La Cucina Di Riccobono — Restaurant in Taormina

Visiting popular tourist destinations such as Taormina is always risky when it comes to dining out. Prices are going to be generally higher than average, and without local knowledge or guidance, quality is going to be a gamble. Then there's actually being able to get a table if you haven't booked beforehand. We passed this restaurant at what I would call a normal Italian dinner time and there were lots of empty tables. To some, this would be a red flag, but I've always worked on the assumption that popularity isn't always a guarantee of quality. We had a quick look at the menu posted outside and figured it was worth a chance. It was well worth the gamble. There was a good selection of fairly traditional Sicilian dishes that didn't try to alter them to appeal to the tourists. The hardest part was deciding to what to eat. Normally I would chose a primo, because if the cook can't get that right then what sort of restaurant was it. The pasta finocchietto e sarde was very tempting, but in the end my wife and I both opted for the Involtini di pesce spada, which were served with vegetable of the day. The presentation was simple but the taste was superb, and you can't want more than that. In fact, we didn't because it was very filling and satisfying. The staff were charming and attentive. Once we had finished eating, and being the last customers of the night, we had a lovely conversation with our waiter. Although the restaurant is not exactly off the beaten track, it is easy to miss if passing by, which could explain the empty tables, but it is worth finding and stopping by, especially if you want to avoid the popular and crowded restaurants. Treat yourself to a quieter meal at a...

I was there January, 2016. Found this place by accident walking around back alleys of Taormina. Totally a local place, and that's why it was one of the best meals had in Italy. Walked in and it was busy and packed with locals. Didn't know how to order since it was more like a bodega or deli in New York, and my Italian wasn't exactly very polished, barely. But they were very friendly and everything looked soooo good and tasted even better that we returned the next night. The cook or the owner saw us the second day, he had a big smile on his face and said "Ciao!" And while we're eating, he checked back with us and said "tutto bene?" A truly Italian experience. This is why I visited Italy 3 times (a long stay each time) and still badly want to return! I miss the food so often, the buttery flounder, stuffed mushrooms, roasted peppers, stuffed eggplants, herb stuffed tenderloin, rotisserie chicken.... I mean, every single dish was absolutely simple yet...

The restaurant is a joke! I chose this place based the good reviews...but it was the worst decision. I ordered "polipeti alla Luciana" the octopus was very chewy and hard to chew, my girlfriend ordered her "caponata Sicliliana al forno" which was also very bad and should have been their best product (we ate Caponata at 4 other restaurants in Sicily and it was so much better). Let's move on to "secondo" I ordered grilled swordfish and my girlfriend ordered linguini with red shrimp and pistachios and here everything was terrible ! The swordfish was so overcooked that you couldn't eat it...the pasta didn't have no red shrimp..in the end I explained to the waiter but instead of managing the situation he got more angry. I also explained that the bartender also poured a glass of prosecco back into the bottle which a customer from another table refused that and he told me that what he did was fine. Worst experience I've ever had at...