Prinsendam in Messina: help with food?

[manteonc]

First, yes I know that there are port forums and I have scoured them all. We have a day in Messina and plan to stay in town, as we have been to the nearby town and greek theatre and, since this is our next to the last day, we just want to stay close and relax. Our question: does anyone know of any place to eat in Messina? I am coming up blank, except for one person's note about a cannoli shop and one note about a panini. We don't want fancy or even sit down necessarily. We just would love to find some Sicilian food, maybe a fruit cart, gelato? Has anyone eaten anything in Messina? The people who work there must eat Somewhere! Thank you.

[Stratheden]

We never plan. We just walk through the town and find something that looks good. A good tip is to eat where the locals are eating as that usually indicates that it is good.

[IslandThyme]

A quick visit to Trip Advisor shows 53 restaurant recommendations.

[OlsSalt]

Check out the major department stores like UPIM or COIN in Messina - they can have dining sometimes on the top floor or prepared, fresh food markets which can be a way to point and choose a combination that looks good. In Palermo we went to a dining establishment on the top floor of UPIM that specialized in fresh (very fresh) mozzarella cheese with various side dishes. it was a total delight and something very local and Italian.

 

Sicily is certainly famous for its marzipan - this ground almond treat coming to Sicily from North Africa before it went on to Germany and Scandinavia - some gorgeous marzipan creations that makes one a believer even if one thinks they don't like marzipan.

[manteonc]

A quick visit to Trip Advisor shows 53 restaurant recommendations.

 

In Messina??? I have looked at so many different food pages in Trip Advisor and found only the two tiny items noted above. I will go and look again, but if you could provide a link to the page it would be great. I must be looking in the wrong place!

[manteonc]

IslandThyme: thank you! I went back to trip advisor and found the page. I have no idea what the pages were I was seeing, but this wasn't it. This is more like it.

[OlsSalt]

There is a chain sandwich shop La TASTeria on Via Garibaldi in Messina by the ship dock that gets good, popular dining reviews, since you said stand-up and casual was okay:. https://www.latasteria.it/?utm_source=tripadvisor&utm_medium=referral

Here are the Messina province links as well as the types of sandwiches they offer: https://www.latasteria.it/tipologia/messina/

Only in Italian but the photos help and some of the ingredient terms are familiar. The raw red tuna looked good to me. https://www.latasteria.it/prodotto/pantaste-tonnara/

Some info in English: la tasteria messina

[Folkaltered]

We were just in Messina a couple of weeks ago. There are little storefront delis, cafes and bakeries sprinkled around ground floor storefronts throughout the main square, a very easy walk from the ship. Something not to miss, the cathedral in the main square has an incredible clock tower that puts on a show at noon. Google it, it’s amazing, with a golden rooster that crows, a golden lion that roars, etc. there’s a sidewalk cafe near the clock tower if you want lunch, drinks and free WiFi. There’s also a big crowd in the square to watch the clock tower show, as well as a viewing stand:).

[cruisemom42]

I love arancini (rice balls with various stuffings like meat, cheese, spinach, pine nuts); they are a Sicilian specialty. I can highly recommend the ones here:

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187889-d3182890-r366827753-Rosticceria_Fratelli_Famulari-Messina_Province_of_Messina_Sicily.html

 

It's not really a restaurant but a rosticceria -- like a take-out place. But there is some seating.

[kazu]

Go where the locals go. It's not hard. The menus may not have pictures ;)

 

tons and tons of places to eat here. Just take a look and see who's there.

 

We just go by ear in most cases (unless a Fado or Flamenco performance is calling to us) and have had fabulous meals following that strategy.

[sansterre]

A year ago, we had a light lunch on the main street across from the dock/shuttle. We wished we had gone to an inside restaurant as we were constantly bothered by flies. Also, there were beggars and people wanting to sell us something. Look for something inside, rather than a sidewalk cafe.

[tjcox9]

Quite a bit off the beaten path, but on our first stop in Messina, my research showed us to this restaurante Trattoria Paradisiculo. We went again the next time we were there with similar results.

It's family run and minimal English is spoken. DH is of Sicilian background, but only has a smattering of Italian/Sicilian but we worked it out! We visited the next time we were there, and the same was true. Just remember, it is truly Italian/Sicilian but I'd definitely visit again so if you are looking for Italian Americanized, you won't find it here. We saw Grandma in the kitchen making some roulades (roll-ups) of some kind. It's not the easiest place to find as it's in a local neighborhood. We walked but taxis will of course be available.

And their lunch hours are much later than ours. As I recall, they open at 1:00 PM.

Thanks for opportunity to reminisce...............

[manteonc]

Thank you all for the great advice. I have your recommendations written down and will do my best to try them all in one day!