Page 139 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

map. This old-fashioned place has been in the same family for five generations.

Downstairs they serve traditional Palermitani street food, such as focaccia schietta
(focaccia with offal and caciocavallo cheese), sfincione (pizza with onion, tomato,
caciocavallo and breadcrumbs), crocchè (potato croquettes) and panelle (chickpea-
flour fritters). Upstairs you can eat full meals (try the pasta con le sarde, pasta with
sardines). There are also several fixed-price menus: pannelle, crocchè, an arancina
or slice of pizza, cannolo and a drink for €7; or the same, with pasta instead of the

arancina or pizza for €8.50. In summer you can eat outside. Mon & Wed–Sun lunch &
dinner.

Il Mirto e la Rosa Via Principe di Granitello 30 091 324 353; map. One of the
Palermo businesses that don’t pay pizzo, Il Mirto began life as a vegetarian restaurant,
and the emphasis on vegetables remains alongside carefully sourced local fish and
meat. Signature dishes include caponata with pistachio-spiked couscous, and home-

made tagliolini with a sweet, sticky tomato sauce, grilled aubergine and cheese from
the Nébrodi mountains. Finish up with a voluptuous dessert followed by home-made
cinnamon liqueur. Eating à la carte, you’ll spend around €25 for three courses without
wine, €30 with dessert, but there are various deals (€10 for a primo, secondo and
salad, €15 for antipasto, primo, secondo, salad and dessert). Mon–Sat lunch & dinner.

Osteria dei Vespri Piazza Croce dei Vespri 091 617 1631, osteriadeivespri.it;

map. Palermo’s best restaurant was opened as a hobby a decade ago and continues to
be run with passion by brothers Andrea and Alberto Rizzo, who cook complex meals
with a loyal and intelligent use of local Sicilian ingredients. Dishes might include
rabbit terrine with pistachios from Bronte, black tagliolini served with red mullet,
ginger, red onion and fresh fava beans, or quail stuffed with prunes served on a puree
of cannellini beans and celeriac. À la carte you’ll pay at least €20 per course, while
there are degustazione menus at €60 and €85 per person, excluding wine. Mon–Sat

lunch & dinner.

Osteria lo Bianco Via E. Amari 104 091 251 4906; map. Decorated with
Juventus souvenirs and religious bric-a-brac, this is one of the cheapest places to eat
in town. Traditional Palermitano food, such as pasta con sarde, polpette (meatballs)
in tomato sauce, ricciola in a spicy tomato sauce, or a stew of beef, peas and carrots.
Two courses with wine and fruit for under €15. Mon–Sat lunch & dinner, Sun lunch

only.

Osteria Paradiso Via Serradifalco 23 (no phone); map. Typical family-run trattoria,
to the north of La Zisa, open only at lunchtime and specializing in fish. There is no
written menu – the owner just tells you what’s available that day. Specialities include
fish cooked in seawater, raw prawns dressed with olive oil and lemon juice, and
deep-fried cicirello, a long skinny silver fish. Arrive early to get a table. Mon–Sat