Dolce & Gabbana — Restaurant in Taormina

I visited Taormina two years ago and was charmed by the quaint, slightly old-fashioned Bar Mocambo, making it a daily stop during my holiday. This year, I was disappointed to find it had been rebranded and redecorated in a loud and flashy D&G style, losing its original character.

After days of walking past the almost always empty spot—unusual for its prime location—I finally decided to give it a try. Despite the many available tables, which should have been a warning sign, we took a seat. Within moments, a young lady approached us with a stern expression, immediately asking if we had ordered and then adding, with a condescending tone, “but you didn’t ask to sit down.” I was shocked by the hostility—something I’ve never encountered in Italy.

This place lacks the warm, welcoming atmosphere you’d expect. Save yourself the experience and avoid it. There are plenty of other lovely spots in Taormina where you’ll be greeted with a smile and treated...

If you're visiting Sicily, the Dolce & Gabbana Café is an absolute must. The service was genuinely 5-star—our waiter couldn’t do enough for us and was incredibly friendly from start to finish. We began with an iced coffee and were recommended a bottle of rosé wine.

We sat for two hours in the sun, soaking up the stunning view. To our surprise, a wedding was taking place nearby, which just added to the magic of the moment. The atmosphere was peaceful, elegant, and full of charm.

We were given extra nibbles, and our waiter regularly topped up our wine without us even asking—it was thoughtful service at its best. After our relaxing time on the terrace, we explored the Dolce & Gabbana store next door, which was absolutely beautiful and well worth a look.

All in all, a truly special...

We were caught earlier this week by the unveiling of a reimagined Mocambo Bar connected with DG.

They are still working on the kinks clearly from 2nd day opening.

20€/glass wines were par for the course on the menu. While I’m sure the glass selection was partially picked because eventually the glassware would walk away because of the DG insignia - I figured there would be something on the order of Riedel to compliment the prestige look they were going for.

Will try again next time through town, but they’re going to take some time to move away from the historic 3.x score this place got for reviews. We were mildly surprised they didn’t scrub the branding to start over.

Worth a stop cause it’s DG but not...