SicilianChef Patrizia Di Benedetto€€€€€130mondelloBook 2 weeks ahead
Bye Bye Blues on Via del Garofalo in Mondello was Sicily's first female-chef Michelin-starred room under Patrizia Di Benedetto, holding the star from 2010.
Tip: Closed Tuesday lunch. The 6-course tasting is the entry point; book the patio April to October.
SicilianChef Carmelo Trentacosti€€€€€115loggiaBook 3 weeks ahead
MEC Restaurant on Via Vittorio Emanuele opposite Palermo Cathedral holds one Michelin star inside an Apple-computer museum, chef Carmelo Trentacosti.
Tip: Closed Sunday. The caponata with Modica chocolate is the signature opener; book the balcony table.
ItalianChef Alberto Rizzo€€€€€85kalsaBook 1 week ahead
Osteria dei Vespri on Piazza Croce dei Vespri in Palermo's Kalsa quarter occupies a wing of Palazzo Gangi (the Visconti film Il Gattopardo location).
Tip: Closed Sunday. The two tasting menus run 65 and 85 euros; the wine list is one of the city's deepest.
Italian€€€€€80libertaBook 1 week ahead
Osteria Mercede on Via Sammartino in Palermo's Politeama runs a 25-cover seafood-only fine-dining room with raw plates, ricci di mare pasta and grilled red.
Tip: Book a week ahead at weekends. The 8-course tasting tracks the day's market catch.
French bistroChef Giovanni Solofra and Roberta Merolli€€€€€110politeamaSun 09:00-17:00Book 2 weeks ahead
Casa Charleston on Via Magliocco in Palermo relaunched in November 2025 in the former Pasticceria Mazzara space (the restaurant's original 1967 home).
Tip: Bistrot lunch is cheaper than the first-floor fine-dining service. Book the upstairs tasting two weeks ahead.
ItalianChef Vincenzo Clemente€€€€€75politeamaBook 1 week ahead
Cin Cin on Via Manin near the Politeama theatre in Palermo is one of the city's senior fine-edge rooms, ranked in L'Espresso's top 5 Palermo tables.
Tip: Dinner only Monday to Saturday from 19:00. The wine list is entirely Sicilian; ask about Etna by the glass.