Cocktails, wine bars and dives: drinking in Palermo for grown-ups.
Cocktail bars, wine bars, dive bars and gastropubs: drinking in Palermo for grown-ups.
Bocum Mixology on Via dei Cassari in Palermo's Vucciria is the city's senior cocktail bar, Gambero Rosso's Sicily benchmark, deep Sicilian-spirits list, the Frangiflutti house signature.
Signature drink: Frangiflutti (Marsala-based cocktail)
Food: Sicilian sharing plates, panini, charcuterie
Tip: Aperitivo from 18:00. Frangiflutti is the house cocktail; the upstairs lounge is the seat to book.
Barril on Via Giuseppe Fiorelli in Palermo's Kalsa is a modern cocktail and natural-wine bar with a 50-seat dining room, drawing the city's young creative class from 19:00.
Signature drink: Negroni Sbagliato
Food: Charcuterie, small plates
Tip: Book ahead at weekends. The natural-wine flight pairs with the small plates.
Botteghe Colletti on Via Alessandro Paternostro in Palermo's Vucciria runs a small-room natural-wine bar with a Sicilian-only list and producer-meet pours every fortnight.
Signature drink: Catarratto by the glass
Food: Cicchetti, charcuterie, cheese
Tip: Closed Monday. The fortnightly winemaker visits are worth the seat; check Instagram for the calendar.
Ferramenta on Via Giuseppe D'Alessi behind the Palazzo Steri in Palermo runs a 30-seat speakeasy-style cocktail bar in a former ironmonger's shop, vermouth-led drinks programme.
Signature drink: Mediterranean spritz, vermouth-led cocktails
Food: Aperitivo snacks
Tip: Closed Sunday. The vermouth flight is the educational pour; book at weekends.
Ballarak on Piazza Magione in Palermo's Kalsa is the city's first craft brewery since 2016, four taps of house beer, brewpub kitchen with sfincione-style pizza and Suino Nero burgers.
Signature drink: Ballarak IPA, house craft beer flight
Food: Sfincione, Suino Nero burger
Tip: Piazza tables fill first in summer. Tap list rotates monthly; ask which beer is freshest.
Buonivini on Via Dante in Palermo's Liberta runs a wine-shop-and-bar hybrid, full Sicilian wine list with rare Marsala bottlings, aperitivo plates and bottle retail.
Signature drink: Etna Rosso by the glass, Marsala Vergine
Food: Charcuterie, cheese plates
Tip: Bottle retail by day; bar from 18:00. The Marsala flight is the educational pour.
Antico Caffe Spinnato's pedestrian terrace on Via Principe di Belmonte in Palermo's Politeama is the city's senior cafe-bar for aperitivo, drawing the local crowd from 18:00.
Signature drink: Aperol spritz, Sicilian wines by the glass
Food: Aperitivo plates, charcuterie
Tip: The pedestrian terrace fills first in summer. Aperol spritz and Sicilian wines by the glass.
The Vucciria piazza-bars on Piazza Caracciolo in Palermo light up from 19:00 with open-air spritz and beer tables, the city's biggest evening aperitivo scene through summer.
Signature drink: Aperol spritz, Birra Messina
Food: Vucciria street food
Tip: Cash works fastest. The street-food carts within the piazza serve sfincione and polpo bollito until late.
Kursaal Kalhesa inside the Norman bastion walls on Foro Umberto I in Palermo runs a wine bar and small-plates room under vaulted ceilings, with a courtyard for spring and summer.
Signature drink: Carricante Etna Bianco
Food: Sicilian small plates
Tip: Closed Tuesday. The Sicilian small-plates carte runs from 19:00; the courtyard fills first.
Champagneria del Massimo on Via Bara all'Olivella behind the Teatro Massimo in Palermo is a small-room champagne bar with 30 bottles by the glass and a cocktail programme from 19:00.
Signature drink: Champagne by the glass
Food: Charcuterie, cheese
Tip: Closed Sunday. The champagne flight is the value tasting; the back room is the quieter seat.