Palermo, Italy — Food and Dining
Restaurants in Palermo, Italy
Restaurants
Recommended restaurants
Al Casato dei Ventimiglia
Situated in the shadows of the Palazzo dei Normanni, this restaurant has a tourist-friendly menu and a dark, cavernous, candlelit interior.
Via del Bastione 22
Price: $$
Antica Caffè Spinnato
A tea room established in 1860, this high-ceilinged cafe is always bustling. Open daily for lunch, people queue out of the doors for Sicilian bakery specials.
Via Principe di Belmonte 107/115
Tel: (091) 329 220.
Website: www.spinnato.it
Price: $$
Antica Focacceria San Francesco
Landmark neighborhood bakery specializing (as the name suggests) in focaccia bread and serving a range of delicious regional specialties. Housed in an art nouveau building dating back to the first half of the 1800s, it still features wooden cabinets, marble top tables and cast iron ovens. No bookings. Closed Monday.
Via Paternostro 58, Kalsa
Tel: (091) 320 264.
Website: www.afsf.it
Price: $
Bellini
At the back of Teatro Bellini, this restaurant offers a romantic setting - guests sit outside underneath La Martorana Church. Arrive early to beat the crowds. Decent food but it is the location that draws the punters primarily.
Piazza Bellini 6
Tel: (091) 616 5691.
Website: www.spaghettitaliani.com/pizzeriabellini.htm
Price: $$-$$$
Kursaal Kalhesa
Trendy bar, wine shop, bookshop, Internet cafe, travel agency and restaurant housed in an old derelict palazzo. The bar is in a vaulted chamber, and there is a terrace upstairs for al fresco dining. Cocktails and live music Tuesday and Thursday. Closed Monday.
Foro Umberto I 21
Tel: (091) 616 2282.
Website: www.kursaalkalhesa.it
Price: $$$
La Scuderia
A popular restaurant near the stadium serving classic Sicilian dishes. Excellent food with prices to match. Big patio area for al fresco dining. Booking recommended. Closed Sunday evening and throughout August.
Via del Fante 9
Tel: (091) 520 323.
Website: www.lascuderiasnc.it
Price: $$$$
Ristorante Charleston
Head for the Mondello district and choose from a great selection of excellent seafood dishes, while enjoying the incredible views over the beachfront. Closed Wednesday in winter.
Viale Regina Elena, Mondello
Tel: (091) 455 851 or 450 171.
Price: $$$
Trattoria Pizzeria Enzo
Near Stazione Centrale, this trattoria serves cheap yet tasty food, including pizzas, pasta, meat and fish dishes, and usual antipasti. Generous portions make this by far the best trattoria in the area. Closed Friday.
Via Maurolico 17-19
Tel: (091) 616 3854.
Price: $
Nightlife
Bars: The majority of the cafes (which do not serve alcohol) are located in the historical center. For something stronger, try Au Domino in Via Principe di Belmonte, Cambio Cavalli, one of the first pubs in Palermo. The American Bar, on the top floor of the Grande Albergo Sole, Corso Vittorio Emanuele 291, has a roof terrace bar with views over the city rooftops. Bottiglieria del Massimo, Via Spinuzza 59, is a wine bar with outdoor seating near Teatro Massimo. For cocktails, head for Bar Fiera Vecchia, Piazza della Rivoluzione.
Live Music: The Crazy Bull, Via Atenasio 8/A, a pub decorated in traditional American style has live Italian, American, English and South American music. New singers get a chance to shine at the Bier Garten, Viale Regione Siciliana 6469 and the Malox, Piazzetta della Canna 8-9. I Candelai, Via Candelai 65, is a large bar with live music most nights.
Clubs: Popular clubs include Tonnara Florio, Discesa Tonnara 4, in the ancient district of Arenella, the Anticlea Club, Viale Galatea 6, the Kursaal Kalesa Club, Foro Umberto I 21/A (located along the promenade of the Foro Italico) and the Country Club, Via dell’Olimpo, great in the summer because of its large open-air dance floors. Other nightspots popular with Palermitans can be found around Via dei Candelai, Via Mariano Stabile, Via Bara All’Olivella and Via E.Parisi.
