Page 227 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

RESTAURANTS

Batana Via Rinascente 17 090 984 3311. A peaceful location above the port,
sweeping views from an airy roofed terrace and engaging owners make this Santa
Marina’s top choice for a relaxing meal or extended aperitivo. The food is excellent:
the fritto misto (€10) of calamari, tiny ciciarelli and locally netted prawns is
faultless, and the gently spiced and succulent swordfish kebab (€16) literally melts in
the mouth. Desserts are all home-made, and include an apple crumble which may

challenge your mum’s. Pizza too, from €4.50. Daily dinner only.

Mamma Santina Via Sanità 090 984 3054. The restaurant at the lovely Mamma
Santina hotel is a marvellous spot, with outdoor service for most of the year. The
emphasis is on island specialities, like a grilled antipasto platter of vegetables and
seafood, spaghetti with a pesto of fourteen herbs, or grilled sea bass (pasta from €10,
fish from €14). Daily lunch & dinner; closed mid-Dec to mid-March.

Nni Lausta Via Risorgimento 188 090 984 3486. Cool bar-restaurant whose New
York-trained owner-chef gives an adventurous twist to local dishes – try raw tuna
dressed with wild fennel and capers, or crispy fish cakes made from the day’s catch.
A full meal will cost at least €45 without wine, though you can just have a drink at the
bar (until 2am) – €5 will buy you a glass of decent Salina wine, with crostini and
home-made dips, pestos and salsas. Daily lunch & dinner; closed Nov–March.

Porto Bello Via Lungomare 2 090 984 3125. Set right above the harbour, and with a
terrace looking out to the lights of Lipari, this reliable and longstanding restaurant
serves excellent local antipasti and is a good choice if you want to splash out. It’s
worth trying the pasta al fuoco, with cherry tomatoes, chilli and grated oven-baked
ricotta, or the raw prawns with a yogurt salsa (€16). Main courses include standards
such as deep-fried squid (€16), but this is a place to go for the catch of the day (priced

by weight at €75 per kilo). If they have scorfano (scorpion fish), ask to have it hard-
fried, otherwise owner Teodoro or his son Dario will recommend a fish and cooking
method that suits. A four-course meal will cost at least €50 without wine. Daily lunch
& dinner; closed winter.

CAFÉS AND BARS

Papagayo Piazza Santa Marina 333 141 0974. Minuscule bar owned by a local
sculptor, with a terrace that spills out onto Santa Marina’s seafront piazza. Good
music, generous cocktails and a laidback vibe – this is the kind of place where
spontaneous parties develop. Olives, crostini and local cheeses to accompany drinks
at aperitivo time. Daily usually 6pm–late.

Portobello Sea Lounge Via Lungomare 2 090 984 3125. With its whitewashed