth melting texture... I can't describe it but it was the best semifreddo I have eaten this year. All in all I do not only recommend Regina Lucia but I can say she is the Regina of the best cuisine of the...

You pay for the location here. Beautiful views of the square and you can spend your dinner watching people go by. The staff were very basic and we had to ask more than once for the same thing (balsamic vinegar and a dessert menu). The food was a huge let down. After reading so many reviews we were expecting some excellent food. I ordered the ricotta ravioli for 1st course and it was 3 ravioli in basically spaghetti hoop sauce. Tasteless. My partner got gnocchi which while tasting ok looked like something a dog would regurgitate into a bowl. Terrible presentation of both dishes. For our main I got the Cod and with chard. I couldn't eat it. The greens tasted of nothing. The sauce was basically just salt water and the cod had no seasoning. My partner got another generic white fish in a shellfish sauce and it was also flavorless and bland. The desert was a chocolate mouse that you can find better in Aldi. The somelier was of no help with wine recommendations. How this place got a Michelin Star is beyond me. The price is extortionate for what you get €175 without tip. You are paying for the location. Way better family run restaurants on the island if you spend time to search. Will...

Amazingly located and some good food, but room for improvement. If you can sit outside (what I can fully recommend), you’ll have a nice view over the piazza and the duomo - nice and a great location. But that’s also why the restaurant is often frequented by tourists and accordingly quite pricey. Unfortunately, not all dishes are worth their price. The Millefoglie di Pesce Spada alla Norma (swordfish) was really good, the pasta was good too. The secondi sea bass patty (Branzino con patate schiacciate alla matalotta in crosta di pistacchio) and the tuna (Tonno leggermente scottato con Caponata mandorle e pistacchio) were rather average and already a bit cold when served. The chefs could have made more out of the high quality ingredients. Also the espresso was a bit disappointing, quite thin - very untypical for an Italian-style coffee. Service was also rather okay-ish. Once we had ordered, we were ignored and had to put a lot of effort into getting the attention of the staff. All in all: food is okay, but the atmosphere doesn’t justify the...