Where to eat in Ragusa: the 9 best restaurants chosen by Gambero Rosso

Ragusa, with its two significant districts—Superiore and Ibla—perched on two nearby hills, separated by deep gorges and connected by numerous bridges and stairways, its narrow streets in white stone, and its Baroque-style monuments and palaces, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site, has always been a place where traditional recipes are influenced by the cultural blend that has shaped Sicily, offering an intriguing gastronomic proposition. Here is a guide to 9 restaurants chosen by Gambero Rosso.

Where to eat in Ragusa Superiore

Taberna dei cinque sensi

Set in the lower part of a noble palace in the city center, Alessandro Cappellani recreated the atmosphere of a French bistro in 2019, establishing an intimate, warm, and welcoming space for lunch and dinner to satisfy the five senses in a refined and elegant atmosphere. Chef Dario Di Liberto heads the kitchen, offering a traditional Sicilian cuisine that is clean and modern. Dario studies tradition, deconstructing and reconstructing it into a more modern and lighter version, where the ingredients remain true expressions of the territory, and the pairings are designed to enhance the intrinsic characteristics of each element to the fullest. Don't miss the Veal cheek, potatoes, and cabbage dish. Alessandro and Biagio manage the service. The wine list boasts over 700 labels, including local, national, and European wines. Open every evening, closed on Sundays.

Via San Sebastiano 47, +39 331 382 5765 tabernadeicinquesensi.it

Clab

Located on Via Roma, right in the city center, less than a year ago, three friends—Peppe Cipria, Andrea, and Alessio Micieli—created their restaurant, self-described as 'atypical' as it functions as a café, lounge bar, or an actual club with live music or comedy events. Peppe and Andrea, coming from the restaurant industry, leveraging their experience, chose to use only high-quality local ingredients from land and sea for the dishes, crafted by a team of young chefs from Ragusa and Argentina, creating original recipes like the Seared octopus on zucchini velvet with homemade lemon mayo, an absolute must-try. Besides the extensive selection of natural wines, guests can also opt for cocktails curated by bartender Stefano La Porta. Carmela Bellofiore welcomes guests, supported by the three owners. Open every day except Mondays from 12:00 to 22:00. Open on Mondays during holidays.

Via Roma, 165, +39 339 799 1806 Ig @Clab-Food&Drink

Tipico

Right in Piazza San Giovanni, beneath the Cathedral, you'll find Tipico by Giancarlo Gurrieri, a restaurant and gathering place where you can savor the typical flavors of Ragusa, Sicily, and Italy, such as the handmade traditional 'scacce', always on the menu. The kitchen, led by chef Graziella Sulsenti, carefully selects seasonal products, offering dishes with both meat and fish, with significant attention to those who are gluten-free or vegetarian. Don't miss the Tortelli, caciocavallo and pepper on a saffron Ragusan fondue, and white pork ragù. The wine list boasts over two hundred labels, including Sicilian, Italian, and international wines, with a particular focus on local wines and a decent selection of natural wines. Giancarlo oversees the dining room, assisted by Marco and Yanett.

The restaurant, which boasts a large outdoor seating area during summer, is open every day for lunch and dinner, except on Sunday evenings and Mondays, as well as during the months of January and February.

Piazza San Giovanni 41/45 +39 0932 247105 - ristorantetipicoragusa.it

Where to eat in Ragusa Ibla

Scale del Gusto

Named after the event that highlighted local gastronomic excellence for five editions, in the neighborhood between Ragusa and Ibla, along a staircase of about 400 steps, Scale del Gusto restaurant was born. Here, the primary ingredients featured in the event are transformed into traditional recipes by chef Maurizio Musumeci and Ludovica Raniolo. Their cuisine is an expression of the Ibleo and Sicilian territory, aiming to recover old flavors of memorable dishes through new cooking techniques. For example, the 'Sfuogghiu', a rustic puff pastry cake with cow's milk ricotta, cinnamon, and Ragusan sausage with fennel seeds, a symbol of conviviality and sharing, served during the Christmas period. The wine list includes small producers of Frappato and Cerasuolo di Vittoria from the area, along with other Sicilian and a few international productions. Martina Lombardo and Dario Campo take care of the guests. Scale del Gusto isn’t just a restaurant but also a lounge and shop where guests can purchase all the products used.

Open every day for lunch and dinner, except Wednesdays.

Largo Santa Maria, 1, 0932 293250scaledelgusto.it

Locanda Don Serafino

Derived from ancient warehouses carved over centuries into the limestone rocks of the city, in the heart of the ancient Baroque city, within the ancient lower level of the Church of Miracles, over twenty years ago, the brothers Pinuccio and Antonio La Rosa created the restaurant Locanda Don Serafino. In the kitchen is Chef Vincenzo Candiano, who skillfully combines the unique culture of one of the Italian territories, thanks to its history of overlaps, contaminations, and gastronomic influences that provide an abundance of excellent local produce from both land and sea. This merging with modernity gives rise to an Italian cuisine that is both contemporary and rich in local characteristics. There are three tasting menus available, and the courses from these can also be served à la carte, such as the glazed Amberjack with spinach, salad of green leaves with pepper caviar and almonds, and eggplant croquette, a dish not to be missed. In the dining area are Gabriele Meli and Carmelo Di Pasquale, who manage the wines housed in the Locanda's rich cellar: a place of absolute delight for enthusiasts who can navigate not only in breadth but especially in depth, with around 2,000 labels available.

Via Avvocato Giovanni Ottaviano, 13, +39 0932 248778 locandadonserafino.it

Duomo

On a Baroque street, next to the dome of the Cathedral in Ibla, you'll find the Duomo restaurant by Chef Ciccio Sultano, a landmark for high Sicilian cuisine and one of the most famous restaurants in Italy. Study, passion, research, and cross-pollination are the foundations of his cuisine, always in motion between land and sea, between memories of home and travels, embracing both high culture and street culture. It draws inspiration from Sicily's centuries-old history and the historical and cultural influences that have succeeded there. In the kitchen alongside him is Alessandro Fornaro. The menu offers five tasting experiences, and the dishes can also be served à la carte. Among these, try the Lasagna made of vegetable meat layers. In the dining area are Riccardo Andreoli and the sommelier Michela Vitale. The cellar boasts over 1450 labels, a veritable map that allows guests to journey through stories, landscapes, and passions.

Open from Tuesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner. Annual closures: December 24-25, January 7 - March 15. From December 26 to January 6 and in August, open every day.

Via Capitano Bocchieri, 31, +39 0932 651265 cicciosultano.it

I banchi

Inspired by the simple and traditional stalls set up by small producers for bread, cheese, salami, pastries, and wine, in 2015, in the monumental spaces of the "carrozzeria" and cellars of the eighteenth-century Palazzo Di Quattro, Ciccio Sultano created the new concept I Banchi, a contemporary reinterpretation of a traditional trattoria with an informal, more convivial, and cheerful atmosphere.

In the kitchen is Marco Corallo, crafting simple cuisine with a strong emphasis on high-quality raw ingredients. Among the dishes not to be missed is the Free-range Chicken. Gabriella Cicero serves the crucial role of general manager and wine consultant.

Open from Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner, closed on Thursdays. Annual closures: December 24-25, January 7 - March 2. From December 26 to January 6 and in August, open every day.

Via Orfanotrofio, 39, +39 0932 655000 ibanchiragusa.it

Camùri - Cucinappasionata

It is the restaurant of chef Federico Rizzo and Francesco Migliorsi. A small place, with an intimate atmosphere, equipped with a patio that overlooks the main street, in the heart of Ragusa Ibla. Federico's cuisine smells of Sicily, as almost all the raw ingredients are locally sourced. The dishes on the menu are inspired by traditional Sicilian cuisine, prepared with care, following the seasons, including desserts and bread. Among these, always present on the menu, is the Roasted and smoked Octopus, accompanied by a squid ink sauce and a reduction of shellfish sauce, a must-try.

Franceco Migliori takes care of the dining area and the wines. The wine cellar offers Sicilian, Italian, international wines, and those from small producers.

Open Monday to Saturday for dinner, closed on Sundays. Seasonal closure from November to February.

Corso XXV aprile, 62, +39 0932 161 0468 camuri.it

Monsù

In the heart of Ibla lies Monsù, the restaurant of the couple both in work and life, Salvo Puglisi and Héloïse Hascoet, where they have merged the best of their native cultures: the flavors of Sicilian tradition paired with the typical "Je ne sais quoi" of French cuisine. Salvo offers a cuisine that aims to be a clear expression of the territory, while remaining open to the influences left by various dominations, such as the French, by experimenting with combinations of different ingredients, much like the Monsú who revolutionized the cuisine in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in the 1800s by creating new dishes. Simple yet refined and balanced dishes, like the Poached egg with Ragusano DOP fondue and black truffle. Héloïse welcomes the restaurant's guests. The wine cellar also reflects their philosophy, with numerous wines on the menu from Sicily, France, as well as other parts of Italy and Europe.

Open Monday to Friday for dinner, Saturday and Sunday for lunch and dinner. Closed on Wednesdays.

Corso XXV Aprile, 84, +39 0932 1913438 monsuragusaibla.it

By Cristina Barbera