Street food in Catania: which tour, and what is arancino?
Updated October 18, 2026 · 5 min read
An arancino is a golden, deep-fried ball of rice with a filling, and in Catania it is the first thing to try. If you want to taste the city with someone who explains it, two guided street food walks start in the old town, cost about €59 each and last 3 hours. The most reviewed one has 4.9 stars; of the two, only the other one’s page mentions the fish market.
What an arancino is, and why the word matters
Rice is shaped around a filling, coated in breadcrumbs and fried. The classic fillings are meat ragù or a creamy one. The name means “little orange”, after the colour.
In Catania the word is masculine, arancino, and the shape is often a cone, which is usually explained as a nod to Etna. In Palermo it is arancina, feminine and round. Which word you use is a point of local pride, so in Catania say arancino.
The street food of Catania is more than that:
- Cipollina: a savoury puff pastry parcel filled with tomato, onion, ham and cheese.
- Fried fish: a paper cone of lightly battered fish.
- Cannolo: a crisp pastry shell filled with sweet ricotta cream.
- Granita: a semi-frozen dessert in many flavours.
The two guided street food tours
| Tour | Price | Length | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Street Food Guided Walking Tour (fried fish, arancino, cipollina, cannolo, granita) | about €59 | 3 hours | 4.9 stars, 614 reviews |
| Guided Street Food Walking Tour with market and morning or evening option | €59 | 3 hours | 4.6 stars, 337 reviews |
The first tour: four stops and a full meal
The booking page promises tastings at four or more stops and describes it as a complete meal with drinks. The tastings it lists are fried fish, arancino, cipollina, cannolo and granita, and the included drinks are water and one alcoholic drink, usually a beer. Anything extra you order yourself.
The route starts and ends at the Fountain of the Elephant in Piazza Duomo, and passes the Roman Theatre, Piazza dell’Università and the Roman Amphitheatre. The tour runs in a small group, and the page says vegetarian and other diets are supported if you tell the operator when you book. The page also warns that tastings vary with the season and the time of day.
Two things from the reviews are worth knowing. The reviews call the portions generous, and one says there was simply too much food, so do not eat a big breakfast. And according to the review summary on the booking page, some travellers found it ended earlier than advertised and felt rushed.
The second tour: the fish market and a choice at the table
This one starts at the operator’s office on Via Crociferi, the street known for its Baroque churches. It comes in a morning and an evening version, and they are not the same tour.
In the morning you go to the Pescheria fish market and taste traditional cured meats and cheeses. You then choose between a cone of fried fish and grilled horse-meat meatballs. You also get a selz drink, a cipollina, an arancino and a dessert of your choice: cannolo, granita or cassatina.
In the evening the fish market and the street market are closed, so the programme changes. You pass the Benedictine Monastery, the tastings include bruschette, and you have a glass of local wine on the walk. The cipollina is on the morning tour only.
Its rating of 4.6 is lower than the first tour’s, though the reviews on the booking page praise the guides and the portions. If horse meat is not for you, take the fried fish; the page says you choose.
Which one
You want the market and the old town in the morning: the second tour in its morning version. Of the two food tours, it is the only one whose page mentions the fish market.
You prefer a dinner-hour walk with wine: the evening version of the second tour. One reviewer liked touring in the evening because the streets are full of nightlife and you are not under the sun.
You want the highest rating and the five classics in the title: the first tour. The second lets you choose between fish and horse-meat meatballs and lists cured meats, cheese and a selz drink.
You need to plan around allergies or a diet: write to the operator when you book either tour. Both pages ask for it.
Before you go
Both are walking tours. The first one warns of 10 to 15 minutes of continuous walking between stops, so wear comfortable shoes. If your party is larger than 12 people, the first operator asks you to get in touch before booking. Children under 10 pay a reduced price and infants under 5 go free on the first tour, but they still need a ticket.
If you would rather sit down to eat or cook, see all the food and wine tours in Catania. And if you also want the sights behind the street food, the guide to the Benedictine Monastery and the old town shows how to see them with a guide.
