The Guardian – There are two parallel culinary worlds in Palermo: traditional home cooking and street food.
Palermitans are very proud of their traditional food, and I’d advise a stop at Trattoria da Nonna Dora for pasta con le sarde, which celebrates local ingredients sardines, pine nuts, raisins and wild fennel. A generous portion costs €6. After fresh fish? Try Osteria Mercede for its tonno rosso (red tuna, €18), and homely I sapori del Mare for its killer pasta porticello (pasta with king prawns, €16). Cheese lovers should not miss the ragusano all’argentiera (caciocavallo cheese pan-fried with oil, garlic and vinegar, €10) at La Buatta on Via Vittorio Emanuele.
A street food meal is not something you plan; it just happens as you wander Palermo’s narrow streets and souk-like markets. Pani câ meusa (focaccia stuffed with sauteed beef spleen and a cascade of grated caciocavallo, €2.50) is the street food trophy of Palermo. Francu U Vastiddaru near Piazza Marina is my first choice. Top carb choice (and vegetarian) is a panino con panelle e crocchè (a sesame roll with chickpea fritters, potato croquettes and mint). Fratelli Testagrossa in Piazza Indipendenza does big portions for €2.
Inspiration
MEC museum and restaurant (mecmuseum.it, entry €7) is an inspiring meeting of innovation with style and ingenious food. Visionary architect Giuseppe Forello has put together one of Europe’s largest collections of Apple computers and other artefacts (including a pair of Steve Jobs’s shoes, pictured), and it’s all now on display in 16th-century Palazzo Castrone. Sharing the building is experimental next-gen hotspot restaurant MEC, serving avant-garde Sicilian fine dining, with intriguing flavours that will raise your “tech” experience to a different level.
Neighbourhood
La Kalsa, the historic Arab quarter, is one of the oldest areas in the city. To experience its diverse urban vibe, head east from Piazza Sant’Anna and let the cacophony of the city be replaced by the sound of your steps on ancient cobblestones and laughter from the quaint little bars. There are photo opportunities on every corner, and the street art on Via dello Spasimo is a vortex of colour and historic figures. In recent years, the neighbourhood has been transformed into a hub of bars, eateries and artisan boutiques. It’s great for cocktail lovers: try bitter Sicilian orange liqueur and signature house spirits at Dal Barone or an aperitivo at Nautoscopio, which has a sweet seating area on a small beach.
