ristorazione — Catania · Sicilia
At the foot of Etna, in the historic heart of Catania, an unexpected gateway to Mexico exists. It was opened in 2019 by Manuel Scalia, a Catania native who spent thirteen years among the world's kitchens — five of them in Mexico, studying and absorbing its most authentic culinary soul.
The story begins in Catania, but takes a long detour before coming home. At eighteen, Manuel Scalia left Sicily, opened his first restaurant in Bogotá, and spent over a decade moving through kitchens across three continents. When he returned, he brought back something precise: a firsthand knowledge of a culinary heritage that few in Italy know how to render faithfully. The restaurant opened in 2019.
On Via Umberto I, one of the most emblematic streets of the historic center, sixty seats wrapped in warm colors and a lava-stone frame the building has carried since the 1930s. The setting doesn't imitate Mexico: it reconstructs it in every detail, in the atmosphere, in the imported scents. Those who walk in leave Catania behind without needing a plane ticket.
Every dish is made to order, with imported ingredients and respect for the timing tradition demands. The birria tacos have become the restaurant's signature dish, mentioned in every account from those who return; the guacamole follows the original recipe; the menu is naturally gluten-free and adapts easily to vegan choices, without compromising on substance.
An authentic Mexico, told by someone who truly lived it. The full page for Scalia Comida Mexicana is just a click away.
