Restaurant in Taormina, Italy
Book the terrace. Michelin star. Dinner only.
Principe Cerami holds a Michelin star (2024) and the best formal dining terrace in Taormina, set inside the San Domenico Palace. Chef Massimo Mantarro's cooking draws from across Sicily — sea, mountain, and volcanic terrain — with a 1,190-bottle wine list to match. Dinner only; book four to six weeks ahead minimum in summer.
Yes — with one important condition: come in summer, and book the terrace. Principe Cerami holds a Michelin star (2024) and sits inside the San Domenico Palace, one of Sicily's most storied hotel addresses. Chef Massimo Mantarro has been at the stoves here long enough to survive the hotel's full renovation and come out the other side with the same kitchen philosophy intact. At the €€€€ price tier with a typical two-course meal running €66 and above, this is Taormina's most credentialed fine-dining table — and for a special dinner with the right conditions, it earns it.
Principe Cerami is a dinner-only restaurant, operating every night from 6:30 PM to 10 PM. There is no lunch service, so the question of lunch versus dinner is answered for you: if you want Mantarro's cooking, dinner is your only option. That actually works in the restaurant's favour. The summer terrace at the San Domenico Palace becomes the main event as the sun drops and the lights of the Sicilian coast appear below , the setting is doing real work here, and an evening slot maximises it. If you've visited once and ate indoors, coming back specifically for a terrace table in July or August is reason enough to return.
Mantarro's cooking is framed around the whole of Sicily rather than a single coastal tradition. The sourcing moves between sea, mountain, and volcanic terrain , Etna's agricultural belt, the Ionian catch, the island's interior produce. Seasonal fruits and vegetables are treated as primary ingredients, not garnish. The wine list is substantial: 1,190 selections across 3,550 bottles, with particular depth in Sicilian and Italian labels alongside a serious French section. Pricing on the list sits at the mid tier , not cheap, but not punitive for a restaurant of this level. Sommelier Alessandro Malfitana and Samuele Indelicato manage the cellar, and with that inventory, ask for a Sicilian bottle if you want something specific to the region and the meal.
Since Principe Cerami only serves dinner, the comparison worth making is between an early dinner here versus a lunch at one of Taormina's other leading tables. If your priority is value, La Capinera at the €€€ tier serves lunch and delivers Sicilian cooking with genuine craft at a lower price point. If you want the San Domenico Palace experience specifically , the terrace, the setting, the Michelin-starred tasting menu , then dinner at Principe Cerami is not replaceable by a midday alternative. Go early in the evening slot, around 6:30 PM, if you want the transition from late light to dusk over the water. That timing is the practical equivalent of what a lunch terrace experience would give you elsewhere.
If you're returning after a first visit and want to go deeper, request the terrace explicitly and lean into the wine pairing , the cellar depth rewards it. For first-timers, the tasting menu format lets Mantarro's island-spanning sourcing logic play out in sequence, which is the most coherent way to read the cooking. This is a better fit for two than for a larger group, given the fine-dining format and the intimacy of the setting. If you're planning a significant occasion , anniversary, milestone birthday , Principe Cerami is the most defensible choice in Taormina at this price tier. The Michelin credential and the San Domenico setting carry weight.
For context on how this kitchen sits within the broader Italian fine-dining conversation: it's operating at the same credentialed level as restaurants like Dal Pescatore in Runate or Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence, though with a more distinctly regional focus. If you're building a trip around Italy's serious dining tables , including Osteria Francescana in Modena or Le Calandre in Rubano , Principe Cerami belongs on the itinerary as the Sicilian representative.
Hours: Dinner only, Monday to Sunday, 6:30 PM – 10 PM. Budget: €€€€ price tier; typical two-course meal from €66 before wine. Wine list mid-tier markup with 1,190 selections. Reservations: Hard to secure , book at least four to six weeks ahead for summer, longer for August peak. The Michelin star and San Domenico Palace profile mean demand consistently outpaces availability in high season. Dress: Smart dress expected at minimum; this is a formal Michelin-starred setting inside a luxury hotel. Location: Piazza San Domenico 5, Taormina. The San Domenico Palace address is well-known; arriving by taxi is the most practical approach given Taormina's limited car access in the historic centre. Google rating: 4.4 from 30 reviews. Wine team: Alessandro Malfitana (Wine Director) and Samuele Indelicato (Sommelier).
Booking is hard. This is a Michelin-starred restaurant inside one of Taormina's flagship hotels, which means it draws both hotel guests and outside diners competing for the same tables. In summer, treat it like a hot reservation in any major city: check availability early, book directly through the San Domenico Palace hotel, and if your preferred date isn't available, ask to be put on a cancellation list. Midweek slots in late June or early September offer the leading combination of availability and terrace weather. If Principe Cerami is full and you need a comparable dinner, Otto Geleng at the same €€€€ tier is your next call.
For more on dining and staying in Taormina, see our full Taormina restaurants guide, Taormina hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide.
Yes , it's the strongest case in Taormina for a milestone dinner. The Michelin star (2024), the San Domenico Palace setting, and the island-spanning tasting menu format all support an occasion-driven booking. At the €€€€ tier, the price aligns with the setting. For a comparable occasion dinner at lower cost, La Capinera at €€€ is worth considering, but it doesn't carry the same formal hotel backdrop.
Principe Cerami serves dinner only (6:30 PM – 10 PM, seven days a week), so there is no lunch to compare against. If you want the terrace at its leading, book early in the evening slot for the late-light view over the Sicilian coast. For a Taormina lunch at a high level, La Capinera is the practical alternative.
At the €€€€ price point with a Michelin star behind it, the tasting menu is the right format here. Mantarro's cooking is built around the full range of Sicilian ingredients , sea, mountain, volcanic produce , and the tasting format is how that logic reads most coherently. If you've been once and ordered à la carte, the tasting menu is the reason to return. For a starred tasting menu elsewhere in Italy at a similar level, Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico offers a useful comparison point for how regional sourcing philosophy can anchor a tasting format.
Four to six weeks minimum for summer; eight weeks or more for August. The Michelin star, the hotel's international profile, and the finite terrace capacity make this one of the harder bookings in Sicily during peak season. September eases slightly but still warrants advance planning. If you're within two weeks of your travel date and tables are gone, go to the waitlist and also check Otto Geleng as a backup.
Smart to formal. This is a Michelin-starred restaurant inside the San Domenico Palace , one of Sicily's most formal hotel addresses , and the dress expectation matches. Smart casual may be tolerated, but jacket-level dressing for men and equivalent for women is the practical standard. Arriving underdressed risks discomfort in a room where the setting and the other guests will likely be dressed up.
At €€€€ with a Michelin star and the San Domenico Palace terrace, yes , provided you go in summer and secure an outdoor table. The combination of credentialed cooking, a deep Sicilian wine list, and one of Taormina's leading settings makes the price defensible. If the price tier is a stretch, La Capinera at €€€ delivers serious Sicilian cooking at lower cost. If you want a different €€€€ experience in Taormina with a distinct style, St. George by Heinz Beck is the direct comparison.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Principe Cerami | Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Hard |
| St. George by Heinz Beck | Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| La Capinera | Sicilian | €€€ | Unknown |
| Otto Geleng | Mediterranean Cuisine | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Vineria Modì | Italian Contemporary | €€€ | Unknown |
| Blum | Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Unknown |
A quick look at how Principe Cerami measures up.
Yes — it's one of the strongest special-occasion cases in Taormina. A 2024 Michelin star, a terrace set within the San Domenico Palace, and dinner-only service (6:30–10 PM every night) give the evening a clear sense of occasion. Request the terrace explicitly when booking; the room inside is a fallback, not the draw.
Dinner is your only option — Principe Cerami does not serve lunch. That actually simplifies the decision: if you want a Michelin-starred meal in Taormina, this is an evening commitment at €€€€ pricing. For daytime dining, La Capinera or Otto Geleng are worth considering instead.
At €€€€ with a wine list of 1,190 selections and 3,550 bottles, the pairing route adds real depth. Chef Massimo Mantarro's cooking draws on seasonal Sicilian produce — sea, mountain, and volcanic ingredients — so a tasting menu is the format that shows the range. If you're coming once, it's the better call over ordering à la carte.
Book at least 3–4 weeks out in high summer, longer if you want the terrace specifically. This is a Michelin-starred restaurant inside one of Taormina's flagship hotels, which means it fills from both hotel guests and outside diners simultaneously. Off-peak months give more flexibility, but don't assume availability.
The setting is a grand hotel dining room with terrace at the €€€€ price point and Michelin-star level — formal or smart formal is the appropriate read. Linen suits and evening dresses are standard in summer; avoid casual resort wear. The terrace doesn't make it relaxed; it makes it more theatrical.
For Taormina, yes — this is the clearest Michelin-backed case in the area, and the terrace at the San Domenico Palace provides a setting that few restaurants at any price can match in summer. The two-course benchmark starts at €66 before wine, and wine pricing is mid-tier markup ($$), so the evening doesn't have to spiral if you're selective. If you're price-sensitive, La Capinera offers strong Sicilian cooking at a lower entry point.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
