17 Best Restaurants in Sicily, Italy

The restaurant in the graceful winter garden of Relais Briuccia's is simply one of the finest restaurants in Sicily and offers an utterly unique dining experience. Chef-owner Damiano Ferraro is endlessly creative, spinning his magic daily with the freshest of local Sicilian produce. Ferraro is a local who dreamed big and has worked all over the world (including at the Dorchester in London and with the Roux Brothers at La Gavroche); he then returned home and created this small-town gastronomic paradise. There are both tasting and à la carte menus. Although more expensive than those at other restaurants in the area, the tasting menus here offer a much more elevated and special dining experience that is well worth the additional cash.

A gracious series of delicately arched stone rooms at Giovanni Guarneri's famed eatery, which opened in 1985, are lined with wine bottles and sepia-toned images of old Ortigia. It's all about the freshest seafood and inspired creativity here: from the historic Radici tasting menu sample for instance, a 1986-classic spaghetti delle serene (with sea urchin and shrimp in butter), or partake in a special from 1999, seared tuna with red and green bell pepper dipping sauces. The wine list and pairings, guided by long-serving Neapolitan sommelier Vincenzo, are extensive and extraordinary.

Gabriella Cicero's one-stop restaurant and gourmet food shop delvers a plethora of Sicilian slow-foodie delights, from scrumptious street-food scaccia and panelle staples to an exquisite, superb-value tasting menu foregrounding Sicilian produce and culinary history. Under the stylishly adorned stone vaults of the centuries-old Palazzo Diquattro, diners dive into classic seafood spaghetto taratatatà (with tuna roe, almonds, and lemon), then the unmissable chocolate-glazed pork collar with artichoke and potato purée. The wonderful staff expertly match wines from the extensively-stocked cantina.  

Offering an upscale culinary journey in Caltanisetta, this restaurant's tasting menus offer modern takes on such popular Sicilian ingredients as tuna, eggplant, and squash, with delicate presentations often topped with truffles or caviar. This is not a fast experience, so set aside several hours and plan to relax and take in the gastronomic experience from classically trained chef Ester Giacchetto.

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.

Palazzolo Acreide has become a bit of a food town in recent years, and this blink-and-you-miss-it spot, housed in an ancient grotto off the main street, is a big part of that. The family-run restaurant offers house antipasti big enough to share, a short menu of high-quality entrées, and great-value tasting menus.

This Castelbuono institution has been preparing dishes with the finest local ingredients for over 30 years. Chefs Giuseppe and Francesca Carollo are dedicated to the products found in and around Castelbuono, including wild mushrooms, vegetables, "black" pork, and sweet manna made from the sap of local ash trees, which he fashions into beautiful, inventive dishes.  

You might not expect to find a thoroughly contemporary restaurant on the slopes of Mount Etna, but Shalai, in the boutique hotel of the same name, is truly a modern oasis, where young chef Giovanni Santoro prepares updated and beautifully presented versions of Sicilian classics. For the full Michelin-starred experience, choose from the six-course meat or fish tasting menus; to finish, the deconstructed cannoli are a true delight. Wine pairings skew heavily toward Etna producers.

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.   

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 eatery right on the beach at Selinunte is really no more than a glorified salad bar, although it also serves a nice selection of grilled fish and seafood (often sardines). Serve yourself from the delicacies on the center spread; the lunch buffet is very affordable, while dinner doesn't cost much more, often served by the owner whose constant back-and-forth to look after customers has earned this place the nickname "Da Yoyo." As a bonus, there are sun beds and umbrellas at reasonable prices if you want to unwind before the next archaeological bonanza.

This traditional fine-dining eatery occupies a cozy-but-elegant space on an unheralded piazza in the historic city center. The seasonally changing menu offers fixed-price osteria fare based on seasonal ingredients, which you can order à la carte or on tasting menus (land, sea, or vegetarian). Local seafood is a big draw, and the house-made pastas won't disappoint, especially when paired with a selection from the extensive wine list. Reserve ahead for al fresco dining at one of the tables in the piazza.

The bright, elegant dining room with exposed stone is the perfect venue for the culinary approach of chef Sandro Cicero, who creates beautifully simple yet sophisticated dishes. Castelbuono's seasonal produce includes porcini mushrooms and local caciocavallo and ricotta cheeses as well as pork, beef, and lamb, which dominate the list of mains.   

Chef Davide and brother Luca (front of house) deliver gorgeous, imaginative dishes in an elegant, coved-ceiling salone with stylish mid-century chairs and Anglepoise lighting. Their compact, seasonal menu showcases wonderful Sicilian produce such as octopus, tuna, black pork, pumpkin, and porcini mushrooms.

One of the Baroque town's fanciest restaurants reframes traditional Sicilian dishes in a contemporary style in an understated modern dining room. With a wonderful wine list that includes many Sicilian natural wines, a meal here is pricey but one to remember. Getting to Crocifisso is a bit of a hike as it's in the upper town. Most walking routes involve long flights of steps, although you could also take a car or taxi up around the edge of town. Either way, reservations are essential.

Locals flock to this elegant, modern restaurant down by the port, whose white walls are embellished with the colorful ceramics for which Sciacca is renowned. Seafood is the top choice (you'll see what's available as you enter), served in basically every form, from zuppa di cozze (mussel soup) to squid ink pasta, grilled calamari, and red prawns from Mazara served on the skewer. There are fixed-price menus and a long list of reasonably priced wines.