Al Mazarì Restaurant
This is my favourite restaurant in Sicily. Snuggled down a tiny side street, it nestles between Ortigia’s Duomo cathedral and the Massimo Theatre. It opened in July 2006 and is run by the Roccafiorita family, who moved to Ortigia from Mazara del Vallo in Trapani on the west of the island.
The sensation as you enter is that you are in someone’s elegant family home complete with chandeliers, oil paintings, and knick-knacks. The atmosphere is relaxed and jazz music plays softly yet never intrusively in the background. The father Ludovico welcomes guests along with his son the maitre Enzo, while the mother Silvana is the chef behind the scenes aided by her other son, sommelier Peppe.
Food is a mix of local dishes plus Trapanese specialities such as couscous. The best choice for starters is a fish or vegetable mixed dish that varies according to what is in season and was bought in the market that morning: it could be grilled aubergines, peppers, or wild fennel; marinated swordfish; breaded mussels; or juicy grilled prawns. The menu is in English and Sicilian, and includes the melting sàiddi a beccaficu (boned sardines in bread crumbs with sweet grapes, pine nuts and cherry tomatoes) or spaghetti cu la sàissa e li milinciani fritti (fresh homemade spaghetti with sweet cherry tomatoes and fried aubergine). The desserts change daily and are to die for: you are likely to sample the best cassata ricotta cake in all Sicily here, tangy lemon tart, or a surprisingly light tiramisù that bears no relation to the sticky stodge served up in the UK.
Enzo will be on hand to suggest aperitivi, wines and liqueurs, and it’s a good idea to trust him, since you are likely to sample the right drink to complement your meal, whether that’s a red Nero d’Avola wine, sweet Malvasia dessert wine, or a little grappa sprayed around the rim of an espresso coffee to round off your meal.
Prices? They are amazing value, and start at €25 for three courses including wine. I have never been disappointed by this restaurant, and have taken numerous friends and family there, who have been equally impressed, and stunned by the prices. But most of all the warmth of the Roccafiorita family makes this restaurant a little jewel in the heart of Ortigia.
Via G. Torres 7, Ortigia, Italy
Contact tel: +39 0931 483 690, e-mail:
Cost 3 course a la carte: £10 - £25 per person
Useful links
Ristorante Al Mazarì website
Added 2008/10/28 @ 15:03:44
Average customer rating
awaiting 5 vote(s)...
