2 Best Restaurants in Monreale, Sicily

Steps away from the Duomo's exquisitely patterned apse, this backstreet wine bar, restaurant, and deli is enticing. You won't be disappointed thanks to the top-quality fare, whether you order a bulging panino, a tagliere (tray) of cold meats, cheeses, and preserves, or a more substantial dish of veal or pork involtini (roulades) or fennel-flavored sausages. Accompany your meal with a glass of wine, a beer, or a cocktail. The interior decor is warm and inviting, the stone walls are decorated with ceramics, mosaics, and hanging salamis and cheeses, and there are tables outside in fine weather. It stays open late, too.

Just a few steps down the cobbled hill from the cathedral, this small and colorful osteria offers simple but enthusiastically prepared meals from a menu that reads like a list of your Sicilian nonna's favorite dishes. Sure, it's somewhat touristy, but for once that doesn't equate with either brisk service or formulaic fare. Whether it's swordfish caponata or pasta with pistachio pesto, the food is usually lip-smackingly delicious—and it's reasonably priced. The rock and roll posters and the guitar suspended over the bar lend a slightly eccentric flavor to the decor, but that only adds to the relaxed and amiable atmosphere. In good weather you can soak up great views from the outdoor terrace.