Our host warned us that you might need to wait for your dinner as Rosanna takes her time. The experience is so Italian - she talks very loudly on her phone and chats with the customers. But the food is wonderful, feels like your Italian...grandmother was cooking for you. We had antipasti platter and pasta à la Norma which both were lovely rustic portions.More
We went to this restaurant because I read a few great reviews on travelers forum on Catania. People said that it is unique family restaurant where you can try the best local meal. We came at 6:30 pm, we asked if the restaurant is open,...we were told “yes, welcome”. We were one is the first tables for dinner; we ordered and the food took 1 hour and 10 min to arrive. I am not sure whether something happened at the kitchen, or is it always likes this…. But if the server knows that it takes so long, I think they need to inform the people that wait is more than an hour. The other table who came after us, left after an hour waiting. Within this hour we were given only bread, which looked like this bread was there for 3 days, tasteless and hard, so we could not even eat the bread… One of the starters we ordered was Caprese salad, which takes 10 min to cook, so we could not understand why it takes so long. Maybe there’s was only one person in the kitchen, then I can understand, but it should not be this way. Caprese salad was tasty, but extremely extremely salty. Octopus salad and roasted octopus was ok. Caponatina was the only dish that I ate in full, it was well made, I loved it, but again it was too salty for me (not as salty as caprese) Swordfish was good as well, I did not take a picture, because my husband ate it as soon as we got it, because we were starving. Pasta alla Norma that I wanted to try the most left mixed feelings. Aubergine with cheese (top part of the dish) was delicious, but pasta itself was horrible. Maybe I can not understand the hand made pasta, but I could not eat it (neither my husband or my daughter) At the end, when we asked for the check, we waited again for some time and server said if you pay cash it will be quick, if you want by card it will take much longer time…..we paid cash. I am sorry, but as much as I wanted (because I think family business are great), I can not recommend this restaurant for great dinner experience.More
We were early to arrive for lunch and the first in the restaurant. The host was very welcoming. We ordered the Pasta Alla Norma and Pasta Alla Rosanna along with house wine and beer. The food took some time to be arrive but was evidently...very freshly prepared and some of (if not thee) best Pasta dishes we have tasted. This is clearly a small family run restaurant that oozes authenticity and in our opinion lives up to its reputation. We even got to meet the chef herself who was very pleasant and welcoming. It was an amazing dining experience that we won't forget in a hurry and was a highlight of our day trip to Catania.More
Got there a little early and had a table for 4 outside. It eventually filled up and people were turned away. The pasta is made fresh, several dishes that aren’t are noted. We all enjoyed everything we were served and would certainly return when in...Catania.More
We (couple+1) went there on our first night in Sicily, and maybe we had high expectations, but we were disappointed by the end of the evening. Food wasn't bad or anything, but it wasn't good either. Some of the dishes are missing on the menu,...there were no dessers, and the house wine was bad. The dushes we did order were really nothing to write home about. Service was ok, the place is good for kuds as well.More
We read about this in Lonely Planet and it lived up to our expectations. Rosanna does the cooking and is lovely and perhaps because she does the cooking herself the service can be slow. We had the Pasta Alla Noma which was delicious. We are...74 and perhaps do not have as large appetites as those younger and although I ordered the fried sardines this was a course too much and although delicious I could not eat it all.More
Enjoyable evening here. My first experience of a pasta alla Norma dish and it was delicious! We had a bit of a mix up with ordering, with lasagne sounding like the rosana pasta dish. This issue was quickly resolved and really wasn’t a problem at...all. Incredible good value and a restaurant run by what I imagine to be a true Italian matriarch nonna. Was quite keen to return the following evening to try even more pasta but sadly they were closed the following evening. A must try in cataniaMore
This is simply the best pasta that I have ever tried. The atmosphere is like you are at Rossanas own house and she is still in the kitchen after 50years. The service was great despite not being so much staff. Try this place! You won’t...be disappointed.More
We ordered Pasta alla Norma and two other meat dishes the waiter recommended, and it was really delicious. Simple, traditional food, but full of flavors. The pasta was homemade. Reasonable prices. It was our favorite meal in Catania, and we would definitely come back!
Amazing price and quality for a wonderful dinner. We really enjoyed our time at this restaurant. Staff is extremely helpful. Wine of the house is highly recommended, also the Pasta Norma was lovely. This is a hidden gem and absolutely recommended.
Worst carbonara in my life, it’s an scrambled egg with pasta. We returned the food but they still wanted to charge. How come? Mamma is nice on the pictures but far from a restaurant owner accepting fair complaint.
Typical trattoria atmosphere family style. The chef and owner is very welcoming. Her hand made pasta is excellent. We also had fried and baked anchovies: very good.
I went at 7pm on a Sunday and easily got a table. I'd really recommend this place for its honest, delicious food. I had the caponata to start and the pasta with pistachios for main, and I wasn't planning on having dessert, but I had...such a great meal I had to see what it was like. Loads of vegetarian options too. All in all my meal came to 17 euros including wine. Amazing value. The service wasn't super fast, but I wasn't there for that, I was there for authentic, delicious food which I certainly got, and the wait was totally acceptable. Excellent value, and I'd thoroughly recommend to anyone in Catania to try it.More
Tried to go just now. All sites say it’s open, but shutters down and no answer by phone. Was going for Pasta Norma... disappointed!
Popped in around 16:30 for a very late lunch, given the time of day there were only 2 tables full including us with Rosanna and 2 male staff on duty. Between us we ordered 4 bowls of pasta to include alla Norma plus a pistachio...pasta, artichoke pesto and a vegetarian take on carbonara. The alla Norma was the real show stopper, the other pasta dishes were fine but didn't compare and I think we wished we'd gone for alla Norma all round! We also ordered the absurdly cheap house white wine and the bill came to under €30, which was excellent value. The food was tasty old-school cooking - exactly what we wanted, where else can you go for food cooked by an Italian Nonna? Also despite the experiences of some people on here, we found service to be very swift and friendly, but I'm conscious that we opted to eat at an unconventional time of day. Recommended.More