da Carmelo in Free municipal consortium of Syracuse

"I ate dinner here twice this trip, being drawn in by the outside heat lamps and the non-invasive waiter who smiled when I walked past the first night. Night one I had a foccacia with 3 soft cheeses, and chickpea fritters that were out of this world. Delicate shell and delicious! Tonight i tried their pizza, even though im not a pizza fan. This also delivered, as well as the tiramisu with the cold coffee poured on top. The service is impeccable, they are super attentive without being too much. I will definately be back on my next trip."

"My favorite restaurant in Ortigia by far. I came for the first time in December, and am now back in Ortigia one month later and knew I had to eat here again. The pizza is excellent. I also love the chickpea fritters and the croquettes. The tiramisu is phenomenal - seriously be sure to save room for it. The ambiance is excellent. The staff are outstanding: friendly, kind and very good at what they do. I’ll be back and will recommend to everyone."

"We had pizza here and it was delicious. The flavors were light, fresh, and very tasty. I especially loved their spicy olive oil, and the tiramisu was excellent. The service was very friendly and welcoming. Highly recommended!"

"After enjoying our first meal at Da Carmelo, we decided it was only fitting to make it our last meal in Ortigia as well. The food was outstanding, and we received wonderful guidance from Elvis, our attentive and knowledgeable waiter. We ordered a Gorgonzola pizza, and Elvis suggested adding the pear jam from our antipasto course to the pizza—an inspired recommendation that was absolutely delicious. We also had their carbonara, which turned out to be the best pasta we had anywhere in Italy. The service throughout was excellent—our hosts didn’t miss a thing. On our final visit, the waitstaff even remembered us from our first meal and offered additional recommendations, all of which were spot-on. The restaurant itself is impeccably clean, beautifully designed, and thoughtfully laid out, with comfortable seating that made it easy to linger and fully enjoy the experience. I would highly recommend Da Carmelo to anyone visiting Ortigia."

"Absolutely outstanding experience. The pizza was incredibly delicious, the tiramisu was one of the best I’ve ever had, and the coffee / espresso was simply excellent. What truly stood out, however, was the service. The staff was exceptionally well trained — always appearing from the right side at exactly the right moment, yet remaining discreet and pleasantly reserved the rest of the time. Attentive without being intrusive. Honestly, the service was the highlight of the entire evening. The atmosphere is perfect for a date or a dinner for two. The acoustics of the space are impressive: high-end speakers downstairs, tasteful older music that perfectly matches the architecture, and well-designed sound-absorbing elements that prevent any echo in this beautiful old building. The result is a calm, intimate soundscape despite the historic setting. Lighting was superb, everything felt very precise, thoughtfully designed, and perfectly coordinated. From the food to the ambiance to the service, every detail was handled with care. Highly recommended — and once again, the service deserves special praise."

"Our family returned here on our last night in Sicily because they have the very best tiramisu we have had in our month long trip. It’s unique in that warm espresso is poured over the dessert at the table. Delicious! But the real pleasure of the night was the service. Elvis called our 8 month old granddaughter by name when we entered the restaurant. That was impressive! He made both nights thoroughly enjoyable."

"We’ve gone back for lunch every day so far! This is very authentic Italian pizza, meaning a few high quality ingredients, hand made dough and fresh in-house mozzarella. It’s not traditional to use sauce, so the ingredients really shine. Great cocktails too, and Elise was very friendly and gracious. It’s close to all the major sides in Old Town Otigia, tucked away in a charming alley-street. We highly recommend!"

"Simply exquisite!! I am so happy we found this lovely little spot to make our day amazing! What started out as a rocket start in Syracusa turned out to be amazing! We LOVED the food which was so typical for the region as well as the delicious wine (organic and local to boot) and the service!! Everything was perfect!!! And the atmosphere does not disappoint!!!! You MUST COME HERE!! It’s simply amazing and typically Sicilian. LOVE!!"