Ristorante " Il Barcaiolo "

Superb!! We had an incredible time at Barcaiolo. The food was absolutely amazing there was not a single thing we could fault. Atmosphere was nice with sea views, the staff were so helpful and patient, friendly and attentive. We ordered for starters the white bait pancakes, oysters and anchovie with cheese bread - wow! The flavours were so perfect it was delicious, if I had to pick my favourite of the starters it would be the white bait pancakes. For mains we ordered the sardine pasta and the pesto prawn pasta both of which were delicious. You can tell everything is homemade and quality ingredients are used. We also ordered a bottle of white wine. Pricing was very fair for the portions and quality of food. Will definitely be back, thank you for having us!

This place is sort of hard to find, but well worth the effort. We had the fish of the day prepared half Sicilian style and half grilled we complemented that with some beautiful Sicilian wine. We started it all off with a primi, a lobster pasta dish, which was well rounded in flavor and delicious (plate licking temptation)! We sat on the patio with a beautiful view of the Ionian sea. Another thing that I really enjoyed is a sign that said if you don’t like cats., it’s OK if you dine elsewhere. We did see a couple cats, but none of them were begging (they all looked very well fed & cared for) :-) also good to know, they are (well behaved) dog friendly on the patio.

We walked down a zillion steps from our hotel to this restaurant. And it was worth it! A lovely view. Friendly staff. Good wine. Amazing seafood. Delicious grilled octopus. My husband and I shared an entire sea bass! This was one of the best meals of our Italy trip.

Better restaurants nearby offering better food, service and value. We arrived just after opening with out a reservation and was shown a table with no view just of the paths but I asked if we could sit on the terraced area where there were many empty tables, but was told no as the tables were reserved. Ok no probs but the next two couples who arrived without reservations they were shown the tables on the terrace that I had been told was reserved even though there were tables where we sat. The main waitress was rude and we should have left but stayed to try the food. At best over priced and average not what I would have expected we had the gnocchi and mixed grilled fish. The gnocchi was quite nice but the grilled fish wasnt the best for €35. It consisted of tuna steak which was ok as was the fillets of sea bass the calamari was chewy and tasteless but worst was 2 of the 3 prawns was mushy and not cooked properly. There was also a green mush around one as though they had tried to clean the back vein which made me dubious to go near it. Did we say anything no, as I felt it wasn’t the place where it would be accepted without a argument. We were offered a grappa or lemonchello which at other restaurants has been free at end of meal so we accepted to find out later we were charged €5 each for a thimble full. My mistake for not asking but it is given in a way it’s free. When our bill came we had been overcharged for our wine and they had added €8 service charge which was a joke. This was our most expensive meal in Taormina, not a cheap place but would expect the food and service to meet with the price which I feel it did not. We obviously wasnt approved by the cat....

This is a beautiful little family run sea food restaurant right at the far end of the beach. Well worth passing all the others for! We had a lunch time visit. We didn't go for the catch of the day, but the fish were presented on a large plate and brought to the table for you to inspect. One was still twitching! You couldn't get much fresher than that! The staff, service and food was excellent, topped off by a stunning location and unpretentious experience.

I do not understand all the amazing reviews!! The truth is this place is way overpriced for the quality of food served!! I think they charge so much because hardly anyone goes there since they must descend 124 rocky steps, and that means you must climb back up. There was not anything spectacular about the atmosphere. In fact very uncomfortable chairs. The people who ran the restaurant were bizarre. So the food : we did not order a lot because the prices were ridiculous A caprese salad for 20 euro. The tomatoes were not even red. A green salad I was told would have all these different green lettuces. We get a bowl of iceberg lettuce with one leaf of arugula. I asked and the owner pointed to the one leaf. So we order the sea bass grilled. Absolutely the most boring presentation and flavor, and that was 95 euros. If the food was good I wouldn’t mind paying high prices. We have traveled all over Italy and experienced amazing foods. This was the absolute WORST RESTAURANT we have been to. Do people not know what good food tastes like!!

So tonight we decided to go to a local Trattoria in Taormina by the Ionian Sea. Based on the food alone I’d have given it 5 stars but not knowing there were close to 100 steps that had to be navigated to getting to the restaurant was a negative. We started with an appetizer of anchovy with jalapeño peppers along with a fresh seafood salad. Both were excellent and there was no issue with being over “oiled.” For the entrees we had large prawns and a grilled whole sea bass with a vegetable goulash. The wine list was very diverse with a lot of local Sicilian wines both red and white. In addition there were many other regions of Italy that were represented. All in all a very nice dining experience and I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending or going back. Just factor in the steps.

Excellent food. Another big surprise particularly as we were quite worried/ concerned when we got there. Two things you must know, there a lot of steps down from street level (don't even think about taking strollers/bags), and two, don't be the first ones there, the mosquitoes will eat you alive, even with tons of repellent. In the end, we enjoyed it very much. One of the few places with raw gamberi rossi. And third, reservations are a must. Update: July 2023. Food was still good, with perhaps the spada skewers being the exception - they were dry. And less mosquitoes this time. The downer was the issue of the 3rd antipasti that they brought us, but we didn't order. Obviously there was something lost in translation. This was one of the first time we've been pressured to accept that it was our mistake. So that's why I've downgraded the rating.

Amazing! Food was great, service was excellent! One of a kind location. Real gem of a family type restaurant. Best seafood in town!

Great location and service was excellent Our dinner of almond sea bass was tender and tasty Dessert also very good

Something told me to go back to this place and I'm so glad I did. I had the sea urchin pasta and it was yummy. I spoke to the lady who seemed to be in charge and asked about polpo. She said it needed to be ordered in advance. It was Tuesday and I ordered it for lunch on Thursday. When we arrived, she showed me two specimens to choose from. They grilled it with herbs, lemon, orange & olive oil. Oh my! It was to die for!!! Old review: I honestly don't understand the five star reviews. The pastas were dry. I have a mixed seafood pasta. The mussels were dry. The best dish was a shrimp dish in a wine butter sauce and fried mixed seafood. I thought service was rushed. They wanted to turn the table.

Absolutely beautiful view of the beach from the restaurant terrace, shame they placed us at the back, apparently there was a reservation for the open table at the front but no-one was sat there for the 1 and a half hours we were there... Nonetheless, the seafood pasta was huge and tasted incredible for just €15, Aperol spritzer was not as tasty and had a strange sugar rim. They only have one house white, red and sparkling, otherwise you'll have to order a bottle. Definitely worth a visit, day or night, make sure to reserve for the evenings though as they get booked out. (Access to restaurant is on the beach)

Nothing was less than great! Do not miss the "Lampuga in umidi" or the "linguini allo scoglio " after a never ending series of seafood appetizers.

Tucked away down many stone steps is this cozy place that has the vibe of a family run restaurant. Excellent food, (especially the seafood), and service, very reasonable prices, generous portions and a great location if you're staying at the beach rather than up in Taormina. You need to be able to handle steps. We went twice in 4 days and loved it. We are discerning food lovers from New York.

Loved this place. Lots of steps to get there, but well worth it. Great location and delicious food. Service was wonderful. No complaints as it was a truly memorable dining experience.

Look no further, we have eaten twice at this restaurant and it has exceeded our expectations both times, I cannot recommend highly enough.

This is a great little restaurant with great views of the Bay of Mazzarò and at night, the lights of homes / hotels on the hillside. We did not have a reservation but the kindest lady fit us in at 7:30pm. We had appetizers of bruschetta and cheese/meats. Dinners were pasta with clams and garlic, pasta with eggplant and fennel, pasta with garlic and olive oil, and pasta with olive oil, red pepper flakes - all totally awesome. Short 5 minute walk from the Mazzarò Sea Palace VOI hotel. Great beach, wonderful people and food. And a good wine menu as well. Fun and relaxing.