Pasticceria Maria Grammatico - Erice

I don’t remember the name of the pistachio-filled pastries, but they were absolutely amazing! I’ve never tried anything like them before. The Genovese cookies were also delicious. This café is a must-visit if you’re in Erice.

Erice's best known and most Traditional Sicilian pastry shop with the personality of its founder Maria Grammatico following the convent recipes she learned while young when being raised at a Franciscan convent in Erice and expanded with new findings. Well known all over the world. The book she published, ' Bitter almonds' telling her memories and explaining her main recipes has become a classic, I bought the original version in English at the pastry shop, they also offer a translated Italian version. Very busy in season, but always a great place to enjoy Sicilian pastries with authentic local ingredients and a distinct personal touch, this shops helps to better understand the Sicilian universe of pastries and sweets with Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Norman, Arab, Spanish, especially from the convents and Swiss influences in what has come today a unique pastry culture in the world

Simply the best sweets in Sicily. Whatever you will pick you will be shocked by it's taste! Prices are OK, usually there is a line to get them but it's totally worth unless it goes out the shop which means like 1h + of wait. But if you got time do it, it's worth. Genovese is the main sweet here, but go ahead and try each one.

The desserts here were amazing – the pastries were still warm and incredibly tasty. However, I was quite surprised that the cappuccino was served in a plastic cup. I’ve never seen hot coffee like that before, and unfortunately, it was more like warm milk without any foam. A great place for sweets, but the coffee experience needs improvement.

Stopped by Maria Grammatico’s pastry shop in the morning while walking around Erice. It’s a small, quiet place with outdoor seating and a nice view — perfect for a cappuccino ☕ and something sweet This is a well-known bakery that’s been around since the 1960s, when Maria started it after learning how to make traditional Sicilian pastries from nuns I had a cassatina, a slice of ricotta cake, and a few small sweets. All were good, though a bit too sweet for my taste — but that’s typical of Sicilian desserts 😅. I noticed the place gets quite busy later in the day, with people lining up and buying pastries to take home as gifts A lovely local spot that’s definitely worth trying if you’re in Erice 💛.

Great option for pastry while in Erice. We were overwhelmed when we came in. It’s small and there are so many options, but we sat in the garden and our server came by and helped us pick out some things to try. Very cute and tasty!

Delicious pastries and coffee. Beautiful seating in an atrium garden. Tree provides shade. Pricing doesn't hurt your wallet. Staff helped me pick pastries. I give this place an autistic stamp of approval.

Recommended by a local to come here for Maria’s famous genovesi - 2 minutes of pure heaven as I devoured this warm, buttery biscuit filled with vanilla cream custard! Wish I had the language to let them know how much I enjoyed this in Italian 🇮🇹

Very tasty pastry that highlights the local high-quality almonds. Not gaudy, gooey or overly-sweet. Worth trying. Bring some home with you, think of Sicily and smile.

This bakery or what one wants to call it was supposed to be one of the better ones out there. I am not sure why after tasting some of their pastries. They were all average at best. Regarding the location itself, it was very small and tight as people jammed their way in. The smell was extremely pleasant however. I tried the Genovesi and Buccellati de fichi. The Genovesi was a pastry with flour, sugar, margarine, eggs, milk cream, and lemon zest. It was alright. It was just extremely dry. The lemon zest was the best part. The Buccellati de fichi consisted of flour, sugar, margarine, clove, cinnamon, figs, ammonia, and vanilla. This was a little better, but still dry. The cinnamon and fig taste really took over here. Will I go back? Doubtful.

When the singular most special dessert here was one that the owner brought with her from the nunnery, you know that you are in for a magical culinary experience! There is a reason that there is a line out the door, and it's not just the two tiny bathrooms for which people wait in a cramped hallway. There are a few small tables in the back, and extend it out onto the patio. It's great to grab a seat before all is taken. Be sure to take home several slices of the delicious turron. Most special is the almond cream pastry which looks like a fat stuffed cookie. It will change your life and you will want to wrap yourself up in its delicious dough and mail yourself home! There's also so many MANY marzipan delights, which you may want to take pictures of, at least, and perhaps purchase for your own decorating at home. Or noshing on the plane. I've heard. Jus say Order coffee and expect it to be brought to your table by a sullen, frowning face to young man. But at least he brings it! Enjoy ~ you will end up dreaming of these pastries long after your trip to Sicily is over!

What a place!! Nestled in the quaint village is the bakery of Maria Grammatico. I went here specifically because well....my last name ;)bull but what an experience! We had almond bites and sfigolia con crema. Absolutely mouthwatering. And my favorite part was seeing Maria in the kitchen still making pastries after all of these years. I highly recommend this location

We went to Erice by bus. We stopped in the parking lot below the entrance to town. The walk into town is steep and up hill all the way. We stopped at this pastry shop to rest and enjoy some of the items in the shop. This is a good stop and you may be lucky enough to meet the owner.

In September/October 2016, I went with a group on a trip to Italy. It was SO amazing. We began on the western side of Sicily in Palermo. As part of the tour, while in Sicily we went to Erice, a walled medieval town on a steep hill. While walking its wending, narrow, cobbled roads that took us back to hundreds of years past, we came across Maria Grammatico's pastry shop which was made famous by the book Bitter Almonds by American writer Mary Taylor Simeti. Like some of the older buildings here in Portland, the pasty shop had a very narrow front façade and entrance, but once you are inside, the interior is deep. The pastries were beautiful, very European. We bought some and sat at some tables outside. The "pasticceria" is on the opposite side of the street from the La Prima Dea Ristorante which is considered to be one of the best restaurants in Sicily.