Fantastic small bar and bistro. There is a huge wine selection, both Sicilian and around the world,…read moremany of which you can have by the glass. Dining is informal, but the food was some of the best we had in Palermo. It is easy to pass this place as it is small and unassuming, but that is part of its charm. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful, and very knowledgeable about wine.

I'm classy. I used…read moreto bring my own Spanish or Italian wine to my Fraternity parties. Classy. This place has a multitude of deelish wine options to choose from. I tried the 2010 red from the winery by Mount Etna. Totally worth the price. You gotta pay for class. The service is very Italian: Slow and a bit terse. Perfect, now you know you're in Italy. The place is cozy and yet has this traditional/historic feel. Come try it. Nah, you ain't classy like me. Grazie.

Friendly spot for a couple or group to enjoy a wine and sample local meat and cheese…read more Came across this place on a rainy night. The glow of a small group drinking and chatting inside drew me in. A great view through tall windows on the cold rain outside: In warmer months I have no doubt the guests spill out onto the adjacent footpath. Staff were welcoming and happy to help an English speaker and recommended one of the smaller mixed meat and cheese platters. Pecorino, baked ricotta, bufala mozzarella, spicy sausage, porchetta, donkey mortadella... all delicious. My eyes were (unfortunately) bigger than my stomach - I had more than enough to eat. Service was fast, and smiling.

Out late one night for a snack near our hotel and we found the perfect spot. This place is clean,…read morefriendly and has a great wine and beer selection. All wines are Sicilian and our charcuterie was also local (including the donkey). The staff was wonderful. Music was great. Just an all around great spot for wine, beer, a snack or a meal.

We asked several friendly locals, and our favorite waiter, where we should go to get an informed,…read morebroad, sample of Sicilian wines. All agreed on Enoteca Picone. It is easy to see why. The size, selection and the staff's dedication to information sharing, when desired, as well as astutely judging the match between wine and the level of sophistication of the customer's palate, sets this as a must visit for those who want to increase their knowledge of wine in general and Sicilian wines in particular. We walked from our hotel near Piazza Verdi in 15 minutes and walked into the entryway that seems like any other small wine bar. After we explained what we wanted, we were shown to a very large 45' (15m.) long L shaped tasting area with 15-18 small elevated tables with two stools and two side tables at each place. The outside of the room is lined with fully stocked, floor to ceiling wine racks divided first by region and then by varietal. We asked for a primer on whites and started with 2 glasses of a carricante, an ancient Sicilian strain grown on Etna. We had sampled a cataratto earlier which seems to be the major white wing grape of the region and this had much more acid but pleasing citrus that compared most closely to a Sauvignon Blanc in our experience. We then tried an entry level nero d'avola, the major Sicilan red, that compared to Syrah and another red that was very harsh by comparison and so, unfortunately, forgettable. Service was knowledgeable, attentive, provided in English and Italian and the original 4 oz. (120 ml.) pours were toned down to 2 oz. (60 ml.) at our request so we could walk back. The total for 2 larger pours and 2 smaller ones was 12E. For an impromptu beginning tasting this was just what we wanted and we will go back for a second flight.

Best place in town to try good Sicilian wine. It closes early so get there early. They serve some…read morefood, but it is also a good place to stop by before or after dinner. The last star is missing because the red wine was served a bit too warm.

Love the hot Sicilian sun, but could not cope with it, I believe, without an evening stroll, when…read morethe temperature falls and slightly colder winds come down from the mountains. So happened that I came by Villa Zito with its beautiful garden and excellent served food and drinks. This is the place for the modern Palermo, which means that it won´t be long before influences from here will reach out to other parts of the world. So has happened many times before in history. An art gallery of very high class is in connection to the bar and the atmosphere her is open, generous and international. All this to prices so low, noone believes you - if you told them. Suddenly a short but heavy rain made us all run inside like a bunch of friends on a hike. Left Villa Zito late, but in very good humor.

Trendy wine bar with very good food…read more This place was buzzing with young professionals on a Wednesday night when everywhere else in the neighborhood was quiet. The waiters spoke English and were happy to let us try delicious sicilian wines before choosing a glass. Their lightly fried mozzarella and peppers were like none I've ever had before. Definitely worth a try.

Taverna dei Canti was a great first dinner in Palermo. It is in the historic center, on a lively…read morepedestrian-only street, and the whole area has a fun, energetic feel, especially at night. The food was excellent and very tasty, with a nice mix of familiar options like a traditional margherita pizza, along with pastas and Sicilian dishes. Everything we had was satisfying and well done. The outdoor seating is very lively and has a great Palermo atmosphere. We wanted something a little quieter, so we sat inside, where there are only a few tables. That ended up being perfect for us. Overall, this was a very enjoyable meal in a great location. Good food, a fun setting, and a nice way to experience the energy of Palermo.

I don't believe I have given a restaurant a low review as this one. But I value places same as they…read moresale themselves to be. The staff actually stopped us on the street and made it seemed like a great place to eat. We asked if they had fish on the menu as a few of them wanted fish and they confirmed showed us a menu taped to a board in front of restaurant which we liked. We ask to sit outside but only if the two tables by our side were not smoking because we have asthma. They confirmed sat us down. However the bartender had his girlfriend sitting by the bar next to us and she decided to smoke even when she could see us covering out faces. She did it two more times which made it worse. The waiter kept us waiting a while. Finally came and dropped menus and a paper bag which we then noticed it was extremely hard bread. So hard we could hit the table with it. Terrible and sad for an Italian restaurant and for the price. We ordered our food and one of us was left waiting for a long time. Our waitress was no where to be found. I flagged some and told them. And we were left waiting. I went up and found someone and explained and they finally admitted they made a mistake. However no apologies. I had to get up again as the food was still not brought in. All the food was bland except the carbonara which was the only meal we all agreed was great. The fish and vegetables were so disgusting we had to add salt; olive oil, and even balsamic to get some flavors. One of the fish was ordered with different sides and they also had that wrong. Very sad Will say never to go to this place. Service was bad, no one cared and no one even asked.

Drink on the street amongst the remnants of a once glorious market. Friday night goes off…read more Wine in plastic cups and beer. Served at the door for consumption on the street. No seats, just milk crates, steps and wooden fruit cases. No pretences, just lots of people talking, drinking, having fun.

This amazing restaurant mixes simple Sicilian ingredients with creative recipes. Everything we had…read morewas sooo tasteful.

Tl;dr: I highly recommend Boccum. The drinks, food and service were all excellent…read more Palermo's cocktail culture is a work in progress compared to many of the other large cities in Italy, but there are a few small places doing some exceptional drinks in the city and Bocum can count themselves as one of them. Boccum's bar is a single-person operation lead by bartender Sonja who at the time of this review had been working behind the stick there for approximately 3 months. She was happy to chat with us about her experience, give us recommendations and discuss the growing cocktail scene in Palermo. Bocum has a dozen or so unique craft drinks on their menu and a good selection of bottles to prepare high-quality classics. My first cocktail was their Vesper Twist, which was quite a twist, as they have swapped the usual Lillet for a quinquina vermouth and added a hint of scotch for a very dry, slightly smokey version of the drink. My partner got a Geisha sour, a yuzu forward drink with Ki No Bi gin, cherry liqueur, yuzu purée, wasabi, lemon juice and egg white. We were also treated to some unbidden but yummy fried, stuffed squash blossoms during this first round of drinks. By this time Sonja started to realize that we were pretty enthusiastic about cocktails and started bringing out some fun stuff she was experimenting with, including a super creamy clarified milk punch and an absolutely stunning porcini mushroom infused Negroni, which sounds like a gimmick but was legitimately the apex of our drinking experience in Palermo. It was super well balanced and the porcini wasn't overbearing at all. To showcase that porcini taste, we were also provided with some panko fried porcini mushroom tapas which were delicious and light. We went to several other cocktail bars in Palermo with varying degrees of success, but Boccum was the only one we came back to again. The second time was for their dinner service, which is also top-notch from antipasti to dessert. I definitely recommend Bocum if you'd like a break from the typical tourist menus and aperol spritzes of the historic district. The drinks, food and service were all excellent.