Pasticceria Savia

If you want to experience the real Sicily — where tradition, flavor, and soul come together — Savia in Catania is the place to go. From the moment you step inside, the aroma of freshly fried arancini fills the air — golden, crisp on the outside, and perfectly creamy within. These aren’t just snacks; they’re a piece of Sicilian history, made just as they should be. Every bite reminds you that you’re tasting the original, authentic flavor that locals have loved for generations. And it doesn’t stop there. For something sweet, pair a soft, buttery brioche with the rich, velvety granita — the perfect Sicilian breakfast duo. Add a strong espresso, and you’ll understand why this region’s culinary traditions are so revered. At Savia, every flavor feels like it’s feeding your soul. It’s not just food — it’s heritage, passion, and love served on a plate. Whether you come for the arancino or stay for the dessert, this is a stop no true food lover should miss in Catania.

Loved the granita (chocolate and pistachio) and the brioche buns here, super soft with a lovely hint of citrus. We ended up coming back twice just for the granita and brioche! The arancini catanese was good, though the pistachio one was a bit bland despite being freshly made. The wait for a table can take a bit, but the waiters were kind.

It was recommended to me by my hotel. It was a very good selection of tasty Sicilian food like Arancini, Croissant, sweets, coffee, any many more. I really liked the Cafe al Ginsing, Spinach Arancini, and Pistachio Croissant. Just one drawback is that as this is very popular place, there is sometimes a waiting queue where people sometimes need to stand for say 20mins in peak hours, but it is worth it. Waiters service is good and they speak English. Card payments are accepted.

I LOVED this cafe. Yes, it was very busy and hard to find a table…. But that’s for good reason. They have great pastries at great prices. I didn’t try their savory, but I’m sure it is also very good. I got their cannoli and a large rum baba filled with pastry cream. Both fantastic! The cannoli had a lighter shell than most I had, which didn’t really make it better or worse in my mind. Just different. The rum baba- oh wow. So delicious! Super moist and flavorful. It’s huge for the price too.

Go early in the morning for the freshly hand-made cannoli. I usually have to take them outside to eat, because the wait for a empty table can be long in the busy season. If you have the time eat them at a table with a nice expresso. The green filled cannoli's are my favorites, I always miss that great taste when I do find one in a Paris bakery.

Best cannoli and pastries, both sweet and savory. The arancini were great also. However, the service we received was not the very best. Our waiter seemed more distracted by friends than to pay attention to us.

The granita is fabulous and they do a mignon brioche which is so cute. Pistachio and fragola granita were outstanding and came with proper panna. The pistachio cornettos are not to my taste overly large and well stuffed but with a pistachio custard, they just are not remotely tasty and not worth it particularly if sitting down and paying the excess. All the cakes were delicious. Average cannoli. Very good arancini also. The staff are lovely particularly the men at the bar and a clean bathroom is kept. Recommmeded.

This place was recommended to us. Busy with locals, it’s a great place to grab an arancini or cannoli. Get yourself in line to pay first, then wait for your ticket number to be called.

This was quite the happening place when our party arrived in the afternoon. Tables were filled and it took a moment for us to get seated. After being seated, we were never provided a menu of any sort and actually sat for several minutes before someone came by for our order, still with no menu. Regardless, we knew we were ordering granitas, brioche, and the arancini. Granitas - They verbally gave us a limited list of what flavors were available. We tried the almond, strawberry, pistachio, and limon. All flavors were delicious, not overly sweet, and very refreshing. A lighter more slush like version of gelato. Brioche - The brioche here is light and delicious, served warm, and is an amazing accompaniment to granitas. Definitely order one to balance out the granita if it gets too cold. Arancini - The ragu arancini is absolutely amazing. It was actually the better of the three items ordered in my opinion. I came for the desserts, but found myself fully enjoying this item more. The ragu is hearty and the flavors robust. A masticating delight of flavors. If you're not a smoker, definitely try to top for a seat indoors. Sitting outdoors will likely expose you to several patrons and even passersby or individuals sitting on nearby benches to cigarette smoke. Overall, the food and desserts here are amazing. I wish I had the stomach and time to try more of what they had to offer. Everything looked amazing and all seemed to be very reasonably priced.

Aperitivo was lovely. We stopped in for a spritz/beer and a light snack. The spritz came with aperitivo snacks. Then we ordered an arancino to enjoy since theirs are famous! The Hugo spritz was decent. Not the best but not bad. The snacks were yummy and the large beer came in a wine bottle. Perfect little place to sit and relax before walking through the park. Staff was friendly and the inside is clean. Next time I want to dry some of the desserts. Everything looked delicious

A great place for a snack but be careful not to over-order. My husband and I ordered two arianchini and a salad as well as two aperol spritzes and a cannoli each. Too much food. I don't think i'll ever eat again. (They brought a whole plate of little snacks too).

I came to Pasticceria Savia with my husband and some friends after hearing about it and reading more about the hype online. It was certainly a popular destination - translation: busy. We opted to wait for a table, but if you're shorter on time, you can also order at the bar (note: if you order at the bar, you are expected to consume it at the standing bar or take it to-go - I saw some staff nudge some people out who ordered at the bar and then tried to cut the line waiting for tables). They're known for their sweet treats, pastries, and savoury items, and so we opted for a sampling of each. The brioche that came with the granita were probably the biggest and best ones I had during our Sicily trip, hot and soft and a perfect complement to the granita (which itself was good but probably not the best I had tbh). The arancini was also great, but as someone with a sweet tooth, I recall the sweeter items more ;) Savia was a nice place for a slow breakfast with coffee and food and other goodies, but if it's crowded and you're in a rush, the atmosphere may be stressful for you.

My family & I had the chance to walk around Catania for a dayand this was the place we decided to get gelato from, so glad we did! I ended up getting the almond and pistachio flavor on a cone, which was so creamy & not too sweet. It's a small shop & seats were outside, the staff were friendly and they spoke some english. Overall, I was very happy with my experience from here!

If anyone gives it less than a 5 they are either a competitor or were annoyed because everyone in Italy isn't fluent in English For breakfast had lemon granite and brioche. To die for. Literally. I could have eaten 3 or 4 The only real problem was it being crowded. I had to wait for a table but once I got one it was very fast service. If you just want coffee you can pay the cashier and then take the ticket to the coffee side and they will m

A happening place. I think it is busy all day long. Sweet pastries. Savory pastries. Gelati. Patio on via Etnea. A bit noisy, but has a wall of shrubs. Creamy pistachio gelato for Tracie. Prosecco and arancinu prosciutto for me. I made a huge mistake as I ordered my €5.50 Prosecco about 1 minute after 1600. It was no longer Prosecco, but aperativo: peanuts, olives, cheesy rice nuggets, mini pizzas, mini arancini, flaky pastries. €15 For a mid-afternoon snack for 2

Located at the entrance of a nice park, Pasticceria Savia is probably the best bakery in downtown Catania so it's worth a trip here for sure. Everything here is good: cannolli, gelato, granita, pizza napoletano, arancini, etc. The outdoor seats will be packed during peak hours, but no problem--just get something to go and sit at the park across the street!

I had only heard good things about Savia ahead of my Catania trip, so I knew I had to make a pit-stop for some sweets. It's even lauded in international, reputable magazines. My experience, however, was pretty mediocre. If I was staying in Catania longer, I may have given it a second chance. Ah well, now I have a reason to visit my family over there! But seriously, the gelato purchasing experience at first was pretty unsavory. Their flavors are hidden in steel bins, so I couldn't visually see what I was ordering. I asked what flavors they had, and the reply was mostly in Italian (surprise!) -- so I did my best to explain that I wanted anything OTHER than chocolate. In turn, likely due to the language barrier, the guy gave me a chocolate cone. Yikes. I tried saying no and shaking my head as he was scooping, but he handed it to me anyway. Fortunately, my group decided to sit and had a server. I asked him to throw out the cone for me, and he replaced it at no cost, which was highly unexpected and nice. The new gelato (vanilla) was just okay. It wasn't some award-winning gelato or anything, but it was nice on a 90-degree day in Sicily for sure. Their frozen coffee was also a nice pick-me-up. Savia has a nice location across the street from the big park, Bellini, but I do wish I had given their competitor, Spinella, a shot too.

Excellent gelato but many what surprised me was the aranchini - that's the joy of walking into a place and asking the person on their counter what their favorite treat is and try it - the expresso was pretty good

In Catania, this place is a household world. They have cannoli, but I wanted an arancino. It was the best arancino I've tasted in my life. If partaking in the evening stroll on Via Etnea, this is a must-stop kind of place. Be warned that there are now various types of arancini. Ask for the "originale."

We had been warned : this place is the best pasticceria in town. Well, it truly deserves its title ! The cannoli were so delicious ! If you don't feel like something sweet, just try one of their multiple arancinis. That fried Sicilian specialty is filled with different types of risotto : spinach, mushrooms etc You can sit outside on the large terrace surrounded with locals and facing the beautiful Bellini gardens where you can head for a stroll afterwards. I suggest going there after 5 when the sun isn't as strong and it is time for the passeggiata.

Visited here on a weekday night for late night eats. Just by luck - Got a seat fairly quickly. Many seemed to have to wait longer. Overall, I think I had too high expectations for this place, and was anticipating it to be five star. Our experience was four star. The service was slow and not very friendly. Had a chocolate granita which was good but not great. I think the chocolate granita pales in comparison to their simpler and richer chocolate gelato which IS great, so if you are a chocolate fan, go for the gelato in lieu of the granita and you won't be disappointed. Lemon and strawberry granita was refreshing. The brioche was fantastic, and the pizzetta was devoured by the kid. Ordered an Arancini Ragu at Savua, but have to say, that the arancini ragu at caffe del duomo was much better.

Okay this place is really good okay. However I prefer spinnella next door. If spinnella weren't next door this place would be a 5 okay. Cannolo here is a little too sweet for my preference.

I wouldn't come back to this place not even for a coffee the waiters are very rude...it's a shame because sweets looks nice. They would be more careful with the customer services we just wanted to sit for a ehile to drink the coffee we bought in there.