The 13 Best Dinner Experiences in Sicily

1.Pizza and Gelato Cooking Class with Dinner and Wine

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 951 reviews · 3 hours · from $71Our pick

At Towns of Italy’s Palermo cooking school, a local chef guides you through pizza dough, toppings and chocolate gelato, with a demonstration of how to make the cone. You’ll eat what you make with wine or soft drinks, and take home a digital recipe booklet. Instructors include Lidia and Marcello, though your chef may vary.

“It was a great experience in a nice atmosphere. With special souvenirs.”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Cooking lesson in Catania with lunch or dinner

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 154 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $119Top rated

In Catania, chefs including Agata and Simona guide you through Sicilian dishes in a professional kitchen. You may prepare bruschetta, sweet-and-sour caponata, fresh pasta alla Norma and cannoli, then share the meal with Sicilian wine. The class lasts about three hours, runs in English and is limited to 14 people.

“This was a very hands-on cooking experience in a local’s kitchen. Our instructor spoke great English and our host/owner spoke minimal English. However, she was gracious and engaged with us as she was able. The food was OUTSTANDING, and it was a perfect introduction to the cuisine we would encounter on our Sicilian adventure.”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Dining Experience at a Local’s Home

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 46 reviews · 3 hours · from $100

Join a Cesarina host in her Cefalù home for a private three-hour lunch or dinner. Watch a cooking demonstration, then sit down to four courses of family recipes, with water, regional red and white wines, and coffee. Hosts speak English and Italian. The host’s address is sent after booking, and dietary needs can be discussed with the organizer.

“Rosamaria is the heart of Cefalú! Her knowledge of local cuisine, food preparation, and execution all added to the experience. Her home was beautiful and my partner and I were lucky enough to catch the sunset. She explained each dish and its importance to Cefalú or Sicily. We highly recommend this experience!”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Dining Experience at a Local’s Home

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 32 reviews · 3 hours · from $105

Join a Cesarine host in a private Palermo home for a three-hour lunch or dinner. Watch a cooking demonstration, then sit down to four courses: starter, pasta, main with a side, and dessert. Water, regional red and white wine, and coffee are included. Hosts and recipes vary, and dietary needs can be discussed after booking.

“Det var en spændende oplevelse. Vi følte os meget velkommen hos Antonella, og hun tilberedte lækker lokal mad til os. Det kan varmt anbefales 😊”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Wellness in the Pink Salt Pans with Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 21 reviews · 7 hours · from $79

Spend about seven hours at the Isola Grande salt pans, with a short boat ride from the Ettore e Infersa saltworks, a guided arrival and time in pools with different salt concentrations. After a solar shower, sit down to a Sicilian buffet dinner. Bring a towel, swimwear and warm layers; drinks and the boat fare cost extra.

“Escursione pazzesca! Immergersi nelle saline è proprio un’esperienza che non si può perdere! La cena e la location della stessa sono spettacolari … e i gestori hanno assecondato le nostre intolleranze senza nessun problema creando un menu dedicato. GRAZIE MILLE!”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Dining Experience at a Local’s Home

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 20 reviews · 3 hours · from $100

Join a Cesarina host in a private Catania home for a three-hour meal and cooking demonstration. You’ll see how family recipes are made, then share four courses, regional wine, water, and coffee. Hosts including Maurizio have shown couples how to make fresh pasta, and one hosted lunch even included songs composed for the diners.

“Maruzio was wonderful, what a fantastic host. There was so much tasty and delicious food. He showed us how to make homemade pasta his kindness and love for cooking really shone through. It was the perfect afternoon. I highly recommend this activity for anyone who loves great food. Such a kind and generous host.”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Authentic Sicilian Dinner with a Local Chef

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 15 reviews · 4 hours · from $88

In Palermo, join a local chef for a four-hour dinner of Sicilian starters, pasta or another main, dessert, and local wine. Fulvio is the guide named in accounts of related Palermo food outings. Expect a small group, a home-style setting, and a menu that can include panelle, cannolo, sea bass, and Marsala.

“We had excellent time with guide Fulvio. Recomend to eweryone who want to try diferent street food in Palermo with touch of history. Fulvio prepared some food surprises. I can't tell you more. Try it.”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.Dining Experience at a Local’s Home

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 15 reviews

Spend about three hours at a private meal hosted by a local family in Taormina. Expect four courses, a cooking demonstration, water, regional red and white wines, coffee, and an official apron to take home. Hosts can vary. Donatella Rapisardi and his mother have hosted, but confirm the host, language, and demonstration details before booking.

“Lovely warm family atmosphere and host! The food was incredible. Whet our appetite so going to their bistro tonight!”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.Dining Experience at a Local’s Home

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 12 reviews · 3 hours · from $100

Spend three hours at a local family’s home in Ragusa for a private four-course lunch or dinner, with a cooking demo and water, regional wines, and coffee included. Hosts Salvina and Angelo have welcomed visitors with traditional cooking and a chance to make pasta or pizza, though your assigned Cesarina may differ. The address is provided after booking.

“We loved it all! A first class experience - not to be missed!! Salvina was an amazing Chef and a lovely person too. She and her husband were very kind to us and treated us like family. We had such a very special time with them both. They were the perfect hosts! We enjoyed helping Salvina make the pasta and learnt lots about the traditional Sicilian food. We sat down and had a wonderful 4 course meal with Salvina and her husband washed down with homemade wine and homemade Limoncello. It was ‘perffecto’!”

Check availability →Read our full review

10.Palermo Lunch or Dinner at Home & Private Chef

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 10 reviews

Meet near Palermo Cathedral, then join a chef in a historic home overlooking Piazza San Domenico for a three-hour, seasonal Sicilian meal. Expect four courses, Sicilian wines and a sweet wine to finish. Fish, beef, vegetarian and gluten-free menus can be requested. The experience is listed as a private group, with a minimum of two people.

“Es hat uns 5 Damen sehr gut gefallen! Absolut empfehlenswert! Wurden pünktlich am vereinbarten Treffpunkt von Mutter und Tochter abgeholt und dann in Ei wunderschönen altes Gebäude direkt in der Altstadt geführt ! Die von der Tochter zubereiteten sizilianischen Speisen waren hervorragend! Leckere Weine inklusive . Sehr nette freundschaftliche Atmosphäre! Jederzeit wieder !”

Check availability →Read our full review

11.Cooking Class with lunch or dinner

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 7 reviews · from $107

Spend three hours cooking and eating Sicilian dishes in an equipped Catania kitchen. You’ll help prepare bruschetta, caponata or eggplant parmigiana, a pasta dish, and cannoli, then share the meal with Sicilian wine. Classes are led in English or Italian, with Simona named by one participant as a friendly, clear teacher.

“The course was amazing and very informative, the instructor was friendly and helpful and food turned out great. Make sure you come hungry!”

Check availability →Read our full review

12.Aci Trezza boat tour sunset and dinner sicilian family home

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · from $100

Join guide Arturo and captain Giovanni for a small-group sunset boat ride past Lachea Island and the Faraglioni, with a guided swim stop at the caves near Ognina. Then travel from Aci Trezza to Acireale for a three-hour Sicilian family dinner with regional food, wine and dessert. The four-hour outing is limited to five people.

“We had a great time! Boat tour was at night, beautiful views of the city from the ocean and good history telling from Arturo. The family was so nice, we exchanged pictures of work and family and talked about traveling. Food was SO delicious (it was also a lot haha) lots of foods to try and AMAZING cannolis to end!”

Check availability →Read our full review

13.Sicilian Cuisine Social Cooking Class & Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · from $124

Meet chef Antonio at 6:00 pm for a 3.5-hour cooking class in his outdoor home kitchen near Palermo. Prepare seasonal Sicilian dishes, then sit down with Antonio and his family for a four-course dinner with wine, coffee, and limoncello. Fish, meat, and vegetarian menus are possible; request vegetarian dishes in advance.

“My daughter, son, and I had an amazing time cooking with Antonio! The entire night was an experience we will never forget, and one we are so happy to have shared with one another. Antonio’s beautiful outdoor kitchen and dining area provides a lovely and relaxing environment to enjoy, and his friendly and welcoming personality makes everyone feel special and at home. I highly recommend taking his class, if I didn’t live across the o ran, I’d take it regularly! Thank you Antonio, and your family, for an evening that will live on in our hearts forever!”

Check availability →Read our full review