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.

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.

Very small inside with a very cool looking bar. The seating outside is pretty big. We were greeted…read moreenthusiastically and seated in a preferred spot inside because it was so windy outside. We ordered 2 different lasagna and both were delivered quickly. The vegetable lasagna had peas and carrots inside, not my favorite but the red sauce with meat was very good, and made extra cheesy with butrata cheese on top. A very nice place to have dinner.

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.

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.

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.

Ordered the sardine meatballs ans the caponata with swordfish. Both were amazing. The restaurant…read morelooks like a tourist trap given its location but actually the food is very good. Staff freshly as well.

Awesome restaurant located in a typical historical Italian Square. Wonderful Italian and Sicilian…read morefood. Really fresh fish ( branzino, tuna tartare, octopus) and deliciuos pasta. Grest prices and friendly staff. Absolutely to recommend.

A delightful tourist trap that begin with the owners lurking you in with their charm and infectious…read moresmile. That was the best part of my experience. Hungry and tired, I settled for this place as the other places were still closed. I asked the server for their white selection... he promptly brought me over a glass of mysterious white without description nor name. House white is probably pinot gris. Antipasti: I started with a tris fume: smoked salmon, tuna and swordfish. Reality comes to the table and it is a duo fume. No sign of swordfish. Famished from my day, I ate the rather unoriginal and boring antipasto with the mediocre bread served on the side. Main: bucatini con sarde. My spaghetti had no hole thru it. So what I received was plain ol' spags with a bland sardine sauce to match. A nostalgic throwback to the college days when I made my own pasta in my dorm room. 1 star for attentive service , albeit the lack of menu knowledge. 1 star for speed and timely execution. 0 stars for the food. Just. Dont.

I'm giving it a 5 based in the meal I ate. It was so good! Ravioli with grouper fish. Get it! It's…read moregreat!!

A lovely little place on a side street. Quiet and friendly. Our swordfish caponata was perfect. Our…read morefish couscous was the best we have ever had. The bucatini with sardines was outstanding. White wine recommended by the server was an excellent compliment to the dinner. A great experience!

Given that "pasta" is in the name of this restaurant, I expected it to be exceptional…read more Unfortunately, the pasta I ordered (spaghetti with tomato bisque, ginger, and shrimp tartare) had way undercooked pasta that was more than chewy and was also bland. The rest of our table was mixed on whether they liked the pasta they ordered. I did enjoy the octopus and avocado salad we ordered. Service was great and the restaurant was cute, but I am all about the food so this restaurant was a miss for me.