25 Best Restaurants in Palermo and Western Sicily, Sicily

Top-quality local ingredients are used in this modern, brightly lit pizzeria, where a vast range of pizzas are served—including seasonal, gourmet, and gluten-free varieties—with a choice of four different doughs. The eclectic menu also takes in delicious antipasti, burgers, pastas, and seafood. To accompany your meal, order from a good selection of bottled or draught artisan beers. Service is rapid, and the patient staff answer all queries.

Here's a novelty for Palermo in the form of a superb modern restaurant located within a museum dedicated to Steve Jobs and Apple products, a surprisingly successful combination; you not only have the ability to revisit ancient IT devices and learn about the history of the tech company, but the food is pretty excellent. Each of the dishes is a revelation, from the house-made tonnarello pasta with mullet and smoked provola cheese sauce to the pigeon with red-wine scented quince and, among the desserts, semifreddo meringue with ricotta cheese, mango chutney, and passion fruit ice cream. Vegetarian options are as good as any that Palermo has to offer—best sampled in a set tasting menu. The elevated prices are commensurate with the sophisticated cuisine. The venue is also extraordinary as the restaurant is housed within the Palazzo Castrone, one of the city's finest old palaces, just steps away from the Cathedral and entered through a beautiful courtyard.

Founded by a locally born sister-and-brother team, this restaurant just steps away from the beach has one eye on tradition and one on innovative and creative cuisine. Intriguing taste combinations are well-judged, though you can be equally satisfied with a simple but delicious plate of spaghetti with tuna or grilled fish, as even the plainest dishes are surprisingly tasty. The three versions of couscous are remarkable even by San Vito standards. Everything is artistically presented, and there's an excellent wine list, too. Choose to eat indoors or on the terrace.

With its covered terrace overlooking the port, Rosso di Sera combines great food with a laid-back atmosphere conducive to feelings of well-being and positivity. Expertly prepared dishes such as ravioli filled with amberjack and fennel and grilled swordfish are fresh and succulent, and you'll be tempted by desserts like cannoli and ricotta mousse. Unlike many other island eateries, service is fast and efficient. Booking head is essential, ideally a couple of days in advance to ensure a table on the terrace. The restaurant is located just off steps leading to Ustica's main square.

Housed on the upper story of a classic old palazzo a 10-minute walk from Villa Palagonia in the center of town, this relaxed but elegant trattoria makes the perfect refueling stop in the middle of a day of sightseeing. The moderately priced menu leans heavily towards seafood, best sampled in such starters as calamarata dello chef (king prawns, squid, and creamed zucchini) and spaghetti allo scoglio (with mussels, clams, shrimps, swordfish, and squid). Among the mains, stand-outs include swordfish involtini (roulades) and the catch of the day, while you can't do better than rounding off your meal with a canolo. As well as the teal-blue dining room, a roof terrace is open for dining al fresco in summer.

This restaurant in Favignana's main square is a must for seafood lovers. The short, daily changing menu is constructed around the catch of the day, from the grand portions of antipasti to the main courses, and all ingredients are strictly seasonal. The choices may vary, but the kitchen's approach to such dishes as polpette alla ricciola (roulades of amberjack) and calamaro ripieno (stuffed squid) is always creative and original. You might finish off your meal with a dessert of almond semifreddo and/or a glass of alloro (laurel) liqueur. Choose between dining within the wood-covered interior space or in the terrace garden, which backs onto the town's church. The restaurant's name recalls the chant of fishermen during the annual Mattanza tuna catch.

With its sober interior, reasonable prices, and local clientele, this place on a quiet square rises above the majority of San Vito's tourist-oriented eateries. Seafood, of course, predominates on the menu, best sampled in such dishes as fish couscous, risotto allo scoglio, and cassatelle in brodo di pesce (fresh pasta in a fish broth, stuffed with ricotta, almonds, parsley, and garlic). Service is polite and professional, there are tables outside, and (unusually for this resort destination) the restaurant stays open all winter.

Just inside the arched Porta Garibaldi gateway to the old town, this bar and restaurant offers a handy place to pause for a snack or drink. Food choices include a fine seafood salad as well as a full menu of hot dishes. There are tables inside and out on the street, but best of all are those in the broad tree-filled courtyard across the street, providing a secluded and shady retreat from the hot Sicilian sun.

Housed within a landmark Belle Epoque building—originally a lido—right on the beach, this semiformal restaurant offers a memorable dining experience, not least for its broad terrace with unrivaled views of sea and mountains. The menu is strong on seafood, including such dishes as couscous with seared whitefish simmered in a sauce of fresh tomato pesto and almonds, while among the meat choices is a fillet of beef cooked in red wine with a saffron potato mousse. A good selection of antipasti and salads is also available.

Marble-top tables, cast-iron ovens, and walls adorned with turn-of-the-20th-century black-and-white photographs characterize this neighborhood bakery, celebrated for the Sicilian snacks and inexpensive meals it has been doling out since 1834. The big pot on the counter holds the delicious regional specialty pani cà meusa (boiled calf's spleen with caciocavallo cheese and salt), but the squeamish can opt for chickpea fritters or enormous arancini. There are tables in the piazza in front of the lovely facade of the church of San Francesco d'Assisi, as well as in the two capacious rooms upstairs.

While vegetarian and vegan restaurants are few and far between in Palermo, this airy spot in the modern town not only fits the bill but also will entice the most die-hard of carnivores. Spacious and contemporary in style, with a profusion of plants set against green walls and a gentle soundtrack of 1970s rock in the background, it offers dishes as diverse as vegetable lasagna, involtini alla Palermitana (seitan rolls stuffed with raisins and pine nuts), and curries, as well as a range of plant-based burgers. It makes the perfect stop for a light lunch or dinner.

Not many tourists find their way to this traditional trattoria deep in the heart of Trapani's old Jewish quarter, but those that do will find themselves in a typical rustic ambience, surrounded by a small army of Sicilian puppets hanging from the ceiling, shelves full of wine bottles, copper pots and pans on the walls, and even an intact Sicilian cart. The menu focuses on traditional island dishes, of course, and is mainly seafood, including grilled or fried squid and swordfish prepared with oregano from Pantelleria and capers from the Aeolian islands. There's an excellent wine list, and the service is both personal and professional.

On the edge of the Vucciria, this is one of Palermo's oldest restaurants, dating back to 1890, and still dear to the hearts of locals for its wintertime namesake dish, tortellini in brodo (in beef broth), the specialty of the house. There's an extensive antipasto buffet, and you can't go wrong with the fritella di fave, piselli, and carciofi e ricotta (fried fava beans, peas, artichokes, and ricotta). There's a good selection of offal dishes including oxtail, tongue, and tripe, and hearty slow-cooked pork shank for the less adventurous.

This place just off the harborfront in the heart of the old town has a buzzy, modern vibe despite the ancient look of the spacious and elegantly vaulted interior. The restaurant is a big hit with locals for its extensive and excellent seafood-based menu, which includes calamaro ripieno (stuffed squid with creamed artichoke, pine nuts, and raisins), torrone di pescspada (swordfish with pistachio, honey, almonds, and orange), and a delicious fish soup, all served on exuberantly decorated crockery from nearby Erice. Everything is fresh and tasty, and the service is efficient but friendly.

Centrally located on the main piazza in Ustica town, this trattoria's outdoor terrace is a marvelous spot for feeling like you're in the thick of local life while enjoying first-class fare. Seafood is the main feature, of course, on a menu that combines traditional dishes, such as prawn ravioli, with more adventurous juxtapositions, like the antipasto of grilled octopus with lentil puree. Service is warm and willing, and there's a good wine list. It's worth booking ahead in summer.

Seafood is the cuisine of choice in Mondello, and while the quality on offer at many of the seafront restaurants can be patchy, to say the least, you'll find no complaints at this family-run trattoria steps from the seafront. With a smart, modern interior and an outdoor terrace, it has an upbeat ambience and a helpful English-speaking staff. Don't get too distracted by the long list of antipasti, good as they are, for there's a rich choice of pastas and mains to choose from. If available, you can't go wrong with the fettuccine with pistachio cream and prawns, or perhaps a steaming pile of spaghetti with clams and mussels, followed by the catch of the day (which really has been caught on the day). You'll find a good choice of Sicilian wines, too.

If it's seafood you're looking for, you'll feel at home at this harborside fish restaurant, where the day's catch is displayed in a chiller at the front. Couscous features among the starters, as does the outstanding busiate con gambero, pistacchio e bottarga (pasta with prawns, chopped pistachios, and tuna roe); mains change daily, but tuna cooked in citrus and the grilled swordfish are usually on the menu. The interior is modern, with small tables and a large glass front, and there's also a terrace for eating al fresco by the water.

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.

Housed within a hotel of the same name on the outskirts of town, this reliable and refreshing meal stop for visitors to Corleone offers a range of local dishes that includes steaks and seafood. Choose from an enticing array of antipasti and pastas, which you might follow up with a fillet of beef with porcini mushrooms from the nearby Ficuzza forest or a fritto misto of fried fish in a barbecue sauce. The spacious, modern setting and the friendliness of the staff help to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere. It is located north of Corleone's center, a 20-minute walk (or five-minute drive) from the Anti-Mafia museum.

At this traditional restaurant located on a side street near the main piazza, you can sit on a tree-lined patio overlooking the sea or in the white-walled dining room and munch on free panelle (chickpea fritters) while waiting for your main dish, which will be served tableside, spooned from the cooking pots to your plate by the friendly staff. The fresh pastas and couscous are exemplary, and there are also a few seafood mains (tuna and baccalà often) and a glut of meat (lamb, beefsteak, and veal).

Housed in the former church of Sant'Alberto, with some of its old stone walls left exposed, this restaurant (a cut above what you might expect from an "osteria") flaunts its authentically traditional character. The menu shows the same respect for local cuisine, but dishes are enlivened by a fresh, modern approach, including old favorites like caponata, antipasto rustico, creamy risottos, and seafood pastas—all highly rated by locals as well as tourists. Among the desserts, the almond and mandarin semifreddos and the wine-poached pears coated in chocolate deserve a special mention.

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.

One of the most famous pastry shops in Sicily, this modern and capacious place is one of Palermo's best spots to find sweet favorites like cannoli and cassata siciliana. It's also a meeting place for all ages, where you can relax with a drink or an excellent gelato. Pizzas and other snack foods are also available.

Part of a hotel, this restaurant relies on its 180-degree views of the sea to pull in diners, but foodies won't be disappointed. The menu emphasizes fresh fish and local ingredients, and the seafood choices are always beautifully prepared and presented, like the spaghetti cozze e vongole (with mussels and clams) and tuna dishes. The service is cordial and attentive, too. Sitting on the tranquil terrace overlooking the tonnara di Scopello is an undeniably romantic experience—just make sure you specify a table outside on the terrace when you book.

The word "trattoria" usually suggests somewhere casual and even slapdash and while this place has an informal feel, there is nothing at all lacking in the level of service or the quality of the food. Dating back to 1963, the place has a classic feel, as reflected on an extensive menu that focuses on fish (there's a display of what's on offer as you come in), but also includes very acceptable versions of old favorites such as lasagna, couscous, escalopes in Marsala sauce, and, for dessert, cassata siciliana. Also noteworthy are the tasty busiate garibaldine, local pasta prepared with pistachio paste, red prawns from Mazara del Vallo, and burrata. Tables are distributed In a series of well-lit rooms with wooden beams, arched doorways, and white walls adorned with portraits of the hero of Italian independence to whom the place is dedicated. Locals come here in droves, often with families in tow.