Dining Review: Teatro 44 – Taormina – Sicily, Italy

July 2023

Dining Review: Teatro 44 – Taormina – Sicily, Italy

There are many places to dine in Taormina and for one night, I wanted to venture out and find a place doing something a bit different and creative. I found Teatro 44 from searching reviews and was impressed by the high ratings on Google – 4.9 stars for 89 reviews and counting. To me, this was a newer place so the lower number of reviews was exciting that the rating was so high. The online presence was a bit vague so I really did not know what to expect going here. The restaurant is located away from the tourist street down a few alleys.

We arrived to our reservation and were seated outside where we got to enjoy the evening. I love how much outdoor dining is prevalent in Europe and we get to soak in the atmosphere.

The menu is very small with three appetizer options, three pastas, and three entrees. The prices here are not cheap, over 20 euro for each and while Taormina is more expensive than other towns around Italy, this price point was pretty high to start. In addition, there are tasting menus that bundle for a decent value then ordering individually depending on how much you are going to eat. There is a five course option and a 7 course option to choose from.

We opted to order from the menu and started with a glass of wine each. Shortly after our order, a cheese appetizer appeared for us to enjoy. What I loved most about this dish was the different each of the cheese options – a soft, a hard, and a cooked. Each was delicious and were complemented with a few extra ingredients like jam. I was starting to think we maybe should have opted for a tasting menu option but either way I was sure our meal was going to be great.

For our appetizer, we ordered the Uovo dello Zar share. This was listed as a scotch egg with melting yolk, iberico jamon, red onion jam, caviar, parmiggiano reggiano cream, and sautéed seasonal vegetables. It immediately caught our attention on the menu and while we did share it, we easily could have each gotten our own. This dish was exceptional and perfectly executed. The outside was super crunchy and the inside burst with flavors.

For our main dishes, we each got a pasta and shared them since we could not decided. First was the “Lo Spaghetto” which was spaghettone gentile from gragnano IGP, potatoes and lemon cream, mussels, guanciale powder, and beets. The second dish was the “Il Bottone” described as homemade pasta filled with caprino cheese, and squid ragout. Both plates were presented beautifully and were a good potion size. They were both so well balanced and used a variety of ingredients to accomplish a delicate medley of flavors with beautiful sauces. Both were amazing but if I had to pick one, I would go with the Il Bottone as the squid ragu was something we have never had before and it was super savory.

In retrospect, we probably should have tried a dessert here since the appetizer and pastas were not only amazing but so creative. While it is a bit on the pricer side, I think it is justified as this is a more upscale dining experience than those in Taormina. Teatro 44 is a unique restaurant – you will not find something in Taormina doing what they are doing so if you are looking for something a bit different and away from the traditional staples, book a reservation Teatro 44.

Continue reading all the details of our trip – here!

The Perfect One Week Itinerary for Sicily – here!

To see our full itinerary – here!

My complete packing list for Sicily – here!

See all blog posts for Sicily – here!