What to eat in Catania: Discover the City’s culinary Gems

If you’re planning a trip to Catania, Italy, exploring the city’s culinary gems is the best way to immerse yourself in the local culture. Let me take you on a journey to explore What to Eat in Catania and uncover all the unique flavours of Sicily and Cantania’s must-try dishes.

Spoiler alert… Catania is a foodie’s paradise. So you are in for a treat!

In Catania, every bite tells a story. Every dish is a celebration of their bountiful produce, and every meal is an invitation to slow down, indulge and be truly present, in the company of your significant other. Or just simply enjoying your own company.

From the aromas of Sicilian street food to fresh seafood in the bustles of pescaria, the famous fish market, to elegant eateries impressing you with their gourmet creations, deeply rooted in Catania’s culinary traditions.

Whether you travel for food or food for your travel, taking the time to explore the Catania food scene will enrich your experience and leave a lasting memory of your adventure.

Let this What to Eat in Catania guide inspire you to embrace the allure of mindful travel and explore at a pace that allows you to taste the heart and soul behind the baroque walls of this enchanting city.

Key Takeaways:

• Explore the vibrant flavours of Catania street food and must-try snacks
• Indulge in simple Catania dishes made from their rich, volcanic soil-enhanced produce
• Finish off your meals with a plethora of Catania’s sweet delights

What to eat in Catania

The Husband and I embarked on a slow and indulgent travel holiday around Sicily and Catania was our first destination.

We spent 3 amazing days exploring the city’s historical sites, the surrounding areas, and of course exploring Catania streets to uncover all their must-try delicacies.

Between main meals and in-between snacks, we tried to taste as many dishes as we could. One thing’s for sure, was I wish we had more days there to try out more a few more fine dining restaurants.

As I mentioned in my Catania post, I wasn’t excited about Catania at the start, so I didn’t put too much thought into the food scene here. BUT I was once again impressed by the gastronomic adventure we had in Catania and the quality of their food.

Without further ado, let’s get into it – What to Eat in Catania.

Exploring Catania Through Its Street Food

Catania is a foodie’s paradise. It’s an up-and-comer food hub, IMO. The city centre has been undergoing gentrification for years and has transformed from mafia land to a foodie’s paradise. You will find many eateries offering authentic local flavours.

Most of the eateries are still catered for the locals because Catania is not yet overly touristy. In other words, you won’t find many burgers or fast food joints around. So now is the best time to visit if you are chasing like me authentic food!

The first stop on our What to Eat in Catania guide is exploring the street food delights. Unlike Palermo, Catania street food vendors are scattered all over the city centre such as in the fish market, mercato di Piazza Scammaca, pasticceria etc.

As you’re exploring the city, keep a look out for the many food stalls, and pastry shops. They make good pit stops or a comfort break! From their iconic Arancini to granita Siciliana, cipolinna to fried fish, pistachio cannoli to cassatella di sant’Agata.

Arancino or Arancini

Top on the list is the iconic Arancino (or arancini for plural) not their rival Arancina, from Palermo (or arancine for plural). They are my favourite Sicilian street food delight!

You’ve not been Catania until you’ve had at least one arancino. But once you’ve tasted one, you will be hooked! Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

As you walk around the city and start speaking to some locals, you will quickly learn about the (friendly?) rivalries between Catania and Palermo.

And this is one of their biggest bifurcations… somehow they just can’t seem to see eye-to-eye when it comes to these delicious rice balls!

So what’s the difference? I hear you ask! Very good question. Apart from the shape, nothing!

They are both saffron-infused rice balls rolled in bread crumbs. The centre is filled with various goodness such as ragù, spinach, pistachio etc. Each ball is deep-fried to golden perfection. Every bite is crunchy and oozing with mouth-watering flavours from the filling.

In Catania, they are in the shape of a cone. In Palermo, they are in the shape of a ball. But if you think of Catania’s arancini as the shape of Mount Etna, you will never get confused again.

I found this article from The Wonders of Sicily an interesting read, to learn more about the history of arancini/arancina.

They are both delicious! But if I had to pick sides, I’d say Catania’s arancini is just a tad above Palermo’s arancina. I found the fillings are just a bit richer and more flavourful. It is marginal though!

Their arancino al ragù… mmh-mmm… But I am biased towards Catania though. So I suggest you get yourself over there pronto to try for yourself. Then let me know which you prefer! 🙂

Cipollina and Cartocciata

Sicilians love their pastries. In Catania, you will find cipollina and cartocciata in most bakeries or pasticceria.

Cipollina is a puff pastry filled with ham, mozzarella, onions and tomato. Flakey on the outside and tender on the inside. What’s not to like about it?!

Similarly, cartocciata is a traditional pastry that also come with many fillings such as ham and cheese, mozzarella and olives, salami, mushrooms, spinach and mozzarella, pistachio and bacon etc.

I believe Catanians have these for breakfast as our hotel was offering these to use for breakfast. It was delicious, but think I would’ve enjoyed it more as an afternoon snack, as I’m not used to such a heavy breakfast.

Fresh Seafood

As Catania is close to the seaside, they are spoilt with an abundance of daily catches that are sold in the famous fish markets.

This is a very popular location for street food and shop for fresh seafood. Next to the fish market stalls, are street food vendors serving grilled seafood or fried fritto misto de mare (fried seafood mix) in front of you.

You may say, that grilled seafood in fish markets is a quintessential street food delicacy everywhere. However, Catania’s secret is how fresh their seafood is.

As you walk through the bustles of the market, you will be drawn to the mouth-watering smell of grilled fish or barbeque octopus. This is the ultimate street food experience!

Choosing where to eat can feel a bit overwhelming. But they are more or less the same quality and standard, in my opinion. The competition is so high, they’ll be out of business otherwise.

So just choose one that looks most attractive to you! In the spirit of slow travel and ladylike, I recommend finding one with a proper seating area. Because it’s not elegant to eat on the go. Not to mention it’s a people-watching extraordinaire.

Horse Meat or Meatballs

Catania is also known for horse meat. You can find them in restaurants and some street food vendors. If you’re feeling adventurous, then you can give them a go.

I’ve not personally tried them as it’s not my thing but thought I’d include them in my What to Eat in Catania guide anyway for completeness. I’ve been told to try horse meatballs and horse meat sausages though. Let me know what it tastes like if you do give it a go!

Catania Cuisines, from Land to Sea

Now that we’ve done the entrees let’s get into the main meals.

What cuisines do Catanians eat?

Pasta Alla Norma

When it comes to eating in Italy, you can’t get away from the comforts of a simple pasta dish. The pasta to have in Catania is pasta alla norma. This is the most popular dish in Catania. It is offered in every restaurant.

This is pasta drowned in fresh tomato sauce and fried aubergine (or eggplant if you’re in the US or Australia), sprinkled with salty ricotta and fragrant basil leaves. Just like the city, looks simple and sounds unexciting on the surface, it is packed with flavours once you dig in.

This dish really encapsulates Catanian’s ability to create complex flavours and heartwarming dishes from the simplest ingredients.

Having futile soil from Mt Etna means they have access to bountiful agriculture that produces sweet and juicy vegetables is what makes this dish so amazing!

Caponata

Another simple dish that packs a punch is caponata. This is also popular and is found in most restaurants in Catania.

Caponata is like an Italian ratatouille. A perfect blend of aubergines, tomatoes, olives and capers stew, seasoned with vinegar and sugar. I love the sweet and tangy taste of this dish and is perfectly paired with crispy bread. Think of it like a bruschetta.

Involtini di Pesce Spada (Swordfish Roll)

The next Sicilian delicacy is Involtini di Pesce Spada, a swordfish roll, and Catania is the best place to try them. This is a very interesting way of cooking swordfish. It is rolled in breadcrumbs on the outside, and stuffed with pine nuts, currents and more breadcrumbs.

Sicillians really know how to bring out the best of the ingredients. These are all everyday staples in your food cabinet. All thrown together to make this delicious dish.

Sweet Indulgences, Catania’s Desserts

And now the pièce de résistance… Catania’s sweet indulgences! Our journey to discover Catania’s culinary gems would not be complete without succumbing to the sweet allure of their desserts.

If you have a sweet tooth, then this is your paradise. As you walk along the street, you will feel that the city is made of desserts. There are a plethora of cakes and pastries shops on every corner.

Bonus if you love pistachio! The Bronte Pistachio is one of the most precious ingredients in Sicilian cuisine, also known as the green gold of Sicily. Every dessert has a pistachio flavour. Pistachio cannoli, croissant with pistachio cream, and pistachio ice cream, just to name a few.

Cannoli

Cannoli is not strictly from Catania, but a must-have when you’re in Catania. It is a very popular Sicilian dessert and is found all over the island. Thank goodness for that because they are oh so good, you’d want to have them for every meal. That was my dessert of choice during our Sicily holiday.

Cannoli is a deep-fried cylindrical pastry with sweetened ricotta cheese filling sprinkled with crushed pistachio or candied lemon pieces. The crispy fragrant shell is to die for! And to pair it with the perfect blend of sweetness and cheesiness ricotta filling will have you going back for more!

If you’re not a fan of ricotta cheese, you can pistachio cream filling. The deep-fried pastry paired with nutty cream is a match made in heaven.

Lemon Granita

This next item is lemon granita. Omygosh!! The blended ice with homemade lemonade is the perfect balance between lemon juice, sugar and water. Not too diluted, not too sour and not too sweet. Just perfecto!

That first sip of a frozen granita after a long walk under the sun… Aaahhhh… it’s better than the first sip of ice-cold Coke to quench your thirst. Pure saaaaatisfaction!

They come in all sorts of flavours, orange, melons, strawberries, and more. You can even get them with alcohol in some places. But my favourite is lemon.

I must admit, the best lemon granita I had was in Noto. But Catania is a close second! So be sure to get one at each stop and see where is your favourite.

Cassatella di Sant’Agata

Cassatella di Sant’Agata, also known as Saint Agatha’s breasts, is a traditional Sicilian pastry that originated from Catania.

It was created in honour of Saint Agatha, the patron saint of Catania, a Catholic martyr who got her breasts cut off with pincers because she refused to marry the Roman prefect Quintianus!! Gosh!!

This dessert is a sponge cake soaked in Italian liqueur, rosolio, filled with ricotta and chocolate chip or candied fruits such as orange or lemon on the inside, and wrapped in marzipan icing with a candied cherry on top, emulating the shape of a breast.

I’m not a fan of marzipan so this is not my kind of dessert, but if you like marzipan, then you will enjoy this. Or just eat the inside like I did.

Catania Awaits you… as do their wines

If you’ve made it this far, then you would agree that Catania is not just a destination, but it’s an elegant and cultural experience which not only satisfies your journey to become a well-rounded savvy lady, it also elevates your epicurean senses.

Lastly, a meal is not complete with a nice glass of wine. For my wine connoisseur ladies, have you tried volcanic wines? Etna wine is made from grapes grown on the slopes of an active volcano!

The soil is incredibly fertile. Anything grown in it is an eruption of flavours. I am still learning my wines, but people describe Etna wine as full of elegance and power with a mineral edge from its volcanic soil.

I recommend doing a winery tour and spending the day wine-tasting. Alternatively, head to Mercato di Piazza Scammacca. Here you can do wine tasting and have a meal in the wine cellar with an incredible collection of wines.

So what are you waiting for? Pack your bags and get ready to embark on a culinary experience in Catania this summer.

Check out my 3-day slow travel itinerary in Catania and the most elegant destinations in Sicily to help you plan your dream Sicilian getaway.