The story
Taverna La Cialoma sits on Piazza Regina Margherita in Marzamemi, the first restaurant to open on the square when the fishing village was still a little-known backwater. Chef Lina Campisi, granddaughter of the last rais (master fisherman) of the local tuna fishery, returned to her roots eighteen years ago to open a place that honours the sea and her family’s history. The name itself – cialoma – is the work song the tonnara fishermen sang as they hauled their nets.
The restaurant feels like a film set: turquoise chairs, hand-embroidered tablecloths, and ceramic pots painted with puppets, fish, and sirens by Lina and local artists. Every element is personal. Lina cooks from memory – the recipes of her mother and grandmother, the fish she learned to clean as a child on the dock. Her cooking is direct, seasonal, and deeply Sicilian. “I treat the humblest little fish like kings of the sea,” she says. She makes her own bottarga, salt-cured anchovies, and preserves, using local olive oil from Chiaramonte Gulfi. Standout dishes include polpette di neonata – tiny fish croquettes shaped by hand, a labour of love that speaks to her belief in manual craft.
Lina’s children work alongside her: Chiara and Totò in the kitchen, Azzurra on desserts, Davide managing the wine cellar and dining room. The restaurant’s warm, unhurried atmosphere reflects this family bond. Its quality has not gone unnoticed – Taverna La Cialoma earned a Michelin Recommended distinction, a fitting tribute to a kitchen that turns simple, fresh ingredients into something memorable. For anyone seeking authentic Sicilian seafood in a place that feels both timeless and lived-in, this is it.
Recognition
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