Vineria Modì — Sicilian / Wine-Focused, Taormina
Vineria Modì by Dalila Grillo arrived in the 2025 Michelin Guide with its first star — a recognition of a restaurant that has been building quietly toward this acknowledgment since Grillo assembled one of the most serious wine cellars in Sicily. With over 1000 fine labels, selected with the knowledge of a sommelier who has spent years understanding the relationship between wine and food rather than merely collecting bottles, the cellar is the foundation upon which the restaurant has been built.
The kitchen is designed to serve the wine rather than compete with it — a philosophy that sounds modest but, in practice, requires extraordinary culinary skill to execute properly. The menu is seasonal, Sicilian in its reference points, and constructed around the pairings that the cellar makes possible. Dishes are technically precise without the architectural complexity that can make a dish feel like a demonstration: the goal is always flavour in the service of the wine, and the wine in the service of the occasion.
The setting is a sleek, minimalist space that combines the visual confidence of contemporary design with warm, local materials — lava stone from Etna, Sicilian ceramics, timber from the island’s forests. The contrast with Taormina’s more grandiose hotel restaurants is deliberate: Modì is making a different argument about what serious dining looks like.
Vineria Modì has already established itself as the Taormina restaurant of choice for wine professionals visiting Sicily — the cellar’s depth across the island’s appellations, the mainland Italian regions, and France makes it a destination for serious wine engagement that the more food-focused restaurants cannot match.
Best Occasion: Solo Dining
The wine-first philosophy makes Modì ideal for the solo diner who approaches the meal through the glass. The sommelier engages with individual guests with the attention and enthusiasm of someone who genuinely wants to introduce the cellar’s most interesting bottles to the right audience. The counter seating allows the solo diner to observe both the kitchen and the floor simultaneously.
Best Occasion: Close a Deal
A Michelin-starred restaurant organised around an exceptional cellar provides the ideal conditions for business dining that advances rather than interrupts. The conversation about wine — which Grillo’s team handles with practised grace — provides a natural framework for business discussion. The shorter lunch format is efficient; the full dinner is a statement.