Sicily used to produce chefs for export. These days more and more of the island’s culinary talents are staying at home, exploring new ways of using the island’s extraordinary foodie raw materials and changing the tone of eating on the island.
The days when a visitor's choice consisted of fancy (usually hotel) restaurants, tourist-oriented 'folkloristic' trattorias and strip-lit local dives is very much over. Now Sicily now has everything from Slow Food-style organic snack bars through creative trattorias, and country restaurants to a few high-end Michelin-starred establishments that are setting a new agenda for 'la cucina siciliana'.
For further Sicily inspiration, see our guides to the island's best hotels,nightlife, beaches and things to do.
Find a restaurant by area
- North
- East
- South
- West
North
A’ Putìa - Panini e Vini
A modern take on the traditionalputìa(small local produce shop), this wine bar offers a fine selection of local vintages, as well as some of the tastiest panini in town: try the tuna, mozzarella, mint, olive paté and hazelnut, or pork lard, gorgonzola, pear jam and Modica chocolate. Set back from the hustle and bustle of Palermo’s central pedestrian streets, the outside tables are the perfect place to enjoy atagliere(cheese and meat board) or a glass of sweetmoscato di Pantelleriaand some home-made biscuits. Friendly staff are on hand to offer recommendations and tastings.
Contact: linktr.ee/aputiasicily
Reservations:Not necessary
Prices:£
Casa del Brodo dal Dottore
For an authentic local dining experience on Palermo’s centralissimo via Vittorio Emanuele, head for this historic trattoria, which has been run by the same family for more than 100 years – ever since the founder’s beef broth was attributed curative powers during an outbreak of cholera, hence the name. The décor offers a charming Art Nouveau take on the old-school Italian trattoria, but it’s the food that stands out: authoritative versions of classic Sicilian dishes such as bucatini pasta with sardines and wild fennel, or boiled meats in salsa verde with saffron. The two-course tasting menus offer great value.
Contact:casadelbrodo.it
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: ££
East
Dai Pennisi
Dai Pennisiin the town of Linguaglossa is precisely what it says on its sign: macelleria con cucina– a butcher's with a kitchen. Since 1960 the delightful Pennisi family has been a neighbourhood purveyor of some excellent locally produced meats. Now, in a stylishly made-over space, they have parlayed their carnivorous skills into serving up scrumptious steaks and the kind of hamburgers that put anything else peddled under that label to shame, plus Sicilian cheeses, omelettes and a simply splendidcassata (a traditional ricotta-filled cake). The wine list is extraordinary. Of course if you just need a chop to cook for dinner, the butcher's counter still operates.
Contact:daipennisi.it
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: ££
Tischi Toschi
Yes – traditional, family-run Sicilian trattorias exist even in the island’s popular tourist destination, Taormina. Or at least, one does. In a narrow lane off the town’s main street, Corso Umberto, this tiny, convivial place with its old-fashioned décor is famous for its authentic island cuisine, made with market-fresh goods from local producers. Dishes such ascaponata (a sort of Sicilian ratatouille) and pasta con le sarde (with sardines, wild fennel and raisins) are done here to perfection by amiable patron Luca Casablanca. A small wine list offers mainly Sicilian bottles.
Contact:tischitoschitaormina.com
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: ££
Cave Ox
This pizzeria and osteria in Solicchiata on the northern side of Mount Etna is a friendly, informal place with a secret: a stellar wine list. If the idea of matching a pizza – even an excellent one made with slow-leavened flour and topped with the freshest of local products – with a €940 bottle of Clos de Tart Burgundy seems a tad excessive, stick to the comprehensive, good-value selection of Sicilian wines. The non-pizza fare is of a similarly high standard: in mushroom season don’t miss the pasta with funghi porcini. In summer, the outside terrace is a delight.
Contact:caveox.it
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: ££
South
Hostaria del Vicolo
Tiny, elegant Hostaria del Vicoloin Sciacca is a family affair, with founder Nicola Bentivegna now presiding over the next generation of seekers of local excellence. Wonderfully fresh ingredients are channeled into cleverly revisited traditions: try Grandma's sardine soup; busiate pasta with broad bean purée, shrimps and ricotta; or anglerfish with wakame, saffron and almond sauce. The menu is heavy on fish, but there are meat and vegetable options too. Service is welcoming, professional but perfectly unobstrusive, and Sicilian vintages dominate the excellent wine list. Try a range of dishes through tasting menus priced at€65 and €75.
Contact:hostariadelvicolo.it
Reservations: Essential
Prices: £££
La Madia
If you've budgeted for just one splash-out meal in Sicily, make it here at this pleasant two Michelin-starred refuge in the nondescript (not to say downright ugly) town of Licata between Ragusa and Agrigento.Chef Pino Cuttaia is one of those quiet culinary geniuses who bases the dazzle of his presentations on ingredients that are (mostly) authentically Sicilian. The arancino (a fried rice ball – the classic Sicilian street snack) in a sauce of red mullet and wild fennel gives a good idea of Cuttaia's affectionate nods to the island's peasant traditions. The desserts are simply spectacular.
Contact:ristorantelamadia.it
Reservations: Essential
Prices: £££
Accursio Ristorante
Every plate that emerges from the Michelin-starred kitchen of chef Accursio Craparo is a work of art –beautiful to look at but even better to eat, with a symphony of tastes that conjures up all the excellences of this food-rich island. The restaurant space in an old palazzo in Modica's lower town comes over as country osteria, but the food is unquestionably sophisticated – without being pompous. The seafood spaghetti with clams, oysters, prawns, caviar and other delights of the deep is exquisite; the artichoke stem with artichoke paté and deep-fried artichoke leaves is a triumph. Tasting menus range from €110-€150.
Contact:accursioristorante.it
Reservations: Essential
Prices: £££
Al Fogher
There are two reasons to make a detour to Piazza Armerina. One is to visit the Villa dei Casale with its glorious Roman mosaics. The other is this elegant family-run country restaurant, which does creative Sicilian cuisine, both sea- and land-based, offering beautifully presented dishes such as squid-ink pasta with prawn carpaccio and julienne of courgette, or thinly sliced swordfish stuffed with crunchy vegetables. There’s a fine taster menu at €75 (£68). The interior is smart-homely, and there’s pretty garden terrace for summer dining.
Contact:lesostediulisse.it/ristoranti/al-fogher
Reservations: Essential
Prices: £££
Duomo
The creations of two-starred chef Ciccio Sultano are as baroque as the architecture in this south-eastern corner of Sicily, though arguably less austere – and of course infinitely tastier. A series of elegant, beautifully illuminated salons located in an 18th-century palazzo in Ragusa are presided over by discreet, professional staff; diners swoon over dishes which magic Sicilian traditions into extraordinary novelties. There are intricate tasting menus at €178 or €198, or à la carte delights such as gnocchi with cuttlefish carbonara, rockfish, pistacchio and lemon; or pigeon breast with Jerusalem artichoke and mulberries.
Contact: cicciosultano.it
Reservations: Essential
Prices: £££
West
Ristorante Boomerang
No view, no menu, no frills: just a non-stop assortment of whatever came off the fishing boat that morning, served up in a super-friendly establishment for a surprisingly low fixed-price of €30. It pays to approach Boomerang hungry – perhaps work up an appetite walking on the glorious beach in the nearby Foce del Belice national park. There's no pasta, but expect to find red mullet, a few sardines, squeaky-fresh squid and many other goodies, with a mixed salad and rounded-off with a cannolo and some fruit. The only decision you'll make is red wine or white.
Contact: Piazza delle Metope, Marinella di Selinunte; 00 39 335 6563751
Opening times: Daily, 7:30pm-11pm
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: £
How we choose
Every restaurant in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who has visited to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets, from neighbourhood favourites to Michelin-starred restaurants – to best suit every type of traveller’s taste – and consider the food, service, best tables, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest opening and provide up to date recommendations.
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