Tischi Toschi Taormina — Restaurant in Taormina

A really cute restaurant off the main strip in Taormina that definitely requires a booking during the peak summer season but is worth the visit!

We really enjoyed the pasta - we had a blue tuna caviar spaghetti and a fettuccine dish with sardines, pine nuts, raisins (almost like a pasta con la sarde - a traditional pasta dish of Sicily).

The other dish was a grilled swordfish that was cooked perfectly - meaty but still tender (Sicily really has excellent swordfish). The tomatoes that accompanied the fish were honestly excellent. It may seem simple but the tomatoes were sweet, earthy and full of umami (unlike tomatoes we get back in Australia, Italian tomatoes have almost no tartness which results in a completely different taste profile).

Overall we really enjoyed this restaurant. Worth mentioning that the waiters and waitress were really friendly and accommodating. We were initially seated outdoors but it started to drizzle so we asked to move inside and they placed us upstairs. They offered to move us downstairs again when more space cleared up but we were comfortable and stayed upstairs (we were the only ones there). To their credit they were more than happy to climb the stairs to bring dishes and collect plates just for us.

Thanks for...

Amazing! Some of the best food we’ve eaten in Sicily. DEFINITELY the best food we’ve eaten in Taormina.

The fried mackerel was fresh, simple and delicious. The orange slices were perfect with it. Super generous portion.

The nduja pasta was unreal! I could eat it every week! Sooooo flavourful and delicious! The pasta was so fresh and the perfect texture. And, it was SO nice to have some spice in Sicily.

The lamb shank looked very simple, but it was soooo delicious! Sitting in a shallow but deeply flavoured, beautiful broth. Again - I could eat this weekly!

The wine was excellent! Found 2 new favourite reds.

It was busy, but service was 10/10. Everyone was super lovely, attentive and had great energy.

The restaurant (split across two buildings) itself is adorable and in a lovely, intimate location. The outside seating area feels very cute and romantic.

I think when we return we might try and eat here most nights! It was the only place we ate that didn’t feel as though flavours were tailored to basic European tourist palates.

I PRAY the vanilla TikTok influencers don’t discover this one and turn it into a content...

Came here by chance then discovered from reading the reviews that some food critic must be recommending this restaurant. Don't get me wrong, the food is ok, but not amazing. It is as good as all the other restaurants we visited in Taormina and Sicily. Basically you can walk into most Sicilian restaurants and cafes, expensive or casual, and eat very good, fresh, home style or restaurant quality food.

To be honest, I am not sure what all the fuss is about this restaurant. The staff are friendly but the food we tried was not exceptional and the ravioli pasta was chewy on the edges and at 4 pieces for 20 euro you would expect an amazing tasting ravioli. The fish with orange sauce tasted quite sweet, lacked depth of flavor and was served without anything else to combat the sweetness.

The portion sizes are quite small compared to most Italian restaurants. When restaurants charge more and serve less on a plate, they create expectations of higher standard food.

Sometimes people just like to flock to a restaurant because they hear something. Be adventurous and try different restaurants and cafes to discover good food...