Ristorante Crocifisso

My wife is from Sicily so we know local cuisine. We were excited to see what a Michelin restaurant in Sicily would be - is it really better than Nonna’s? We went on a Sunday evening and it was full. I had the 6 course meat menu and my wife had fish. It lived up to its one star. Not much theatre, with a more classical approach but beautiful food with unquestionably Sicilian flavours. We thought the meat menu was stronger with veal sweetbreads, a mushroom cappuccino, and braised onion tortello and rabbit ragu. I did think her main, the grouper with pepper crust, was delicious. For €135 pp with a bottle of Sicilian wine, it’s one of the better value Michelin experiences. Would love to see a little more bravery with presentation to match the boldness of taste - but that could be just me. And so if I could, I would have given it 4.75 stars. Would recommend and go again. Don’t tell Nonna?

Given that this is a Michelin star restaurant, I expected the food to be tastier. It is ok if your food standards are not so high or if you are a first time traveller in Italy, however in my case, I missed “il sapore della cucina italiana”. The dishes did not have taste at all. The service was not very good, lack of attention. We found the chef at the entrance but he even did not pass through the tables.. I am sorry.. maybe I went with a very high expectative.. I would not recommend it.

Unforgettable food, especially the sweetbread and the eggs. Beautiful service, loved the black dresses 😊.

This restaurant does not deserve a michelin star. Service very poor. Wine glass and water were ignored. Food disappointing. They were out of the raw shrimp w panelle burger but served it anyway. I know it's Sicilia, but I can get panelle anywhere. Egg and truffles are good, but I can make it at home. The elevation of the food was poorly executed. The onion tortellini was not good. I've eaten at many michelin Star places. Avoid this one.

Ambience: Good decor and appropriate music. 4/5 Food: The amuse bouche was amazing, but the rest left a little to be desired. The bread was not great. Some of the dishes were over seasoned and some were under seasoned. The same could be said about the textures (the dessert had too much crunch texture while some of the fish dish needed more). The flavors are not revolutionary with the exception of the amuse bouche and the gaspacho dish. I will say that the cook of everything was good. 3/5 Service: Very nice staff! 4.5/5 Overall, maybe a 3.8-4/5 score. I wished the rest of the tasting menu was as good as the amuse bouche.

Yesterday, we paid a visit to the restaurant, which offered us a delightful evening experience. In the entrance greeted us warmly, granting us the choice of the best table available. The decor, though minimalistic, still managed to captivate us. Engaging in conversation with the head waiter/sommelier, we discovered a truly exquisite wine. It was refreshing that they didn't solely suggest the priciest options. As for the courses – we decided on a 5-course culinary expedition – they were truly remarkable. The starter encompassed a Sicilian voyage, gradually unveiling each distinctive flavor. Absolutely remarkable. The mini hamburger was tasty, allowing us to relish every single ingredient. It showcased audacity, modernity, and of course, immense delectability. Equally delightful was the rabbit ragu tortelli, followed by the succulent beef accompanied by mashed potatoes that melted in our mouths. This was succeeded by a transitional dessert, and finally, the main dessert – a rethinked cannolo. The head waiter/sommelier expertly suggested a suitable pairing for our desserts, an unfamiliar brand to us, but perfectly complementing. Contrary to another individual's claim of inattentive service, we can confidently refute that. This marked the first restaurant in Sicily where we genuinely felt attended to – a senior waiter who diligently monitored our wine glasses, elaborated on the dishes, their components, and the rationale behind them. To summarize, we can only shower accolades upon the inventive and imaginative creations of the Chef and the team. Special gratitude is extended to the head waiter/sommelier and the senior waiter for their considerate and meticulous service. Higly recomended restaurant.

The opening house tastes (seen below) were unique; the two “olive eggs” are interesting but don’t accurate display the dishes to come. Our table tried the qual, cheese bread, and raw burger appetizers, the qual stood out with the best flavor. As far as mains, the linguine pasta is BRIGHT green (seen below) it did have decent flavors of nuts, mussels and oranges. The rabbit dishes were smaller in size with a mashed cauliflower. I didn’t care so much for those. Some issues we experienced were with the sommelier and the slow table service. Unfortunately the sommelier wasn’t as attentive as we would have expected, and didn’t have a continuous glass during our meal like I would have wanted and paid for. Our table server was rarely seen. She came around every 30 mins or so and didn’t have any assistance with serving the dishes therefore they all came out at different times. Also, we ended up paying $20 for olive oil we requested to have as a side to the bread… not our favorite establishment in Noto.

Excellent service and food was really exquisite. Good table assistance and the explanation of the dishes is very detailed and professional.