The best local restaurants in Sicily get along just fine with the most basic of furniture and unadorned walls, because they concentrate on delivering exquisite food. Sometimes, all that’s needed are fresh local ingredients and a chef that knows how to bring out the best in their flavours.

Some Sicilian dining spots, of course, manage to satisfy all the senses. But the key to finding the best local restaurants on the island – or indeed anywhere else – is to follow those who live there. Find their favourites and you’ll hit the culinary jackpot. Here’s where to find Sicily’s best local food experiences. 

  • 1

    Buatta Cucina Popolana

    Traditional Sicilian food at great prices

    Buatta Cucina Popolana
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    Buatta Cucina Popolana is a Palermo restaurant that proves excellent food doesn’t have to be expensive. This place specialises in the Sicilian classics. Among the types of pasta offered include bucatini and anelletti (ring-shaped pasta). 

    Also on the menu are cod, sardines and a pot of paranza (assorted small fried fish) with a kind of cornmeal polenta called frascatula, plus meat dishes such as rabbit, pork chops and sausage. It’s hearty fare, cooked well, at prices that won’t break the bank.

    ที่ตั้ง: Via Vittorio Emanuele, 176, 90133 Palermo PA, Italy

    เปิด: Tuesday–Sunday from noon to 3.30 pm and from 7.30 pm to 11.30 pm (closed on Mondays)

    โทร: +39 09 1322 378

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  • 2

    Me Cumpari Turiddu

    Authentic food in Catania

    Me Cumpari Turiddu
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    Me Cumpari Turiddu is a Catania restaurant that serves up traditional Sicilian food “just like grandma used to make” to locals. However, once you set eyes on this place, you’ll agree that grandma’s dining room was never this stylish. Boasting exposed stonework, lofty ceilings and glittering chandeliers, this place oozes Italian glamour.

    The food’s equally impressive, whether you pop in for morning coffee, a lunch of sandwiches made from freshly baked bread, or a slice of cake in the afternoon. You can opt to dine either at Me Cumpari Turiddu's no-frills bistro (which specialises in Sicilian street food) or its fancier restaurant.

    ที่ตั้ง: Piazza Turi Ferro, 36/38, 95131 Catania CT, Italy

    เปิด: Monday–Friday from 7 pm to 1 am, Saturday from noon to 1 am, Sunday from noon to midnight

    โทร: +39 09 5715 0142

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  • 3

    Antica Filanda

    Family-run restaurant with an exceptional view

    Antica Filanda
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    Antica Filanda is a restaurant in Capri Leone, run by a family that knows a thing or 2 about hospitality and food. Part of the Antica Filanda Hostel, the restaurant is surrounded by olive trees. From up here, you get to admire 3 of the Seven Sisters – the Aeolian islands of Alicudi, Filicudi and Salina – and the dazzling blue Tyrrhenian Sea.

    Antica Filanda’s team of 4 chefs treats food like an art form, using locally sourced ingredients to produce beautifully presented and tasty dishes. Try the potato and mint ravioli with black truffle, followed by slow-cooked veal cheeks. Wrap things up with tiramisu semifreddo with coffee foam or a prickly pear jelly.

    ที่ตั้ง: Contrada da Raviola, SP157, 98070 Capri Leone ME, Italy

    เปิด: Tuesday–Sunday from 12.30 pm to 2.30 pm and from 8 pm to 10.30 pm (closed on Mondays)

    โทร: +39 09 4191 9704

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  • 4

    Osteria Expanificio

    Sicilian cuisine that showcases local and regional produce

    Osteria Expanificio
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    Osteria Expanificio occupies a former bakery that's tucked away in the corner of a cobbled square in Agrigento. The restaurant is simple, channelling a rustic-chic vibe with a dash of contemporary flair. Meanwhile, its menu consists of traditional Sicilian dishes that change with the seasons.

    Must-try dishes at Osteria Expanificio include warm octopus salad, pasta tossed in wild boar ragù, and tender veal shank in a decadent Nero d’Avola sauce. The subtly lit and tucked-away setting makes it great for a dinner date in the hilltop city on Sicily's southwest shore.

    ที่ตั้ง: Piazza Giuseppe Sinatra, 92100 Agrigento AG, Italy

    เปิด: Daily from 12.30 pm to 2.30 pm and from 7.30 pm to 11 pm

    โทร: +39 092 259 5399

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  • 5

    A Putia Do Calabrisi

    A no-frills trattoria with a homely atmosphere

    A Putia Do Calabrisi
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    A Putia Do Calabrisi is a Catania trattoria that has resisted the temptation to mess with tradition. Decor-wise, the tables are worn and photos hanging on the wall are there for the memories they bring, rather than for their aesthetic.

    Like the food, it’s old school, but that’s the point. This is the kind of meal you might be served at home if your family knows all there is to know about Sicilian cooking. The emphasis is on flavour and aroma. Try the pasta al forno and roast pork, paired with their house wine.

    ที่ตั้ง: Via della Concordia, 185, 95121 Catania CT, Italy

    เปิด: Monday–Saturday from noon to 3.30 pm (closed on Sundays)

    โทร: +39 34 9843 6479

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  • 6

    Ristorante Da Vittorio

    Seafood dining by the sea

    Ristorante Da Vittorio
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    Ristorante Da Vittorio serves up simple seafood in Menfi. When its chef came here from Bergamo, he had an ambition of opening a simple restaurant by the sea. That’s exactly what he did, and decades later, it's one of Sicily's best local restaurants.

    Vittorio’s menu changes each morning, dependent on the catch of the day. Sea urchins, sardines, sea bass, octopus, amberjack – sometimes right from the boat. This is straightforward fare, using ingredients that don’t need to be embellished to shine.  

    ที่ตั้ง: Via Friuli Venezia Giulia, 9, 92013 Menfi AG, Italy

    เปิด: Hours vary by season

    โทร: +39 09 257 8381

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  • 7

    Al Tortellino

    Basic, no-frills place serving decent food

    Al Tortellino
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    Al Tortellino is a simple dining spot serving local dishes at good value prices in Catania. Its no-frills decor won’t win any style awards, but who cares when the food tastes great and the portions are generous? This is the place to come for homemade pasta – you eat it here and buy a bag to take home. The pizzas are just as delicious, with plenty of choices when it comes to toppings. 

    You can find Al Tortellino along Via Giuseppe Simili, about 1.3 km east of notable landmarks like the Roman Amphitheater of Catania and Villa Bellini park. 

    ที่ตั้ง: Via Giuseppe Simili, 20, 95129 Catania CT, Italy

    เปิด: Daily from 10 am to 3 pm and from 6.30 pm to 11.30 pm

    โทร: +39 09 553 2186

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  • 8

    Rosticceria Palermitana Arancina Planet

    An arancina specialist in downtown Noto

    Rosticceria Palermitana Arancina Planet
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    Rosticceria Palermitana Arancina Planet is one of the best spots in Noto if you’re looking for street food. This simple place is a great place to try arancina (also called arancino by locals) – a delicious ball of deep-fried breaded rice that’s been eaten in this part of the world for centuries.

    The menu contains more varieties than most places, flavoured with spinach, mushrooms, chicken, ragù or even horse meat. If you work your way through the list, there are also a few pasta and pizza dishes to enjoy. 

    ที่ตั้ง: Via Ducezio, 26, 96017 Noto SR, Italy

    เปิด: Daily from 8 am to 11 pm

    โทร: +39 09 3157 4037

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  • 9

    Ristorante Sicilia in Tavora

    Fresh seafood at very reasonable prices

    Ristorante Sicilia in Tavora
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    Ristorante Sicilia in Tavora is a popular seafood restaurant in Ortigia. Its wooden ceiling and whitewashed walls are charmingly rustic, but the food is what brings regulars back over and over again.

    Start with raw red shrimps with a creamy burrata or some fresh ceviche. Follow up with homemade pasta tossed with sardines or cuttlefish, or the signature spaghetti with salty anchovies. Hearty fish stews or grilled sea bass and swordfish round off this memorable maritime feast.

    ที่ตั้ง: Via Cavour, 28, 96100 Siracusa SR, Italy

    เปิด: Tuesday–Sunday from 1 pm to 2.30 pm and from 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm (closed on Mondays)

    โทร: +39 39 2461 0889

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  • 10

    Cantina Siciliana

    A veteran Trapani osteria that’s been around for decades

    Cantina Siciliana
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    Cantina Siciliana is an osteria in Trapani that at first glimpse, transports you to North Africa. But you’ll soon learn that couscous is as big a deal in this part of Sicily as the breaded seafood and fresh pasta sitting alongside it on the menu. Once you get your head around that, the place will start to make sense. 

    Cantina Siciliana first opened as a tavern back in 1958. The decor is equally eclectic: a collection of antique coffee grinders perch on a shelf above vivid blue wall tiles that could just as easily be Tunisian and Moorish ceramic heads contrast with the puppets that hang from the rafters. It all works – and it’s no wonder the place has thrived for so long.

    ที่ตั้ง: Via Giudecca, 36, 91100 Trapani TP, Italy

    เปิด: Daily from 12.45 pm to 3 pm and from 7.15 pm to 11 pm

    โทร: +39 09 2328 673

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Julia Hammond | นักเขียนประจำ