Il Cantuccio - NOTO

Recommended by our hotel, and not disappointed! We had an amazing 3 course meal consisting of traditional food but all done in a very refined way. We sat in the lovely little twinkly courtyard and the staff weren't fazed by our toddler (she had the best tomato pasta she's ever had, and we snaffled a fair bit too it was so good! . Highly recommended

Expectations were high since it was our last evening in Noto, but we left decidedly deflated. Yes, the courtyard was a pretty setting and the staff courteous, but the food was badly presented and poorly seasoned. The pasta dishes were watery, sauces unconvincing and the vegetables tasteless. Certainly didn’t merit the high price tag attached.

Dinner setting is lovely in the old courtyard, service is friendly, yet the charme of the setting is only partially reflected in the cuisine. Its all typical Sicilian, fresh and simplistic but unfortunately tasted rather bland seafood pasta, spada, beef filet... the salad leafs looked even rather sad. Exception to this was the polpo really good. You couldnt fault the dishes per se, but overall Cantuccio really lacks ambition to compete with more recent openings like Manna or Crocifisso. It has the potential, but we were a little dissapointed.

We went to Il Cantuccio following the suggestion of the owner of our b&b: it was totally worthy. The place is beautiful, a refurbished cantina decorated with an elegant minimalism. The owner and all the staff were pleasantly friendly and helpful: they gave us tips on food and wine, presenting some out of menu variants, and always ready to exchange some words and give us suggestions. We had a starter, a main course and a dessert each, and everything was delicious, well presented and with great taste. The aubergine cannolo and the tuna fillet were just amazing. A great experience, highly advised!

I experienced il cantuccio in noto during my two days trip in noto. The food was great, the place was lovely, tables outside, music and the kindness of the waiters.