159 Best Restaurants in Sicily, Italy

Located above the boat yard at the far end of the lungomare, this eatery's second-floor dining room offers a unique perspective on Aci Trezza. Light permeates the room thanks to the open balcony at the front of the building, which gives an alfresco feel even though you're indoors (a nice compromise in the heat of August). Go for the pasta and grilled seafood; the grilled calamari is particularly good. 

On the southern tip of the island, the Asino Beach lido (beach club) is surrounded by palm trees and vegetation along a particularly beautiful stretch of volcanic sand. They offer everything from great pizzas (plus salads) and refreshing cocktails to beach chair and umbrella service.

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.

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.

Just steps away from Quattro Canti and the cathedral, this smart snack stop has everything you could want to accompany a break from sightseeing: panini, house-made pastries and biscuits, ice cream, and good coffee. There are tables in the picture-hung interior and out on the pavement, and pastas, pizzas, and salads are also served if you want something more substantial.

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.

Thanks to a recent revamp in the kitchen, this hotel restaurant is a great new dining destination. Their philosophy of “cucina terroir” (territory cooking) and “short kilometer” focuses first and foremost on using the vegetables grown on the estate’s own garden, the island's local seafood, other Mediterranean products (most of all capers), and applying the traditional techniques to bread making using ancient grains. Old recipes have been revitalized, and lighter dishes are available at lunch, but make sure you save room to sample the award-winning signature sweets for dessert afterwards!

This little rustic and welcoming family-run restaurant offers a selection of Sicilian antipasti, couscous, and salads as well as classic Italian dishes like eggplant Parmesan, cannelloni, and lasagna. It is a relaxed spot to taste the local cuisine and wine and soak up the atmosphere and hospitality.

Dedicated to the Slow Food movement, Casa & Putia puts the emphasis on their raw materials, with the idea that excellent ingredients need little fuss. The emphasis is on letting those ingredients shine through, such as with a flan made of artichokes and caciocavallo cheese. The word putia means bodega, and throughout the restaurant, there are displays of Sicilian products you can buy, from local herbs and jams to boutique amari.

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.

Housed in an old palazzo, this casual place has served meals since 1889 and famously keeps a medieval specialty, controfiletto all'Ennese (a veal fillet with onions, artichokes, guanciale, and white wine), on the menu, in addition to a range of slightly more modern seasonal dishes. Choose from a decent selection of Sicilian wines to accompany your meal while you take in the large mirrored wall and local pottery.

A native of Naples, Ciro Aragione has called Stromboli home since the 1990s. From his home, he cooks lunch for visitors to the island, usually a set menu of pasta and fish he's bought straight off the boats that morning. In addition to the home restaurant—really a long table on his terrace flanked by lemon and mandarin trees—he can arrange catered picnics for your boat excursions or beach days, and will deliver to you.

In his humble kitchen, Silvio, a rosy-cheeked fisherman, cooks for his guests as they sit around the table. You might have a simple pasta with tomato sauce, eggplant from his garden, olives cured from his trees, simmered wild greens gathered from the hillsides, and a fish dish (roasted, fried, or sautéed). The menu really depends on what's in season, and more importantly, what Silvio caught that morning from his little wooden fishing boat. You'll eat well, but the food is almost beside the point.   

Located right on the beach at Porto Palo, Da Vittorio is something of a local legend, highly regarded and much loved by everyone from wine and olive oil makers to celebrating families. The focus is on fresh fish and seafood, with pasta for the first course, and grilled fish for a second, all enhanced with traditional Sicilian flavors such as capers, almonds, and wild fennel. The spot dates back to the 1960s when Vittorio, a young cook from Bergamo, fell in love with a Sicilian girl and opened a small restaurant in a beach shack. These days, there’s a smart glass conservatory and cream damask table linens, along with a terrace for alfresco dining, and—a real mark of Vittorio’s success—a local following strong enough to keep the restaurant open all year, a real rarity in these parts.

This is a good spot for a substantial lunch or dinner in Mistretta. Expect a classic Sicilian mountain menu with an ample selection of antipasti, pasta, and mains, including lots of hearty meat dishes.

In an understated palazzo on a cobblestone street near the Duomo, star chef Ciccio Sultano prepares imaginative and beautifully plated splurge-worthy dinners and a three-course prix-fixe lunch menu that include unforgettable variations on classic Sicilian cuisine. Although dishes can be ordered à la carte, tasting menus convey a fuller sense of the chef's signature style, which uses the finest ingredients from around the island in subtly extravagant combinations.

This gourmet delicatessen and bistro-café makes a trip to the island’s scruffy main town worth your while (and helpfully happens to be close to the gas station). The Emporio is a showcase for the many artisanal pestos, pâtés, sauces, preserved vegetables, and jams produced and beautifully bottled by islanders, and also has a very good selection of local wines. And it's not just a shop: from May to October, the outdoor terrace is open for breakfast, lunch, and aperitivo.

Duck into this intimate courtyard within earshot of Piazza del Duomo's buskers for unusual preparations and flavor combos like busiate pasta with shrimp in a pistachio cream sauce. Let engaging hostess Michela guide you through the menu and suggest a suitable wine accompaniment, such as the well-balanced white Vinera Etna Bianco. 

This small bar and deli is another must-visit spot on the fringes of Ortigia's historic market. You can choose from a generously stuffed panino, a plate of the local antipasto, or a small plate of whatever is in season from the sea. Be sure to visit the deli before you leave to stock on food-based souvenirs to take home.

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.

An intimate little spot a block from the port, I Ruggeri prides itself on a mix of tradition and experimentation. For example, you might find a savory babà (usually a dessert pastry soaked in rum) made of pecorino Romano. But even the standards are prepared well, such as pasta con le sarde, made with an abundance of wild fennel, toasted almonds, and breadcrumbs. 

This beach bar and restaurant comes with a chef who trained with Rick Stein and Giorgio Locatelli and spends his winters in Thailand and Indonesia, usually adding Southeast Asian flair to the fresh fish, seafood, and vegetables of his native Sicily. Guests rave about the fresh catch of the day, such as red snapper and tuna. Il Canaima is far more in touch with contemporary eating trends than many Sicilians, so you'll be happy to find dedicated gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian menus.

This casual restaurant and B&B is located in an impressive converted Norman castle. Dine in rustic yet elegant surroundings on hearty pasta dishes, meaty mains like slow-cooked pork shank, or wood-fired pizzas, all featuring seasonal Madonie mountain produce. 

As the name suggests, this is a temple to everything from the sea, caught fresh and prepared simply by smiling chef Sergio. Choose from local clams, prawns anointed with lime, calamari, or whatever else that has been recently caught. 

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.

This salumeria and enoteca with outdoor tables is a great choice for a midday snack of cold cuts, perhaps accompanied by a glass of cool white wine chosen from the formidable wine list. Your tagliere (tray) might include various hunks of local cheeses, a selection of salamis and hams, and a bowl of olives. Pane cunzato (seasoned bread topped with tomato, onion, anchovies, and capers) and craft beers are also served.

Just off Via Costantino Patricio, by the far side of the Cappuccini arch, lies this diminutive restaurant. Outdoor seating and an upstairs kitchen help make room for a few extra tables—a necessity, as locals are well aware that neither the price nor the quality is equaled elsewhere in town. Indulge in the lobster linguine, or swordfish rolls with smoked red peppers, followed by one of the many tempting soufflés. Reservations are usually essential for more than two people.

A quite subdued place, La Bettola has walls with wooden shelves full of Sicilian wine, white linen tablecloths, elegant cutlery, and service imbued with the ease of tradition. The focus, inevitably, is on local fish, including swordfish and anchovies, with seafood pasta and other seafood main courses, several featuring the red prawns for which Mazara is known. It is largely frequented by locals, although in the summer travelers will be attracted to the outdoor terrace. 

This family-run place cooks very rustic yet satisfying meals, including hearty pasta, filling antipasti, and wood-fire pizzas. It isn't a fancy place, but the service is amicable, prices are reasonable, and servings are generous.