Restaurants in Sicily
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Trattoria La Foglia
An eccentric owner/chef and her vegetarian husband have made this place into something of a cult Syracusan restaurant, but the tiny portions and relatively high prices make the eclectic interior take a back seat. The menu features whatever seafood and vegetables are fresh that day and the bread is home-baked. They also have a one- to two-bedroom flat to rent on Ortygia, its décor in the same eclectic style as the restaurant.
reviewed
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Osteria da Mariano
Specialising in the mountain cuisine of nearby Ragusa, with more meat than fish, this cheerful place sets out a river of tables under the lights and balconies of a narrow alleyway, with cosy indoor seating in a beamed dining room. Everything’s tasty and affordably priced, and the atmosphere’s very convivial, if you can forgive the sometimes lackadaisical service.
reviewed
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C
Sant’Andrea
The position of this excellent restaurant is a reflection of Palermo’s contradictory appeal. It’s tucked into the corner of a ruined church in a shabby piazza. Sant’Andrea’s well-heeled customers pick their way across the broken flagstones to enjoy creative, yet classic, dishes such as tagliatelle with lobster and almond pesto.
reviewed
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D
Cucina Papoff
Specialising in Sicilian classics like trancio di pesce in umido con capperi e olive (slow-simmered fish stew with capers and olives), Papoff creates an intimate ambience with carved wooden ceilings, exposed brickwork and torch-style lighting.
reviewed
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Al Porticciolo
If the indoor dining room looks empty, it’s because everyone’s piled out on the ample waterfront terrace, one of the prettiest in town. The pizzas are excellent, and fixed-price menus start at €18.
reviewed
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Trattoria Favarotta
Trattoria Favarotta has an excellent reputation for tasty, local fare including spaghetti con pesto pantesco (spaghetti with a tomato, garlic, pepper and basil sauce), and roast hare.
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E
Divino…Rosso
With outdoor tables on Marsala’s main pedestrian thoroughfare, this excellent restaurant and wine bar serves pizzas, over 150 different wines and an extensive menu of local dishes.
reviewed
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Antico Caffè Spinnato
A sophisticated cafe dating back to 1860 located on the smart pedestrian boulevard. Sit on the vast terrace to enjoy coffees, cocktails, ice creams, sumptuous cakes and snacks.
reviewed
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Sicilia in Tavola
A tiny place with a dozen tables that specialises in all manner of fresh pasta dishes (try the speciality of the house, seafood ravioli).
reviewed
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Cantina Siciliana
This little trattoria (informal restaurant) is a gastronomic paradise. You'll have to seek it out in the old Jewish ghetto, where scaffolding prevents the alley from collapsing in on itself, but you'll be discovering one of the finest places to eat in the whole of Sicily. It's no wonder it sports the Slow Food Movement badge of approval.
Just taste the sardine in breadcrumbs for starters, a plate of mind-blowing pasta alla Trapanese and the fish platter, followed by a warm cassatella (cream horn stuffed with sweet ricotta) or Italy's most famous muscat, the passito di Pantelleria. The restaurant runs the superb enoteca (wine bar or shop) next door.
reviewed
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Jonico
Inconveniently located but worth the trek or taxi ride, Jonico’s Liberty (art nouveau) dining room and its open-air terrace have spectacular views of blue-green sea and sandstone cliffs, while the all-Sicilian menu features dishes such as tonno all siciliana (tuna with cherry tomatoes, capers and white wine) and orata c’aranci (gilthead with orange juice, orange peel and black pepper). Below the restaurant, the alluring Bar Zen (open 7.30pm to 2am mid-June to mid-September) doubles as a swimming area and solarium during the day, where you can plunge off rocks or lounge under an umbrella all day before retiring to the outdoor deck to sip drinks all night.
reviewed
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J
Antica Focacceria di San Francesco
A Palermitan institution, this atmospheric, informal place is one of the city’s oldest eating houses (opened in 1834). It hosted the first Sicilian parliament and was a favourite haunt of notorious Mafia boss ‘Lucky’ Luciano. Fixed-price menus including cannoli and the drink of your choice cost €6 to €12. The sandwiches (€2 to €4) are also great – try an oven-baked Vecchia Palermo moffoletta with cherry tomatoes, anchovies, caciocavallo cheese and oregano, or brave a maritata, the age-old Palermitan snack featuring milza (veal innards) and ricotta cheese.
reviewed
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K
Trattoria Biondo
Biondo has a split personality. The trattoria side is pure Fellini film set, always crammed with congenial, noisy locals who come for Palermitan classics such as involtini di pesce spada (swordfish roulades) or pasta con le sarde. Crates of fresh produce greet you at the door, which leads to several low-ceilinged dining rooms decorated with plates, tiles and paintings. Just around the corner, Pizzeria Biondo offers the same great quality at half the price. An animated crowd fills the sidewalk tables every night for some of Palermo’s finest pizza.
reviewed
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Trattoria Basile
This popular, unpretentious trattoria offers an unforgettable, authentic Palermitan eating experience. Pay first, take a number at the window for your pasta (€2 to €2.50) or main course (€3 to €4), then sidle over to the antipasti bar where you can choose three items for €2 or six items for €3.50. While enjoying your appetisers, listen for your number – they’ll bellow it out (in Italian) when the rest of your food is ready. Try to avoid the really busy period between 1pm and 2pm when every workman in town is elbowing in for his plate of pasta.
reviewed
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M
Al Solito Posto
Tucked off at the end of Via Orlandini, this tiny trattoria is another deserved wearer of the Slow Food Movement badge. It's all about fish and seafood here, with an emphasis on the freshest picks of the morning catch. Start with the fish carpaccio (thinly sliced fish) and proceed to the delicious spaghetti con i ricci (spaghetti with sea urchin meat), which is perfectly followed by a tuna steak covered with sweet caramelised onions. If you can fit in a dessert, try the almond parfait or a creamy cannolo.
reviewed
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Vittorio
If you’ve got a car, this is one detour you absolutely shouldn’t miss. In business for over 40 years, Vittorio has earned a reputation as one of Sicily’s best seafood eateries, serving hefty portions of the freshest fish and shellfish around. Come here at sunset and dine to the sound of crashing breakers. It’s right on the beach in Porto Palo, a 15km drive east of Selinunte. Rooms are available upstairs for anyone too stuffed to drive home (single/double €60/80).
reviewed
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Tavernetta Ai Lumi
Converted from an 18th-century stable block, this tavern is rustic to the core. Exposed brickwork, heavy wooden furniture and huge arches lend the dining room great character, while the outside terrace, in the heart of historic Trapani, is delightful on summer evenings. The menu features plenty of fresh seafood along with superbly prepared local classics such as casarecce al pesto trapanese (pasta with a sauce of tomatoes, toasted almonds and garlic).
reviewed
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Nievski Pub
Popular with Catania’s alternative crowd, this place serves affordable food and alcohol with a slightly arch attitude (one sign at the bar translates as, ‘we don’t serve minors, and we don’t serve Red Bull or other crap like that’). Cuban revolutionary posters adorn the walls, while the menu is an eclectic mix of salads, vegetarian fare and fish brought in daily from La Pescheria market. At night the beer flows freely as students gather on the steps outside.
reviewed
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Caffetteria-Ristorante Galleria d’Arte Moderna
A hidden gem in the courtyard of Palermo’s modern art museum, this bright, informal and artsy cafe features a short menu of dishes like tonno e pesce spada affumicati con mousse di formaggio fresco al finocchietto selvatico (smoked tuna and swordfish with cheese and wild fennel mousse). If the quality-to-price ratio seems surprisingly good, that’s because it’s owned by the same people who run the elegant Osteria dei Vespri across the street.
reviewed
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Ai Gechi
An excellent place that's a deserved favourite with the locals, Ai Gechi is a tastefully outfitted Aeolian house whose terrace serves as the dining area. Ship lamps light the tables, and the friendly barefoot waitstaff give you the lowdown on the day's menu. The food is traditional with a slightly modern twist. As you walk up from the port you will see a sign pointing down a small lane to your left. The restaurant is right at the end of the lane.
reviewed
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La Galleria
A new restaurant, café, gallery and bookshop, La Galleria is a lovely space with a big, elegant garden and excellent cuisine. Try its antipasto of marinated fish, and for starters go for the risotto with asparagus or the fresh tagliatelle with prawns, cherry tomatoes and crushed pistachio. The mains, which usually consist of grilled fresh fish, are palate-bendingly good. We recommend a glass of sweet Marsala for an ending with style.
reviewed
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Filippino
Having celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2010, Filippino’s is a mainstay of Lipari’s culinary scene, its menu filled with traditional dishes named in Sicilian dialect such as maccarruna i casa alla Filippino (pasta with tomatoes, courgettes, basil, mint, mozzarella and ricotta) and close to 20 delectable desserts. There are separate menus for olive oil, bottled water, grappas (120) and, more conventionally, wine.
reviewed
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Ristorante Petrae Lejum
At this cosy family-run place specialising in mountain cuisine, you can indulge in rare treats such as cinghiale affumicato (smoked wild boar), tagliatelle delle Madonie (pasta with fennel, almonds, fresh sardines, raisins, tomato sauce and pecorino cheese) or maccheroni alla carrettera ottocentesca (macaroni with parsley, pistachios, hot peppers, garlic and pecorino cheese).
reviewed
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Metrò
This Slow Food–recommended eatery prides itself on stylish presentation and innovative adaptations of traditional Sicilian specialities. Their tonno in cipuddata (tuna steak smothered in caramelised onions) is fabulous, as is the dialogo fra il cioccolato e il pistacchio (a slice of sinfully dense chocolate cake topped with a thin layer of cream and accompanied by a dome of pistachio flan).
reviewed
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Ristorante Il Cantuccio
Chef Valentina presents a seasonally changing menu that combines familiar Sicilian ingredients in exciting new ways. Try her exquisite gnocchi al pesto del Cantuccio (ricotta-potato dumplings with basil, parsley, mint, capers, almonds and cherry tomatoes) and follow it up with legaccio di spigola al limone con insalata d’arancia e finocchi (lemon-stuffed bass with orange-fennel salad).
reviewed
