79 Best Restaurants in Sicily, Italy

This wholesaler specializes in oysters, mollusks, and crustaceans, and offers a tasting room that has become an obligatory stop for seafood aficionados in town. This may look like nothing but a fish market, but diners are dazzled by the quality of the seafood. There are 24 kinds of oysters, all manner of clams (including Galician percebes), local red prawns in several sizes, and a tank of lobsters and crabs as well as fresh seasonal tuna. Choose between having your fish raw, steamed, grilled, or a la gratin, and dine in the simple blue and white conservatory while enjoying a glass or two of local white wine. You can also get a fine fish couscous (one portion is ample for two people). 

Under the atmospheric arches of Chiesa di San Carlo's 1700s-era crypt, renowned chef Salvatore Vicari's food ethos is all about deceptively simple yet sophisticated combinations of the finest Sicilian ingredients. Let the wonderful waitstaff guide you through the changing seasonal menu of high-end takes on local pasta, meat, and seafood dishes.

This charming and renowned pizzeria offers a fantastic array of toppings, from the classic Margherita to a changing selection of "gourmet" pizzas. Personalize your pizza toppings and pair your meal with a selection of great antipasti for a filling and satisfying meal.

Although Bar Corso is open for 20 continuous hours daily, the highlight is breakfast. This bustling café is filled with locals and tourists having their morning coffee with freshly made breads and pastries. The counter is filled with regional pastries like cucchitelle, a traditional pastry made with almond flour. Those with a savory palate will enjoy the bread made with semolina flour and filled with ham and cheese. Although the inside space is compact, there's a large outdoor seating area where you can people-watch. 

To enhance a postprandial passeggiata along one of Palermo's main strolling thoroughfares, make a stop at this modern gelateria to pick up one of its exceptional gourmet ice creams. The flavors change with the seasons, but you should find the tangerine sorbet that bursts with sweet citrus tang and the classic cannolo siciliano available year-round.

If you are visiting the local historic market nearby, this is a singular spot to queue and refuel, although online plaudits have made it überpopular. The owner Andrea and squadra can usually be found outside tempting people with their bulging panini stuffed with cheese, ham, grilled vegetables, jam, and piquant pickle. 

Starting in 1968, the mini-empire of owner Alfredo Olivieri was built one granita and one pane cunzato at a time, and no summer on Salina is complete without a stop at his little shop off the Marina Garibaldi piazza in Lingua. You'll find all the classic granita flavors (almond, coffee, lemon, pistachio), but it's the seasonal fruits that shine here: mulberry, fig, wild blackberries, watermelon, and cantaloupe. For something more savory, the overladen open sandwiches known as pane cunzato (one recent August they served 1,500 in a single day) pile on the signature flavors of the region. Look for the "Eoliana" full of capers, olives, anchovies, peppers, onions, and tomatoes. Olivieri also has a full-service trattoria and a bakery, both steps from the original panineria.

Lawyer-turned-baker Valeria Messina has singlehandedly revived the use of heirloom grains in Catania. At her welcoming little corner bakery, she uses tumminia, perciasacchi, maiorca, and timilia flours to create crusty sourdough loaves, focaccia, buttery biscotti, and traditional pizza marinara. Don't miss her schiacciata (a sort of filled pizza) stuffed with the ingredients of the season, from broccoli or chicory to roasted peppers with mint or anchovies and capers.

You'll smell this panificio and focacceria before you arrive, as the scent of baking bread wafts down the street. The 45-year-old Francesco Arena works with ancient grains (like tumminia, perciasacchi, and rusello) and a hearty mother yeast to produce tender focaccia topped with everything from sun-sweetened tomatoes to escarole, crusty loaves, ham-and-cheese filled pidone, and the flakiest croissants. Arena has bread baking in his bones; his nonna opened the first family bakery in 1939, and his father followed suit with his own in 1970.

Even on rainy days (which admittedly there aren't many of), the sun seems to shine bright here. You can order what is, arguably, the best granita in the Catania area; the pistachio is so creamy you'll swear it has added dairy. The blood orange highlights the robust flavor of the local citrus while the lemon is refreshingly bright, sweet, and tart; and the chocolate is dark and rich. Area residents pop in to have granita with warm brioche for breakfast, lunch, or as an afternoon snack (yes, granita counts as lunch).

What Americans know as Sicilian pizza quite frankly doesn't exist in Sicily, but at this historic café and pizzeria that's been around since the 1800s, you'll find the real pizza siciliana. Though you can find the dish throughout the area, especially in Viagrande and Zafferana, Urna is said to be its inventor: they stuff tender calzone pastry with Tuma cheese, anchovies, and black peppercorns, and then deep-fry the half-moon delicacy. The result is a gooey, savory, flaky delight. Eat it in the outside garden or get it to go.

Arancine—fried rice balls—are ubiquitous all over Sicily, but rarely do you find them prepared while you wait or offered in such a range as in this little snack shop near Porta Trapani. The menu lists more than 30 varieties, which include swordfish, smoked salmon, and curry fillings, as well as vegetarian and vegan options. They make ideal stomach-fillers at any time, not least as snack lunches on the go.

For the tastiest snacks head to this neighborhood bakery for a selection of traditional savory bites and focaccia. Pack a picnic, and embrace your carb cravings with their fresh bread and dolci delights such as ricotta-filled nfigghiulate, nutty 'n' fruity tortini, and raisin- or chocolate-dotted paninetti buns.

There's a regular trickle of locals to this gelateria conveniently located opposite the hydrofoil port. Most opt for the local favorite: ice cream in a brioche with a couple of wafer biscuits poking out. But it's not just the creamy and tangy ice creams that pull in the crowds; there are also delicious granitas, cakes, and desserts on offer, including a delicious semifreddo cheesecake topped with fresh strawberries or blueberries. There's limited seating outside, and it stays open late.

In the picture-perfect medieval town of Randazzo, high on the northern side of Etna, this generations-old bakery sits at the foot of the basilica in Piazza Santa Maria. Now run by Giovanna, the daughter of Santo, the pasticceria is especially known for its exceptional gelato and granita, which are made with all-natural products, with no artificial bases, colors, or flavorings. Look for an upgrade to the tastes you already know and love, such as rich and creamy pistachio gelato studded with orange zest and candied pistachios. Or try a seasonal granita with flavors informed by the wares of local farmers, such as wild mulberry, yellow raspberry, apricot, or prickly pear.

In the Sicilian food world, the name Giuseppe Arena is synonymous with sweets. He's a maestro gelatiere (master gelato maker) who specializes in artisanal gelato, sorbet, and granita, working with fresh fruits of the season and products from the region, such as hazelnuts from the nearby Nebrodi mountains. He made his first granita at age seven with his grandfather, and through a series of competitions has been called one of the best gelato makers in Italy.

In the heart of the fish market, you'll find the best fritto misto (fried seafood mix) in the area. Walk up to the little counter on the stone balcony overlooking the action and place your order for a paper cone of fried seafood made with the lightest and crispiest batter. They even offer the choice of an all-vegetable option or "no spines" (senza spine) if you prefer your order not to have the small whole fried fish. Give them your name and find a spot at one of the nearby standing tables while you wait. The chalk boards here are works of art.

This small, unassuming restaurant run by ever-smiling Angelo is Santo Stefano's finest, and its long, elegant dining room and terrace are popular with locals. The menu includes beautifully crafted dishes featuring Sicilian produce such as beef, veal, swordfish, squid, and porcini mushrooms.

This refreshingly atypical spot raises simple Sicilian street food to new gastronomic heights. The exuberant owner, Rosario Umbriaco, has won national prizes for his arancini; try the version with two strata of rice and melted saffron Piacentino Ennese cheese to find out why. He also makes what may be the most divine cannoli in Sicily, frying the tubular wafer in olive oil, rather than lard, and filling to order with cool, fresh, just-sweetened ricotta and candied orange from Noto’s famous Caffè Sicilia. In summer there are tables outside.

Pick up lunch or dinner to go from Al Castello, perfect for a seaside picnic or a meal at your Airbnb. They roast whole chickens daily (rotisserie style) and have an impressive line of baked pastas, roasted potatoes, sautéed or grilled vegetables, and involtini stuffed with cheese, bacon, or pistachios. The storefront is tiny (there's no on-site dining), and it's best reached by foot; Via Re Martino is the main artery of Aci Castello and has extremely limited parking.

This little gem of a seafood restaurant right on the coast serves wonderfully fresh seafood. It is a very informal dining experience, with friendly staff and excellent prices.

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.

For a quick lunch, stop by this eatery right off the port. It specializes in sandwiches, fish burgers, and five different options for fritto misto. 

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.

This food van, parked at the start of the main boulevard Viale della Vittoria, has been selling pane e panelle (soft bread rolls stuffed with deep-fried chickpea flour fritters) since 1954. If you are interested in other traditional street food, look out for the Grattatella van (ice shaved to order and served in cups with fruit syrups) and U Panuzzu Ca Meusa (soft rolls with spleen, lemon, and ricotta), both of which have no fixed place, but the Grattatella is often in the resort of San Leone in the summer, while U Panuzzo can be found at lots of local summer events.

For a cornucopia of baked goods, the Lamonica-Ricciardello family operates the best-value bet in Capo d'Orlando. There's no seating, so it's takeaway only, but you can feast your eyes and salivary glands on a bountiful choice of sweet treats like brioche and various biscotti, both soft and hard, as well as savory bites—including arancini and pizzette. 

This tiny café is located right in the square just below Castello di Sperlinga, and is an excellent place to grab a quick drink, panino, or light meal. The bar owner is also very helpful with visitors and acts as the unofficial tourist information office.

For a relaxing aperitivo at the port overlooking the sea, Bar da Carola has a generous and delicious little spread with your drink of choice, not to mention a supersweet staff. 

Throughout Sicily there are fierce arguments about who makes the best granita, and everyone has an opinion. But for many Messinese, the end of the discussion is Bar del Sud, a neighborhood favorite since 1968; their dairy-free granita is spectacularly creamy and resembles gelato in its consistency. Sit at one of the tables on the narrow sidewalk or order directly from the counter.

Stop here to sample every Sicilian sweet imaginable, from freshly made cannoli and biscotti to marzipan confections and gelato. The bar-pasticceria is a local favorite breakfast spot, as evidenced by the crowds who fill the outside terrace, consuming great coffee with their cornetti or brioche with granita.