80 Best Restaurants in Sicily, Italy

This rustic little family place offers a selection of basic Sicilian antipasti and pasta dishes. It is a perfect 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.

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 (typically 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. 

The stone building that houses Il Borgo was built in 1942 in a style that reflects the neighboring medieval castle. The cool stone walls and wooden furnishings create a wonderfully warm atmosphere while the restaurant itself is focused on a delicious rotating seasonal menu.

This casual restaurant and B&B is located in a converted Norman castle. The restaurant offers a great menu of local Sicilian cuisine and a wood-fired pizza oven.

Seafood is the cuisine of choice in Mondello, though the quality on offer at many of the seafront restaurants can be patchy, to say the least, but you'll find no complaints at this family-run trattoria. 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 are many choices to choose from for your main. 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). A good choice of Sicilian wines is also offered.

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 veal cutlet with Etna mushrooms, pasta con le sarde, or a simple slice of grilled pesce spada (swordfish). 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 fish, with seafood pasta and fish mains, several featuring the red prawns for which Mazara is known throughout Italy. It is largely frequented by locals although in the summer, travelers are attracted to the outdoor terrace. 

It's worth the short drive or inexpensive taxi ride from Monreale to reach this restaurant, which is famous for well-prepared local specialties (just keep in mind it has limited open hours, so call before you come). Seafood dishes might include bavette don Carmelo, a version of tagliatelle with a sauce of swordfish, squid, shrimp, and pine nuts while other favorites include involtini alla siciliana (meat roulades) and grilled beef fillet. Local wines make a tasty accompaniment.

Sheltered from the city's hustle and bustle, this elegant little eatery exudes a mood of relaxed sophistication, serving classic dishes such as linguine with clams and fresh grilled fish in a cozy courtyard. The outdoor tables are the best place to enjoy the food and the friendly, informal service, but there is also a modest white-walled dining room.

Named for an historic structure that was used to store Malvasia grapes at night after sitting in the sun all day (the pinnata), this restaurant consistently delivers the exact flavors you want to eat on a Mediterranean island. Diners linger late into the evening over raw seafood, roasted fish, grilled octopus, and pastas dressed with wild fennel, caper pesto, fresh ricotta, or rich cuttlefish ink. Dine alfresco on the massive terrace overlooking vineyards and the sea from Malfa's southern edge.

Brothers Salvo and Vito La Rosa serve memorable seafood and meat dishes, exquisite homemade desserts, and a wide choice of wines at this old-school Catania eatery a 3-km (2-mile) taxi ride north of the city center. The restaurant specializes in the ancient dish ripiddu nivicatu (risotto with cuttlefish ink and fresh ricotta cheese), as well as sarde a beccafico (stuffed sardines) and calamari ripieni alla griglia (stuffed and grilled).

For really big plates of meat and a wine cellar full of red wine, head to this little "wolf's lair" that looks exactly how you want a Sicilian steakhouse to look (stone walls, exposed wooden rafters, and arched alcoves packed with wine). The portions are ample, so it's best to go with a group and share.

If it's seafood you're looking for, you'll feel at home at this harborside fish restaurant, where the day's catch is displayed in a chiller at the front. Couscous features among the starters, as does the outstanding busiate con gambero, pistacchio e bottarga (pasta with prawns, chopped pistachios, and tuna roe); mains change daily, but tuna cooked in citrus and the grilled swordfish are usually on the menu. The interior is modern, with small tables and a large glass front, and there's also a terrace for eating al fresco by the water.

On the grounds of the expansive Gulfi winery, which produces well-regarded organic wines, you’ll find a unique place for a sophisticated lunch or dinner, with sweeping views of the Chiaramonte hills and vineyards (about a half-hour drive north of Ragusa). The chef skillfully uses local ingredients to prepare Sicilian dishes with a twist in the modern dining room which features handblown chandeliers and a design-focused black-and-red color scheme; in warmer months, enjoy your meal on the lovely terrace.

Following a Slow Food philosophy, this restaurant strives to be a typical Sicilian neighborhood destination in every sense. In the morning, you'll find just-from-the-oven breads, pastries, fresh-squeezed juice, and goat's milk yogurt at the front counter while the restaurant's main menu pays homage to the area's distinct culinary traditions, such as donkey steaks or donkey mortadella, pastas with anchovies and breadcrumbs, and macco soup from fava beans. There's also a small bodega (putia) that sells ingredients from the producers they use.

At this traditional restaurant located on a side street near the main piazza, you can sit on a tree-lined patio overlooking the sea or in the white-walled dining room and munch on free panelle (chickpea fritters) while waiting for your main dish, which will be served tableside, spooned from the cooking pots to your plate by the friendly staff. The pastas are exemplary (there are even gluten-free options), but the specialty is the seafood couscous, served with a bowl of fish broth on the side.

Located on the spit of land between Ganzirri Lake and the sea, this earnest little trattoria serves the freshest fish possible. A young chef, Gaetano Borgosano, has taken over the 60-year-old restaurant and has smartly kept its iconic dishes, such as fried mussels (stuffed with breadcrumbs and fried on the half shell) and fish meatballs in a Messinese ghiotto (sauce of tomatoes, capers, and celery) while introducing his own updates such as swordfish agrodolce. The menu is merely a guide, as the waiter will bring a platter of fresh fish to your table so you can choose from the daily catch.

Restaurants line the Aci Trezza seafront, and you honestly can't do wrong with any of them, but Graziano's osteria is especially known for its excellent selection of fresh seafood. The pastas are quite good, as are the whole fish preparations (you can see the available catch on ice in the corner of the dining room), but the stand-out here is the mixed antipasti selections of both raw and cooked seafood. The abundant crudo platter—piled with oysters, razor clams, sea urchin, scampi, and gamberi rossi—feels like the centerpiece of a Bacchanal feast.

Housed in the former church of Sant'Alberto, with some of its old stone walls left exposed, this restaurant (a cut above what you might expect from an "osteria") flaunts its authentically traditional character. The menu shows the same respect for local cuisine, but dishes are enlivened by a fresh, modern approach, including old favorites like caponata, antipasto rustico, creamy risottos, and seafood pastas—all highly rated by locals as well as tourists. Among the desserts, the almond and mandarin semifreddos and the wine-poached pears coated in chocolate deserve a special mention.

One of Agrigento’s most popular restaurants, Osteria Ex Panificio is housed in a former bakery on the main street of the old town. Typical Sicilian fish and seafood dishes dominate, and there is a terrace for outside dining in summer, and a cozy interior decorated with bakery equipment and hand-written bread recipes.

At this slow-food tavern, conveniently located right behind the Castello Maniace, you can sit back and enjoy both surf and turf dishes in the vaulted interior or—even better—on the outdoor terrace. One major plus is that you can order half portions of several pasta dishes or opt for a secondo, like the unusual pesce in crosta di patate (grilled fish in a potato crust)—all served on hand-painted ceramic ware.

Dine right on the water's edge at this local seafood favorite on the Isola Bella beach. Seafood reigns supreme, and in early mornings you might even see fishermen pulling their boats directly up to the restaurant to make fresh deliveries. It's a perfect addition to a beach day as you can dine on the terrace in your cover-up, no questions asked. 

Family-owned for generations, Cutì Lu Dissi (which means "who told you" in Sicilian) specializes in excellent renditions of Sicilian food. From their lofty open-air terrace just beyond the Porta Catania, you can see the sea below and Etna in the distance. And with a staff that's instantly familiar with guests but always professional, it's the sort of place where you will want to linger until closing time.

Founded in 1910, Filippino is rightly rated as one of the archipelago's best dining venues—and you'll understand why, when you sample the catch of the day on the gorgeous terrace. Zuppa di pesce (fish soup) and the antipasto platter of smoked and marinated fish are absolute musts, but be sure to leave some room for the local version of cassata siciliana, accompanied by sweet Malvasia wine from Salina.

This restaurant claims to be located between heaven and earth, and its hillside perch with sweeping vistas certainly helps make its case. Go for classic Sicilian dishes, such as spaghetti with pistachio pesto or a many-layered slice of eggplant parmigiana. 

This typical family-run Italian restaurant specializes in locally fished seafood and fine pizzas from the wood-fired oven. The staff are very accommodating and will prepare anything you require if there are specific dietary requirements, including gluten-free and vegetarian options.