Acireale has a handful of solid trattorias serving traditional Sicilian seafood and pasta. The town is small enough that most restaurants are within walking distance of the cathedral and piazza.
Ristorante Panoramico Santa Maria la Scala, down at the fishing hamlet below the cliff, serves some of the freshest fish on the Ionian coast — whatever came in that morning. The setting, with views over the sea and Etna, makes it worth the steep descent. Trattoria La Cambusa in the town centre is reliable for pasta alla norma (the local favourite, with fried aubergine and ricotta salata) and grilled swordfish. For a late-afternoon granita, Acireale is in the heartland of granita culture — the gelateria stalls around Piazza Duomo serve granita al limone that is bracing and excellent.