Ristorante Gourmet 32 Taormina — Restaurant in Taormina

Overall: the second worst dinner in Italy I’ve had. And second most expensive. And I’ve had a lot of them.

Food: the product is good and fresh but that’s all because it’s cooked in a bad way. Or maybe it’s food for people who don’t like fish and seafood.

The starters were unseasoned. It was just a raw fish with no salt not mentioning any marinade. Just raw fish with sweet jams everywhere. The sweet mousses and jams killed the flavour of the fish. The octopus was good and soft but it was grilled on a dirty rack. So the starters were 4/5 but considering the price I expected much more.

But the mains… all the fish were over cooked. But not a bit overcooked. They were dry as if they were kept on the stove for half an hour. Poor fish ;( I couldn’t finish my dish.

The wine was nothing special.

Service: the wine was not chilled. The service poured too much wine in the glass. They were not open for our critique, they did not listen to all I’ve had to say. There was a long waiting time between the dishes. Like if every table had to get their food in the same time. Maybe that’s because the fish was so bad because it did indeed wait in the kitchen? And they poured just a little of olive oil on my plate and did not leave the bottle, that was hilarious.

Atmosphere: that was...

We decided to try the Meat Tasting Menu (€70 per person) at Gourmet 32, expecting a full, curated experience. Instead, what we got were half portions of every dish (except dessert), simply split between two plates.

Here’s the reality if we had just ordered à la carte (based on their own menu): • Parmigiana di melanzane — €13 • Beef carpaccio — €16 • Tagliatelle with ragù — €16 • Tagliata di manzo (steak cut) — €22 • Tiramisu ×2 (full portions) — €16 • Coperto (cover charge) ×2 — €7

Even at full portions, this adds up to around €90 total for two. Instead, the tasting menu cost us €70 per person — €140 in total.

We’re not talking about a small rounding difference or a 10% service charge here. We’re talking about being charged almost €50 extra — the price of two extra main courses or a very good bottle of wine — for food that was served as split half portions.

When we politely questioned the bill, the staff offered no explanation and no solution.

The food itself is good, but this level of pricing manipulation and lack of transparency is unacceptable. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect fair billing — adding €50 extra just for splitting plates is not okay.

If you go, order à la carte and ask for an itemized bill. Otherwise, you risk overpaying for what you...

Gourmet 32 is the best restaurant in Taormina. I say that with the confidence of somebody who has visited a few establishments, but not all of them. Even if there are others that might be better, Gourmet 32 combines excellent food with considerate and friendly service. The Caponata was delicious. The swordfish in a tomato broth just melted in the mouth. The steak was expertly cooked, and accompanied by al dente fresh vegetables. I had to have the almond and pistachio pudding with raspberry ice cream twice, just to check that it would be as good again. The wine and beer were also very drinkable. The owner and staff speak fluent English. At one point a waiter said, "I will just have to ask the boss." The manager replied, "The customer is the boss, ask them." It spoke volumes about their attitude. I think you can tell...