Sicily used to produce chefs for export. Today, more and more of the island's culinary talents are staying home and exploring new ways to use the island's extraordinary foodie raw materials and change the tone of island food.
Gone are the days when a visitor's choice consisted of chic (usually hotel) restaurants, tourist-oriented 'folkloric' trattorias and illuminated local dive spots. Now Sicily has everything from Slow Food-style organic snack bars through creative trattorias and country restaurants to a few luxury Michelin-starred restaurants setting a new agenda for 'la cucina siciliana'.
For more inspiration about Sicily, check out our guides to the island's best hotels, nightlife, beaches and activities.
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north
A' Putìa - Panini e Vini
A modern take on the traditional putìa (small local produce shop), this wine bar offers a fine selection of local wines, as well as some of the tastiest paninis in town: try the tuna, mozzarella, mint, olive pâté and hazelnut, or pork lard, gorgonzola, pear jam and Modica chocolate. Far from the hustle and bustle of Palermo's central pedestrian streets, the outdoor tables are the perfect place to enjoy a tagliere (cheese and meat board) or a glass of sweet moscato di Pantelleria and some homemade cookies. The friendly staff is on hand to provide recommendations and tastings.
Casa del Brodo dal Dottore
For an authentic local dining experience in Palermo's centralissimo, via Vittorio Emanuele, head to this historic trattoria, which has been run by the same family for more than 100 years - ever since the founder's beef broth gained healing powers during a cholera outbreak, hence the name. The decor offers a charming Art Nouveau take on the old-fashioned 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 cooked meat in salsa verde with saffron. The two-course tasting menus offer great value for money.
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East
Dai Pennisi
Dai Pennisi in the town of Linguaglossa is exactly what it says on the sign: macelleria con cucina - a butcher shop with kitchen. Since 1960, the charming Pennisi family has been a neighborhood supplier of excellent locally produced meat. Now, in a stylishly converted space, they've put their carnivorous skills to use serving up mouth-watering steaks and the kind of burgers that put anything else sold under that label to shame, plus Sicilian cheeses, omelettes and simply superb cuisine. cassata (a traditional ricotta-filled cake). The wine list is extraordinary. Of course, if you just need a pork chop to cook for dinner, the butcher shop is still open.
Tischi Toschi
Yes - traditional, family-run Sicilian trattorias exist, even in the island's popular tourist destination, Taormina. Or at least, that's what people do. In a narrow alley next to the city's main street, Corso Umberto, this small, cozy town with its old-fashioned decor is known for its authentic island cuisine, prepared with market-fresh products from local producers. Dishes such as caponata (a kind of Sicilian ratatouille) and pasta con le sarde (with sardines, wild fennel and raisins) are prepared here down to the last detail by friendly patron Luca Casablanca. A small wine list offers mainly Sicilian bottles.
Cave Os
This pizzeria and osteria in Solicchiata on the north side of Etna is a friendly, informal place with a secret: an excellent wine list. If the idea of matching a pizza - even an excellent pizza made from slow-risen flour and topped with the freshest local produce - with a €940 bottle of Clos de Tart Burgundy seems a bit excessive, hold on the comprehensive, affordable price. selection of Sicilian wines. The non-pizza dishes are of a similarly high standard: during the mushroom season you should not miss the pasta with funghi porcini. In summer the outdoor terrace is a pleasure.
south
Hostaria del Vicolo
The small, elegant Hostaria del Vicolo in Sciacca is a family affair, with founder Nicola Bentivegna now leading the next generation of seekers of local excellence. Deliciously fresh ingredients are channeled into cleverly revised traditions: try grandma's sardine soup; busiate pasta with broad bean puree, shrimp and ricotta; or monkfish with wakame, saffron and almond sauce. The menu features a lot of fish, but there are also meat and vegetable options. The service is welcoming, professional but completely unobtrusive, and Sicilian vintages dominate the excellent wine list. Try a range of dishes via tasting menus for €65 and €75.
La Madia
If you only have one big meal planned in Sicily, come to this pleasant two-Michelin-star retreat in the nondescript (not to mention downright ugly) town of Licata between Ragusa and Agrigento. Chef Pino Cuttaia is one of those quiet culinary geniuses who bases the brilliance of his presentations on ingredients that are (usually) authentically Sicilian. The arancino (a fried rice ball - the classic Sicilian street snack) in a sauce of red mullet and wild fennel captures Cuttaia's loving nod to the island's farming traditions. The desserts are simply spectacular.
Accursio Ristorante
Every plate that emerges from Chef Accursio Craparo's Michelin-starred kitchen is a work of art - beautiful to look at, but even better to eat, with a symphony of flavors that captures all the excellences of this food-rich island calls forward. The restaurant space in an old palazzo in the lower town of Modica comes across as a rural osteria, but the food is undoubtedly refined - without being pompous. The seafood spaghetti with mussels, oysters, shrimp, caviar and other delicacies from the deep is excellent; the artichoke stem with artichoke pate and fried artichoke leaves is a triumph. Tasting menus range from €110-€150.
Al Fogher
There are two reasons to make a detour to Piazza Armerina. One of these is a visit to the Villa dei Casale with its glorious Roman mosaics. The other is this elegant, family-run rural restaurant, which serves creative Sicilian cuisine, both sea and land, and offers beautifully presented dishes such as squid ink pasta with shrimp carpaccio and zucchini julienne, or thinly sliced swordfish filled with crispy vegetables. There's a delicious tasting menu for €75 (£68). The interior is stylish and homely, and there is a lovely garden terrace for dining in the summer.
Duomo
The creations of two-star chef Ciccio Sultano are as baroque as the architecture in this southeastern corner of Sicily, although arguably less austere - and of course infinitely more delicious. A series of elegant, beautifully lit salons, set in an 18th-century palazzo in Ragusa, are presided over by discreet, professional staff; diners swoon over dishes that transform Sicilian traditions into extraordinary novelties. There are elaborate tasting menus for €178 or €198, or à la carte delicacies such as gnocchi with squid carbonara, redfish, pistacchio and lemon; or pigeon breast with artichoke and mulberries.
West
Ristorante Boomerang
No view, no menu, no frills: just a non-stop assortment of whatever came off the fishing boat that morning, served in a super friendly establishment for a surprisingly low fixed price of €30. It's worth approaching Boomerang hungry - perhaps walking on the beautiful beach in the nearby Foce del Belice National Park will work up an appetite. There is no pasta, but expect sea mullet, a few sardines, fresh squid and much more, with a mixed salad and rounded off with a cannolo and some fruit. The only choice you make is red wine or white.
Contact: Piazza delle Metope, Marinella di Selinunte; 00 39 335 6563751
Opening hours: Daily, 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: £
How we choose
Every restaurant on this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who's dropped by to give you his insider's perspective. We cover a range of budgets, from neighborhood favorites to Michelin-starred restaurants - to suit the tastes of every type of traveler - and our recommendations take the food, service, best tables, atmosphere and price into account. We update this list regularly to stay informed of the latest openings and to provide current recommendations.
