Page 470 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

long open-air café, with hundreds of chairs and tables spread out down the traffic-free
road. Some places are more bar than café, with DJs and music, and it’s a pretty lively
scene until well into the small hours. Most cafés and restaurants close from mid-
October to mid-May, but you’ll find something open whenever you come.

Il Balenottero Via Sbarcatoio 40 0922 970 830. A family-run place near the old
port that’s nice and cool inside but also has an outdoor terrace. It’s a standard

seafood-pasta and grilled fish place, with squid, shrimp, clams, mussels, tuna,
swordfish and bream on the menu, and most dishes under €15. Daily lunch & dinner;
closed Dec–Feb.

Bar del Amicizia Via Vittorio Emanuele 34 (no phone). Not exactly a secret, but you
have to know it’s here to come this far down the street. Inside is a huge array of
stuffed pastries, simply amazing ice cream and a dozen flavours of granita (from

strawberry to watermelon), plus a large terrace that overlooks Lampedusa’s back
gardens to the sea beyond. Daily lunch & dinner; closed Nov–Easter.

U’ Calacciuni Spiaggia della Guitgia 339 435 0300. Summer-season beach-
shack trattoria that’s great for whiling away the hours over typical lampedusani
dishes. There’s no menu but you’ll be offered pasta (say with clams and mussels, or
con le sarde, with sardines and wild fennel), followed by the day’s catch, like a slab

of grilled tuna with a breadcrumb and pistachio crust. Dishes cost between €10 and
€20. Daily lunch & dinner; closed Nov–April.

La Cambusa Piazza Municipio 0922 970 826. Down an alley just off Via Vittorio
Emanuele, this cavernous underground restaurant serves the best pizzas (€5–8) in
town, straight from the wood-fired oven. It’s also a great place for fish (dishes €9–
16); try the pasta with scampi, tomato, garlic and parsley. Daily dinner only; closed
Nov–Easter.

Al Gallo d’Oro Via Vittorio Emanuele 45 0922 970 249. A cheerful trattoria,
with seats inside and out, serving a fish and seafood menu that’s a cut above most in
town. Typical dishes are pasta tossed with fresh tuna, cherry tomatoes and parsley,
followed by oven-roast bass with potatoes. Expect to pay €30 a head for a full meal à
la carte, or go for the €25 tourist menu. Daily dinner only; closed Oct–May.

Gemelli Via Cala Pisana 2 0922 970 699. Near the airport, and worth the short
walk for a menu full of Tunisian flavour – from appetizers like brik (stuffed savoury
pastries) and merguez sausage to couscous. It’s also excellent for fish, and well worth
the higher-than-normal prices (expect to pay around €50 a head for a full meal).
Reservations essential in Aug. Daily dinner only.

Trattoria del Porto Via Madonna 20 0922 970 516. Best place on the main