It used to be the Austrian Andreas Zangerl as Head Chef at Casa Grugno, but he has moved on. The restaurant is still owned by Enrico Briguglio and with the same Sommelier and Restaurant Manager Antonio Currò, but the new Head Chef is David Tamburini. The cuisine of Casa Grugno today is totally different compared to how it was with the old Head Chef, but nothing wrong with that. The new trio of Casa Grugno offers a splendid dinner experience.

Casa Grugno is located in the north east part of Sicily perched high above the sea and with gorgeous views of Mount Etna in the marvellous town of Taormina. Originally the restaurant was a palace owned by the Catalan family Grugno, who lived in Taormina in the fifteenth century, the structure has been reconfigured into a fine eating house. The exterior has the Renaissance windows and Gothic portals, imparting the sense of history you find everywhere in Sicily, but the interior designed by Enrico Briguglio surprises with its cartoon-like scene of renaissance plastering emulating a hall from the past.

If you are used to have your haute cuisine in Paris you will be pleased with the incredible value for money when you dine at Casa Grugno or any of the other star restaurants in Sicily. How about 75 Euros for a tasting menu and 35 Euros of excellent wine pairing? You can choose between a fish or a meat tasting menu for the same price and both equally good and the wine pairings of locally produced Sicilian wines suggested by Antonio Currò are all impeccable.

The success trio of the restaurant will have a presence in the dining room for the major part of your dinner so you will always have someone to talk food with even if it has to be in Italian if you are about to talk with Enrico Briguglio. Antonio Currò will serve you some of the island’s best wine and in addition also some of the island’s best olive oil that is something extraordinary and especially for people not used to the wonderful olive oil culture that you will find around the European side of the Mediterranean.

The new Head Chef David Tamburini has nothing to worry about. His interpretations of black pork cheek, seaweed bulghur salad with red prawns and potato cream with hazelnuts and mozzarella are all spot-on and those just to mention a few. Small details here and there that still need improvements, but it is mostly about details and David Tamburini has just started so he has a great time in front of him.

Written by Andy