Where to eat in Palermo
Palermo has some of the best street food in Italy: arancine, panelle, sfincione and bread rolls filled with spleen, sold at counters and market stalls. Sit-down trattorias serve pasta with sardines and sweets are a serious business. Eat in the markets at lunch, then book dinner.
The short answer
- Best area to eat
- The Kalsa and the Capo market for trattorias, and Ballarò for street food.
- Order this
- An arancina, panelle in a bread roll, and a cannolo or cassata for dessert.
- When to eat
- Lunch from 1pm and dinner from 8pm. Street food stalls are busiest at midday.
- Book or walk in
- Trattorias take walk-ins at lunch. Book for dinner at the weekend.
- Tipping
- Not expected. Rounding up is welcome.
What to eat in Palermo
- ArancinaA fried rice ball, filled with ragu and peas or with butter and ham. In Palermo it is called arancina, and is shaped like an orange.
- Pani ca meusaA soft roll filled with sliced beef spleen, eaten with lemon or with ricotta and cheese. The oldest street food in the city.
- PanelleThin chickpea fritters, eaten in a bread roll or on their own, often with potato croquettes.
- SfincioneA thick, soft pizza with tomato, onion, breadcrumbs and anchovy, sold in bakeries and from street carts.
- Pasta con le sardePasta with sardines, wild fennel, pine nuts and raisins, the signature dish of the city.
- CannoloA fried pastry tube filled with sheep's ricotta, best when filled to order.
- CassataA sponge cake with ricotta, marzipan and candied fruit, a Sicilian classic.
- Granita with briocheA frozen coffee or fruit ice served with a brioche, a Sicilian breakfast.
Where to eat in Palermo, by neighborhood
Kalsa
Small trattorias, bars and the Antica Focacceria, near the sea and Piazza Marina. A good area for dinner.
Ballarò and Albergheria
A street market with stalls of fried food, fruit and fish. Come at lunch and eat standing up.
Capo and Teatro Massimo
A market district with trattorias behind it. Good value and quieter in the evening.
Vucciria and the Loggia
Old market streets near the port, now busy with bars at night, and a few trattorias that are worth a walk.
Places worth a booking or a queue
-
Antica Focacceria San Francesco
€€Historic focacceria · Kalsa
OrderPani ca meusa
A historic restaurant by the church of San Francesco, open since 1834, serving the classic street foods. Eating at the counter costs less than a table.
- Book
- Walk in
Confirmed open: tablejourney.com
-
Trattoria Al Ferro di Cavallo
€Trattoria · Loggia
OrderPasta alla Norma
A busy, informal trattoria with communal tables and a chalkboard menu of simple Sicilian classics at low prices.
- Book
- No reservations, expect a short queue
Confirmed open: tablejourney.com
-
Trattoria Ai Cascinari
€€Trattoria · Capo
OrderPasta con le sarde
A trattoria founded in 1949 behind the Capo market, known for traditional dishes such as pasta with sardines and baked anelletti.
- Book
- Book for dinner
Confirmed open: tablejourney.com
-
Nni Franco u' Vastiddaru
€Street food counter · Kalsa
OrderPani ca meusa
A small counter, open since 1992, that serves bread rolls with spleen, with ricotta and cheese or plain.
- Book
- Walk in
Confirmed open: tablejourney.com
-
Pasticceria Cappello
€Pastry shop · Via Colonna Rotta and Via Garzilli
OrderSetteveli cake
A family pastry shop with roughly 80 years of history, known for the seven-layer chocolate and hazelnut cake and for Sicilian pistachio and ricotta pastries.
- Book
- Walk in
Confirmed open: pasticceriacappello.it
Food markets in Palermo
- Mercato di BallaròThe biggest street market in the old center, with fish, vegetables, spices and fried food from stalls. Eat panelle, arancine and sfincione here.Daily in the morning and early afternoon, quieter on SundaysSource: unipa.it
- Mercato del CapoA long market behind the Teatro Massimo, more local than touristy, with fish, meat and produce and street food at the edges.Daily in the morning, check locally for the exact hoursSource: unipa.it
- Mercato della VucciriaThe oldest market in the city, near Piazza Caracciolo. It is now smaller by day, and the streets fill with bars in the evening.Mornings for the stalls, evenings for the barsSource: unipa.it
How Palermo eats
- Meal timesLunch from 1pm and dinner from 8pm. Street food is eaten mid-morning and at midday.
- CoffeeDrink it standing at the bar. In summer, order a granita with brioche for breakfast.
- TippingNot expected. Check the bill for a coperto, a small cover charge.
- Sitting or standingAt some historic places the same food costs more at a table than at the counter.
- ReservationsBook dinner at the weekend. Lunch and street food are walk-in.
Signs of a place to walk past
A restaurant near the cathedral or Quattro Canti with a picture menu and a tout at the door.
A cannolo with the filling already inside and sitting in the window. A good shop fills it to order.
A menu in six languages that offers pasta, pizza and paella together.
Eating in Palermo: questions people ask
What food is Palermo known for?
Street food such as arancine, panelle, sfincione and pani ca meusa, pasta with sardines, and sweets such as cannoli and cassata.
What is the best street food in Palermo?
Arancine and panelle are the easy starting points. Pani ca meusa is the traditional choice for the adventurous.
Where should I eat in Palermo?
The markets at lunch, the Kalsa and the streets behind Capo for dinner.
Is food cheap in Palermo?
Yes, by Italian standards. Street food costs a few euros, and trattorias are good value.
Do I need to book in Palermo?
Not usually at lunch. Book dinner at the weekend, and at busier trattorias.
Is it safe to eat street food in Palermo?
Generally yes. Pick stalls with a steady line of locals, and eat food that is cooked in front of you.