Rosa dei Venti In Santa caterina dello ionio

Excellent seafood! Recommended!

Exceptional owners, courteous, attentive, and passionate about their craft. Fresh, high-quality fish, expertly prepared. Delicious flavors. Elegant and welcoming atmosphere. Excellent service.

Let me start by saying that I'm from Trieste, born by the sea, and I know and appreciate seafood very well. I happened upon Rosa dei Venti one weekday in early May and was fortunate enough to chat with the owners, Berna and Lucio. As soon as I saw their eyes light up when they explained the menu and their story, I immediately knew I was in good hands, and I let them do the rest. From the first courses, I sensed the quality of the ingredients (locally sourced), the attention to detail, and the unexpected, never banal pairings. These aren't experiments in nouvelle cuisine, which often please the eye rather than the stomach, but quality and tradition presented in an original way. Among my favorites, besides the appetizers (delicious surprises I won't spoil), are the pasta with scorpionfish, lemon from their garden, and the toasted bread... so delicate! Then the shrimp... the crudités... the potato-crusted cod... the fried foods (the surici were tops!)... And then finishing with Berna's desserts and their own fennel and black cherries... Amazing! There were three of us, and even though we gorged ourselves, there was no weight on our stomachs, we slept very well: quality pays off. All this for a price less than €15-20 compared to the average restaurant in Trieste.... My only regret... is that they are unfortunately too far away :-) I hope to return someday... Thank you so much.

I must make a necessary premise: the food is good, the chef cooks well and loves to pair fresh fish (which they have) with seasonal vegetables. Having made this necessary premise, I must say that from my personal point of view, reading the various previous reviews, this restaurant is overrated. In my opinion, the prices are unjustifiably high, for several reasons: The recent diesel price increases for boats have nothing to do with it, because the prices were similar before; It doesn't have a pleasant outdoor location, or a seafront one, or a great location, but it's on the ground floor of a house with an upper floor and an inconvenient internal parking lot, which is unpaved and has limited spaces; With all due respect to Santa Caterina sullo Jonio, the town doesn't seem to be a tourist hotspot, not on the level of Isola Capo Rizzuto, for example; The service was slow and not up to par with the cuisine; For all these reasons, you can't pay €20 for a basic appetizer without quality fish, with only five tastings included. You can't pay €20 for a fried fish dish. These are just two practical examples. With the prices charged, you'd expect more than what this restaurant offers. So if you have to travel specifically to have lunch at Rosa dei Venti, it's better to choose a restaurant where you can enjoy a beautiful view after lunch or wander around to see "historic sights," just to pass the time. I would say this restaurant needs to "grow" more. I would advise the service or those in charge to be more attentive and considerate, especially towards people with intolerances and allergies. The expression "seedless dish" is confusing, especially when referring to a dish without nuts, which should be announced before being brought to the table. I say this because those with allergies (me in this case) don't know they're supposed to be served a different dish, so they start eating whatever's placed in front of them, unaware that it's the wrong dish. The photo is the appetizer for those with allergies that was brought to me, and I had already started eating it when the one without nuts arrived. It's not good at all. I have to be honest, I expected more from this restaurant, and I'm sorry my expectations weren't met. If I'm ever in the area again, I'm sorry, but I'll eat somewhere else. Since I can't respond directly to the owner, who clearly didn't understand what I wrote, I'll edit my comment. First of all, I wrote that the food was good and that I couldn't comment on the quality of the food. As others have said, I even gave the food 5 stars, right? From the tone of the response, it seems the opposite. Perhaps you're too accustomed to praise that the first constructive criticism (not unimportant, by the way) makes you feel offended. I'm sorry, but my criticism is based on the fact that I've frequented several seafood restaurants and can give you examples of places with their own fish and seafood, which charge different prices than yours and still cook well. I won't name them because it wouldn't be fair or elegant of me. The appetizer was banal because for that price, I expect quality fish, not a small portion of seafood salad, a small bowl of fish and chickpeas, and I understand anchovies to be a "poor" fish. I emphasized that when pricing customers, several factors are taken into account, including the location, and on this I won't accept being contradicted. I believe there's always room for improvement in life, and I also believe you need to increase your commitment, because mistakes like the one about allergies are quite serious, so you need to do much more. As for historic places, I'll tell you: on Sunday I was in Ortigia and I ate some really good spaghetti alla Siracusana. To my surprise, I noticed that they charge 18 euros for mixed fried fish there... in Ortigia, I mean. Best regards.

Beautiful, the restaurant inside is beautiful. But the food and service are even more so. I can't say anything about the prices because I was invited by friends. But I'll definitely be back. Very soon. And I can tell you... Mamma mia, I ate too good!