Radici

Radici, Modica: The Verdict

Coming back to Radici a second time is when the place earns its keep. The first visit, you are absorbed by the setting: the Hotel Borgo La Chiaracia grounds, the terrace overlooking the valley folds of the Iblean hills, the elegant dining room that makes Modica's other restaurants feel more casual by comparison. On a return visit, that novelty recedes and what remains is the food itself; creative Sicilian cooking grounded in regional producers, recognised with a Michelin Plate in 2025. That recognition is the right level: this is serious cooking with a clear point of view, not yet at star level, but worth making a reservation for if you are planning a special occasion dinner or a group meal that needs to justify its setting.

The Space and What It Delivers

The physical case for Radici is strong. The hotel setting separates it from every other restaurant in Modica: you are not eating above a baroque street or tucked into a hillside cave conversion, you are in a property that has been designed for guests who want to stay somewhere rather than just pass through. The outdoor terrace is the room to request in good weather. It sits within the property's verdant grounds, the valley views make this credibly one of the more atmospheric dining rooms in southeastern Sicily. Inside, the dining room is formal enough for a business dinner without being stiff; linen, considered lighting, service that reflects the hotel's register.

For groups or private dining, this configuration matters. The hotel context means Radici can support the kind of occasion that needs more than a table in a neighbourhood trattoria. If you are organising a birthday dinner, an anniversary, or a small corporate event in the Val di Noto area, the combination of terrace and interior space gives flexibility that peer restaurants in Modica cannot easily match. Fattoria delle Torri is the main competitor for formal occasion dining in town, but it does not have the outdoor space or the hotel infrastructure behind it.

The Food: Origini 20 and Why It Matters

Radici offers both à la carte and tasting menus. The tasting menu that drew specific attention from Michelin inspectors is the Origini 20, in which every ingredient is sourced within 20 kilometres of the restaurant. For a region as agriculturally specific as the Modica area, Ragusano cheese, Ispica tomatoes, Vittoria wines, local almonds and carob, this is not a marketing constraint, it is a genuine editorial filter on what ends up on the plate. The result is a menu that tells you something about where you are, which is more than you can say for most tasting menus at this price tier.

At the €€ price range, Radici sits in the same bracket as Fattoria delle Torri but offers a more produced, hotel-restaurant level of experience. If you want to understand the Origini 20 format before booking, the concept is comparable in ambition, though not in price, to the hyper-local sourcing models used at Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico, where a 50km sourcing rule shapes the menu. Radici applies the same logic at a much more accessible price point.

Ratings and Trust Signals

• Michelin Plate (2025), inspector recognition for creative Sicilian cooking with strong local sourcing
• , solid across a meaningful sample size
• Price range: €€, mid-range by Italian dining standards, good value given the hotel setting

Booking and Practical Details

Booking difficulty is rated Easy. Radici sits inside a hotel property, which typically means a more structured reservation process than a standalone restaurant, contact Hotel Borgo La Chiaracia directly to book. Given the setting, booking in advance for terrace seating in summer or for groups of four or more is sensible. Walk-in availability will depend on hotel occupancy, the terrace fills during high season in the Val di Noto.

The address is Via Clemente Grimaldi, 55, 97015 Modica RG. For getting oriented in the wider area, see our full Modica restaurants guide, our full Modica hotels guide, our full Modica bars guide, our full Modica wineries guide, and our full Modica experiences guide.

Practical Comparison: Radici vs. Modica Peers

Where Radici Sits in the Wider Sicilian Context

Within Sicily, the restaurants with full Michelin stars are concentrated in Palermo, Taormina, the coastal strip. La Capinera in Taormina and I Pupi in Bagheria are the obvious comparators if you want starred Sicilian cooking. Radici is not at that level, but it is the most considered dining option in the Modica area, the Origini 20 menu gives it a distinct identity that neither of those restaurants replicates. If your trip is based in the Val di Noto rather than the north coast, Radici is the right booking for a serious dinner. For broader reference points across Italy's highest-end creative cooking, venues like Osteria Francescana in Modena, Le Calandre in Rubano, and Piazza Duomo in Alba operate in a different tier entirely, Radici is a Michelin Plate restaurant at a mid-range price, not a destination in that class, but it does not need to be. For what it is and where it is, the booking makes sense.