Palermo, Italy
Palermo’s 5 best restaurants (and must-try dishes)
The guide to Palermo’s best restaurants
Palermo might dazzle with its faded palazzi and noisy street markets, but the real energy pulses through its kitchens. Sicily’s capital has become one of southern Europe’s most compelling food destinations, where tradition and reinvention meet over every plate. From the Arab-Norman architecture of the Kalsa to the bustling energy of Ballarò market, Palermo dazzles both sightseers and food lovers. With influences ranging from Phoenician traders to Spanish viceroys, the city’s culinary DNA is a creative mosaic and its restaurants reflect that story – from humble trattorie serving time-honoured family recipes to sleek gourmet temples pushing Sicilian flavours into the modern age. In this guide, we share the must-visit restaurants in Palermo and the dishes you can’t miss.
Top photography courtesy of Charleston
01
Osteria dei Vespri
In the heart of Palermo’s Kalsa quarter lies Osteria dei Vespri, set within the eighteenth-century Palazzo Valguarnera-Gangi – famous for Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard ballroom scene. Since 1999, brothers Alberto and Andrea Rizzo have fused Lombard-Emilian traditions with Sicilian soul, drawing on family recipes taught by their grandmother and local heritage from Palermo’s Vucciria market. Chef Alberto Rizzo’s menu is all about big, confident flavours – fresh pasta, slow-cooked meats and desserts he’s perfected over years of trial, error and creativity in the kitchen. We recommend that you try the five- or eight-course tasting menu – you can expect dishes like blue fish ceviche, potato gnocchetti with snow peas and squid, veal tenderloin and hazelnut wafer from the Nebrodi for dessert.
Osteria dei Vespri
Piazza Croce dei Vespri 6
Palermo
Italy
Photography courtesy of Osteria dei Vespri
02
Mec Restaurant
Set inside Palermo’s Museum of Innovation, Mec Restaurant is a high-concept, Michelin-starred restaurant where fine dining meets digital art. Chef Carmelo Trentacosti leads the kitchen, known for his disciplined, almost architectural approach to food – each dish is carefully plated, seasonal and deeply rooted in Sicilian ingredients, but with a futuristic flair. Signature dishes include the famous caponata with the Apple logo, which is transformed into a creamy sauce and topped with grated Modica chocolate and served with sourdough bread. Also try the artichoke course inspired by Trentacosti’s son, blending smoke-roasted petals with yolk and truffle on cheese fondue.
Mec Restaurant
V. al Capo di Santa Chiara 69
Genova
Italy
Photography courtesy of Mec Restaurant
03
Buatta Cucina Popolana
Step through the doors of Buatta Cucina Popolana and you’re immediately enveloped in the warmth of a historic leather shop turned trattoria, where exposed beams and simple wooden tables set the scene for true Sicilian hospitality. The interiors are a modern take on a Sicilian kitchen – vintage tiles, warm wood accents and open shelving stacked with ceramic pots (or buatte, the restaurant’s namesake). Buatta Cucina Popolana’s philosophy is all about home-cooked flavours, with dishes like sarde a scottadito – grilled sardines slicked with olive oil – and handmade pastas topped with seasonal ingredients, all rooted in recipes passed down through generations. The Bucatini pasta with sardines, wild fennel, pine nuts, raisins and saffron is a winner.
Buatta Cucina Popolana
Via Vittorio Emanuele 176
Palermoa
Italy
Photography courtesy of Buatta Cucina Popolana
04
Charleston
Charleston has been part of Palermo’s culinary story since the 1960s and though it’s evolved with time, it’s never lost its classic charm. Charleston’s 2024 revival brings fine dining back to the city centre in the former Mazzara bar, where a ground-floor café and cocktail bar precede an elegant first-floor restaurant and terrace. The atmosphere is sophisticated but not stuffy, with soft lighting, polished wood and artwork-lined walls. Executive Chef Gaetano Verde, born and raised in Palermo but refined by stints at The Ledbury and the Ritz, serves instinctual, essential dishes built on seasonality and simplicity. The Symphony of Memory seven-course tasting menu is a must, with seasonal ingredients like aubergine, kiwi, sea urchins, pigeon and clam making an appearance.
Charleston
Piazzetta Salvatore Fausto Flaccovio 26
Palermo
Italy
Photography courtesy of Charleston
05
Gagini
Gagini inhabits the former studio of Renaissance sculptor Antonello Gagini in Palermo’s Vucciria district, where ancient stone walls and ceramic Teste di Moro set a dramatic stage. Chef Mauricio Zillo, a Brazilian-Italian talent awarded a Michelin star, sources exclusively Sicilian ingredients – yellow Monreale plums, caper flowers and Ispica sesame – to create tropical Sicily menus that unfold through a nine-course tasting. The wine list is worth mentioning, with a focus on Sicilian labels, many natural or low-intervention, selected to match the kitchen’s ethos. We love the edgy interiors – exposed brick walls, dim lights, bright red chairs and colourful wall art. It’s not about the flash – it’s about flavour, technique and a deep respect for the island’s culinary footprint.
Gagini
Via dei Cassari 35
Palermo
Italy
Photography courtesy of Gagini
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