Casa Charleston is a sicilian fine dining restaurant in Politeama, Palermo.
Casa Charleston on Via Magliocco in Palermo reopened in 2025 in its original 1967 home, the former Pasticceria Mazzara, with a ground-floor cafe and bistrot.
Editorially verified May 21, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Signature dishes: Melanzana Charleston, Pesce spada alla ghiotta, Cassata
Must order: The historic melanzana Charleston and the house cassata, finished with a glass of Marsala Vergine.
Tip: Cafe-bistrot at ground level for lunch; the first-floor restaurant is the formal Sicilian carte. Book the upstairs two weeks ahead.
Address: Via Generale Vincenzo Magliocco 19, 90141 Palermo
Trattoria Da Pino on Via dello Spezio in Palermo's Borgo Vecchio is a family-run seafood-driven room, daily-changing chalkboard carte dictated by the morning.
Signature: Caponata, Spaghetti con le sarde, Involtini di sarde
Order: Involtini di sarde and the spaghetti con le sarde, with a glass of Grillo.
Tip: Cash works fastest. Lunch is the value entry; book one day ahead for Sunday lunch.
Gagini Restaurant on Via dei Cassari between the Vucciria market and Cala harbour in Palermo serves a contemporary Sicilian carte inside the 16th-century.
Signature: Tasting menu, Crudo di gambero rosso, Bottarga risotto
Order: The chef's tasting menu, anchored by raw gambero rosso and the bottarga course.
Tip: Book two weeks ahead. The wine pairing is entirely Sicilian; the natural-wine extension flight is worth the supplement.
Bye Bye Blues on Via del Garofalo in Mondello, the room where Patrizia Di Benedetto became Sicily's first female Michelin-starred chef in 2010.
Signature: Tasting menu, Pasta con bottarga di tonno, Pesce del giorno
Order: The chef's tasting menu; pasta con bottarga di tonno is the most-photographed primo.
Tip: Closed Tuesday lunch. The 6-course tasting is the entry point; book the patio in summer.
Buatta Cucina Popolana on Via Vittorio Emanuele in Palermo is the city's flagship cucina povera room, a Michelin Bib Gourmand for seasonal Sicilian plates.
Signature: Sarde a beccafico, Caponata, Pasta con le sarde
Order: Sarde a beccafico and the caponata, the two flagships of the Palermo carte.
Tip: Book ahead, this is the busiest mid-range room in the city. The shared platter starter for two is the efficient lunch order.
Bisso Bistrot at the Quattro Canti crossroads in Palermo is a former Casa del Libro bookshop turned communal-table bistro for Sicilian classics.
Signature: Pasta alla Norma, Caponata, Involtini di melanzane
Order: Pasta alla Norma and the involtini di melanzane, with house red.
Tip: No reservations. Arrive 12:30 for lunch or 19:30 for dinner; the communal table fills first.
Trattoria Ai Cascinari on Via D'Ossuna in Palermo is a 1949-founded family room behind the Capo market, Slow Food praised for the cucina povera carte.
Signature: Pasta con le sarde, Sarde a beccafico, Anelletti al forno
Order: Pasta con le sarde and the anelletti al forno, the Sunday Sicilian standards.
Tip: Book a day ahead for Sunday lunch; the room turns three times. Gluten-free pasta is available with notice.
