Ristorante La SciccheriaAn address for coeliacs
Gluten-free restaurant in Ortigia, Syracuse
At La Sciccheria gluten-free is not a side option: it is part of who we are. With coeliac family members, we know what it means to walk into a restaurant and have to ask, explain and settle for less. Here you don't need to: every dish on the menu has its gluten-free version, from fresh pasta to pinsa, from fried dishes to desserts.
How we work
The full menu, not a reduced one
Every dish on our menu is available gluten-free: raw fish, fresh pasta with the chef's signature dishes, main courses, fried dishes, pinsa and desserts such as cannolo. Not a separate short list, but the same menu every other guest reads.
Dedicated preparation
Gluten-free pasta is cooked in its own pot and its own water, never together with the rest. Fried dishes have a reserved fryer. Gluten-free pinsa has its own oven. Bread and beer are certified packaged products, opened on the spot.
Training for coeliac meals
Carmelo, chef and owner, attended the course for food business operators on preparing meals for coeliacs run by SIAN – ASP Siracusa in 2013. Since then those guidelines are simply the way we work every day.
Fresh pasta too
We make our fresh pasta in house, and it has its gluten-free version: a rare detail that lets a coeliac guest order the Sciccheria, the Melodia or the Maestranza like anyone else.
We tell you upfront
Ours is not an entirely gluten-free kitchen: it is a careful kitchen, with separate equipment for what matters. If your coeliac disease is severe, tell us when you book: we will organise the service accordingly.
“Excellent gluten-free place, exceptional owner, great care. Highly recommended.” — from our guests' reviews
Safety, in practice
People living with coeliac disease are not asking for a different dish: they are asking to be able to trust you. That is why we prefer to explain how we work, rather than simply printing “gluten-free” on the menu.
Gluten-free pasta has its own pot and its own cooking water, which never meet those used for regular pasta. For fried dishes we use a reserved fryer. Gluten-free pinsa is baked in a dedicated oven, separate from the one used for wheat dough. Gluten-free bread and beer are certified packaged products, opened on the spot.
In the dining room gluten-free dishes are marked, so whoever serves knows what they are carrying and to whom: it is a simple chain, and if one link breaks, everyone else's care is not enough.
One thing needs to be said honestly: we work in a kitchen where gluten exists, because we also serve regular pasta and pinsa. The care we take is the care described here, and we take it every day; an entirely separate environment is a different thing, and we do not want to claim we have one. If your coeliac disease requires that level of safety, tell us when booking: we will answer frankly.
Gluten-free pinsa in Ortigia
Pinsa is our pizza: a slow-risen dough, light and fragrant, with fine toppings. It too has its gluten-free version, baked in a dedicated oven: if you are looking for gluten-free pizza in Ortigia you can order the Bufalina, the Parmigiana or the Porcina like everyone else, with the € 1.50 supplement that applies to every course.
What our guests say
The reviews we treasure most come from people who walked in with a question and left reassured.
Excellent gluten-free place, exceptional owner, great care. Highly recommended.
TripadvisorA level of attention to coeliac disease that is genuinely rare.
Tripadvisor
The gluten-free menu
Every section of our menu has its gluten-free version, from fresh pasta to desserts. You can read the full menu, with the list of allergens, in ten languages.
Frequently asked questions
- Which dishes are available gluten-free?
- All of them: from fresh-pasta first courses to fried dishes and desserts such as the cannolo. Dishes may vary with the season and availability — just ask our staff.
- Is the staff trained in coeliac disease?
- Yes. Carmelo, chef and owner, attended the SIAN – ASP Syracuse course for food-sector operators on preparing meals for coeliacs (2013). Our gluten-free preparations have followed those guidelines ever since.
- Is there a supplement for gluten-free versions?
- Yes, €1.50 per dish. Cover and service charge is €3.00.
- Is the fresh pasta available gluten-free too?
- Yes: our fresh pasta has its own gluten-free version, including the chef's signature dishes.
- Do you have gluten-free pizza?
- Yes: our long-fermented pinsa has its own gluten-free version, like the whole menu (€1.50 supplement).
- Do you have gluten-free beer?
- Yes, gluten-free Peroni, 33 cl.
- How do I book if I am coeliac?
- Message us on WhatsApp with date, time, number of guests and how many are coeliac, so we can prepare your service with the right care.
- How do you avoid cross-contamination?
- Gluten-free pasta has a dedicated pot and water, fried dishes a reserved fryer, pinsa a separate oven. Bread and beer are certified packaged products. In the dining room gluten-free dishes are marked for whoever serves them.
- Is the kitchen entirely gluten-free?
- No: we also serve regular pasta and pinsa, so gluten is present in the kitchen. We have separate equipment for gluten-free preparation and daily care, but not an entirely dedicated environment. If your coeliac disease is severe, please tell us when booking.
- Are you a gluten-free pizzeria?
- We serve pinsa, our slow-risen pizza, also gluten-free and baked in a dedicated oven. We are a seafood restaurant with a pinsa oven: you will find both on the same menu.
Where we are
Via Saverio Landolina 14, 96100 Syracuse (Ortigia) — a two-minute walk from the Duomo.