IGEA Bioshop

Sells seitan products and vegan burgers etc. Also soy yoghurt (fruit flavoured packs of 4) vegan margarine (although there was only one left in the fridge when I visited). I wasn't self catering and just after some snacks and I bought a bag of delicious chocolate cookies, but couldn't find any single portion vegan snacks or yoghurts. Had I been self catering this shop would have been really handy.

Although a very few frozen things have meat, the owner is a vegetarian and the inventory is probably 99% veg. Like everything in Taormina it is pricey. But it's the only place where you can find descent food to cook for yourself if you are renting an apartment and cheaper than eating at a Taormina restaurant. Ideal for students at the nearby Scuola Babilonia who rent apartments and want to practice talking with a local. The owner's English is mediocre, which is a pro if you are studying Italian and want someone who won't speak English to you like all the waiters at the restaurants insist on doing. Though obviously a con if you don't know a word of Italian.

I found some things I could not find in the US, like a delicious green spinach veggie burger. Also had fruit juices without sugar added; the traditional grocery store on the other side of town only carried juices with added sugar.

I think he is not accustomed to having too many tourists. Besides the mediocre English, the first time I made a purchase he did the transaction in US dollars instead of Euros, which results in more paying more fees to the credit card vendor but is no benefit to the merchant. Second visit I asked to make sure he runs the transaction in Euros and it was no problem.