Palermo’s 11 Best Restaurants and Osterie for Local Flavour

This is the sort of unpretentious place that endears visitors to Palermo, despite the Naples homage woven into its name. A mainstay of the Borgo Vecchio neighbourhood – the onetime stomping ground of sailors – Piccolo Napoli’s menu is heavy on no-frills local basics. Follow the cues of the regulars and ask what’s good that day, rather than ordering off the menu – but if you’re shy, you can’t go wrong with the golden-baked, breadcrumb-stuffed sardines (sarde a beccafico).

Vespri’s drinking-tavern decor is the only part of this upscale spot that says osteria, a category that usually has more rustic connotations. Part of Palazzo Gangi – featured in Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard – and across from Palermo’s Modern Art Gallery, Vespri is a fine-dining fixture built on “Sicilian fusion” sensibility. Brothers Alberto (chef) and Andrea (sommelier) cite their Cremona-born mother and Parma-native nonna as influences. Try the red tuna tartare or the curry-dressed catch of the day on a skewer (spiedino di pescato).

Not far from the Catalan-tinged church of Santa Maria della Catena, burly Palermitani sling fish and crustaceans onto equally hefty roadside grills. Da Salvo is a Piazza della Kalsa institution, and the quintessential “street trattoria” in Palermo. Opt for the grigliata di pesce (mixed grilled fish) or the fixed-price menu with the fresh catch of the day – anything else is a distraction. Fair warning if gruff service and language barriers make you squirm: the bare-bones set-up and disorder is part of Salvo’s charm.

Much of chef Tony Lo Coco’s menu puts a gourmet spin on Palermitan street food. A dinnertime-only Michelin darling, I Pupi’s trademarks include an upmarket twist on sesame-topped pani câ meusa – normally translated as “bread with spleen”; Tony’s take is milder, made with cuttlefish. Glass tables, stone floors and slate walls mean the mood can be uncharacteristically serious for Sicily, so if you go, put on your gastronome cap. Options rotate, but none of the tasting menus will leave you wanting.

Built in what were once 17th-century stables, Osteria Ballarò is a highlight of its eponymous district, named for the market that dominates its streets. Touches like exposed brick and trickles of sunlight lend Ballarò a modern airiness that you’ll find refreshing after Palermo’s more motley corners. The menu, however, is far from minimalist: the timballo di anelletti (a Sicilian oven-baked pasta made with aubergine) and minty polpettine di polpo (octopus balls) are among its triumphs.

Had your fill of fish? Head to the casual-chic Bisso Bistrot in the Baroque-laced Quattro Canti district. Highlights here are the crisp, veggie-based first courses and mains. The chickpea, pepper and dried fruit couscous – a 21st-century trace of Sicily’s years under Arabic rule – makes an easy light lunch, but doesn’t compromise on regional character. And, speaking of character: Bisso is housed in the former Libreria Dante, giving it the air of an antique bookshop.

A fast-and-fresh seafood joint in the humming Mercato del Capo neighbourhood, Mafone’s daily specials are straight from the fishmongers’ stalls. A top pick among the primi (first courses) is the spaghetti ai ricci (sea urchin spaghetti), while, for the secondi (mains), your best bet is always whatever the staff says looked good at the market that morning. The classic contorni (sides) are also worth their salt: don’t miss the caponata, a sweet-and-sour medley of aubergine, celery, tomato, onion, capers and olives.

Pasticceria Cappello is a Palermo institution. Located in the historic city center along via Colonna Rotta, this family run business was first opened in the 1940s as a dairy before it became a bar and finally the famous pastry shop that it is today. Master pastry chef Salvatore, together with his son Giovanni, have perfected the art of chocolate and pastry production, which is exemplified in deserts such as the seven layer cake, the chocolate mousse with pears flambe, sponge cake with almonds and pistachios and typically Sicilian treats such as Cassata and Cannoli.

Recommended by Ellen Von Weigand.

Food meets culture at Antica Focacceria San Francesco, which aims to highlight the Spanish, French, Arabic and Greek influences that have come to define the food of Sicily through its dishes. The traditional arancini and stuffed sardines are in part responsible for the restaurant’s enduring popularity with locals; all served in an interior and exterior with monumental decorative doors, high ceilings, and antique wrought iron light fixtures.

Recommended by Ellen Von Weigand.

In the heart of Palermo, Kursaal Kalhesa features a bar and restaurant set alongside one another in a seaside location. Visitors to the bar can lounge on soft silk cushions under vaulted ceilings, or enjoy the on-site bookshop and rotating art exhibitions that are held in the space. Furthermore, a music programme and schedule of literary events attracts a culturally minded crowd. The neighbouring restaurant serves Sicilian and Arabic dishes in its grand dining room or the lush courtyard surrounded by 15th century stone walls.

Recommended by Ellen Von Weigand.

Tucked away between Piazza Marina and the vibrant old market of La Vucciria, Gagini Social Restaurant has a focus on conviviality that takes centre stage at this spirited establishment. The congenial spirit is exemplified in the inclusion of ‘social seating’, which allows diners to mix together at a single table. The stone walls, wooden doors and low arches of the original 16th century structure have been well preserved, and are illuminated by the warm glow of candlelight from the candelabras that adorn each table. The menu merges modern European influences with classic Sicilian flavours in dishes such as saffron risotto and quail and carrot flan with spinaci crocanti.
Recommended by Ellen Von Weigand.