Upon entering Al Fresco in the Ballarò neighborhood, we are struck by both the kind welcome and the special location – the restaurant is set in a garden enclosed within the walls of Casa San Francesco, a former seventeenth-century convent, lit by strings of lights dangling between plants and saplings. There is an immediate sense of openness, freedom and freshness. This is no coincidence: while “al fresco” in Italian can refer to the chill of being out in the open air, it is also an expression used to mean “life in prison.” The double meaning makes sense in this case – despite its first impression as a regular eatery, perhaps the most special feature of Al Fresco is that working in the kitchen and in the dining room are former inmates who have joined the team following their release from prison.

When we meet Mr. Giovanni Scalici, owner of the gelato shop La Delizia, he explains the formula for his success in one word: "Simplicity." We are in Sferracavallo, a seaside suburb of Palermo located between the mountains and a beautiful gulf. Here the coast is filled with dozens of seafood restaurants, but if you venture slightly off the promenade you will find this gem of a gelateria on Via Dammuso.

In Palermo, we don’t need a time machine to travel to the past. Stepping into Trattoria Altri Tempi, it’s possible to be transported by the nostalgia of classic flavors from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a time when Sicilian cuisine still retained its distinct identity, before the influence of other regional Italian cuisines and, later, globalization began to shape the local culinary culture. This small restaurant, in business for 29 years, is a cornerstone of authentic Sicilian tradition, a place where time seems to have stood still. Altri Tempi indeed translates to "other times." The atmosphere is warm and intimate, its walls adorned with old photos, handwritten notes, and paintings depicting still lifes. Copper pots, terracotta vases, and other unused objects complete the decoration, contributing to the feel of an old-fashioned tavern. At the entrance, a giant mortadella awaits to be sliced and tasted.

For over fifty years, the historic restaurant Trattoria Il Delfino has been synonymous with tradition and quality in the heart of Sferracavallo, a small fishing village on the outskirts of Palermo. Here, the scent of the sea blends with the aromas of Sicilian cuisine, fresh fish is the undisputed star, and the philosophy of cooking has remained unchanged over time. At the helm of this renowned trattoria is Nino Billeci, who, together with his family, carries on a legacy that began in the 1970s. The restaurant’s story dates back to a time when fish was considered the food of the poor, and meat was preferred by those who could afford it. But over time habits changed, and Il Delfino became a touchstone for those seeking an authentic seafood experience.

“I'm a big pizza eater,” Francesco “Ciccio” Leone confesses. “But what I like most is being together with friends, conviviality.” The broad-shouldered Palermo native, 50, greets everyone who enters his establishment with a welcoming smile. It was during a dinner party held at his home that he came up with the idea for the name of his pizzeria. “The name came about by chance,” he recalls. “My friends would come to my house to eat, they would say, ‘Ciccio, pass me this; Ciccio, pass me that,’ and so I thought of calling the pizzeria Ciccio Passami l’Olio, which means ‘Ciccio, pass me the oil.’”

On warm afternoons, the Piazza Magione lawn fills up with young people, groups of friends with guitars, and people of all ages enjoying the outdoors while sipping excellent craft beer – the first brewed in Palermo. This scene is possible thanks to Ballarak, a craft brewery in the heart of Piazza Magione that has managed to transform itself into a true landmark for beer lovers. Its story began in 2013, during a homebrewers' competition in Messina, where four beer enthusiasts met and formed a bond based on their common passion.

Tall flames and hot oil, stacked plates and searing pans, shouting and laughter: the kitchen of this trattoria may look chaotic, but it is a perfectly organized and harmonious chaos that well represents Palermo's vibrancy – the same energy that can be found in one of the old town markets or in city traffic. The same liveliness extends to the dining room, where a jovial and festive atmosphere is established among customers, waiters, and the restaurant’s owners. Waiters sweep in and out each time the cooks ring the bell, bringing traditional Palermo dishes to the tables.

Palermo is in the midst of a gastronomic evolution mirroring its own colorful heritage. Ancient Greek influences, Arab spices, Norman opulence, and Spanish traditions have long made Sicily’s largest city a chaotic mix of cultures. In recent years, this blend has been elevated by a new wave of chefs and restaurateurs who reinterpret tradition while staying true to the essence of the island. While classic trattorias and osterias that have served generations remain bastions of tradition, a younger generation of innovators is emerging, making 2024 a year of fun eating in Palermo.

Along Via Vittorio Emanuele, one of the two thoroughfares that, together with Via Maqueda, bisects Palermo's old center to form its four historic districts, a small sign for a trattoria stands out on the corner of a building. La Casa del Brodo dal Dottore has been open here since 1890, making it the oldest eatery in Palermo and one of the longest-lived in southern Italy. La Casa del Brodo Dal Dottore translates literally to “The House of Broth From the Doctor,” because the specialty of the house is precisely meat broth and related boiled meat. For the first hundred years of operation, the establishment served nothing but broth: in the kitchen of the modest two-room eatery, cooks stirred broth in large pots atop cast-iron wood burning stoves. Customers would sit at a small table where they were served broth, boiled meat, tortellini or pasta in broth.

We’re surrounded by nothing but fresh air and trees as we head into the mountains overlooking Palermo. After a short and scenic drive up the mountain road, around the bend, we spot our destination – Trattoria U Zu Caliddu, a local institution with over eighty years of history. Located in the mountain hamlet of Piano dell'Occhio in Torretta, on the outskirts of Palermo, the restaurant was named after its founder Calogero Bonello, who everyone knew by the nickname Caliddu Aciedda (“Charlie Bird”).

Venture inside the Ballarò market – a lively and historic city market in Palermo’s Albergheria district – and you will find yourself catapulted into a sensory experience: the colors of the fruits and vegetables, the smoke from the grills clouding the alleys, the smell of spices mingling with the smell of survival. And then the voices: they all shout here. Or rather: they “abbannìano.” “Abbanniari” is the ancient custom of Palermo street vendors to sing out their goods to attract customers’ attention. Derived from the times and from a world in which marketing studies and advertising techniques had not yet arrived, in which even noticeable signage was a quantum leap that not all merchants could afford, the abbanniata was the democratic and free tool available to street vendors, because all they needed was their own voice.

It may seem absurd to tell the story of Sicilian gastronomic culture through typical American fast food favorites, but that is just part of the culinary richness of this island. This is the concept at FUD: Bottega Sicula, a restaurant that offers the likes of hamburgers, hot dogs, burritos, and fries, all with a distinctive Sicilian touch. From the local ingredients to the clever marketing, everything at FUD is a game of names and flavors. The idea was born in 2012, the brainchild of 47-year-old restaurateur Andrea Graziano. Andrea, originally from Catania, shares that he has always had a passion for cooking: after graduating, he worked for two years in England as a chef, a fate common to many Sicilians.

The traditional way of preparing coffee in Italy is using a manual lever coffee machine, which allows for precise control over the temperature and pressure of the water, resulting in a rich and flavorful cup of coffee. But there’s more to it than just technique. In some cafés in Sicily, coffee is not simply a craft but a cultural artifact, creating it considered a work of art. Though Palermo has its fair share of coffee, it’s not always easy to find cafés where these traditions are honored with care and diligence. The Bar del Corso is one such hidden gem in the heart of Palermo. Located on the bustling Via Vittorio Emmanuel – the oldest street in Palermo, where every vendor vies for attention – its modest storefront does not catch the eye at first glance.

Those familiar with Palermo’s cuisine tend to associate it with indulgent street food and a rich culinary heritage that doesn’t cut corners when it comes to taste – no matter the cost for one’s health. But tucked away down a slender side street that branches off of Palermo's bustling Via Ruggero Settimo is A Casa di Francesco, a restaurant that meets the already high expectations around Palermo’s cuisine with a selection of innovative health-conscious dishes. The restaurant started out in 2015 as a boutique supermarket offering health-conscious Sicilian products and vegetarian dishes to be eaten there or to take away – an idea that was far ahead of its time in Palermo. While vegetarian options were common at home, with simple vegetable-based recipes at the center of traditional cuisine—such as pasta alla Norma (a pasta dish served with fresh tomato sauce, fried eggplant, and salted ricotta) or caponata, (the Sicilian sweet-and-sour dish made of eggplants, tomatoes, olives, capers, and various aromatic herbs) well-balanced dishes for a healthy diet were hard to find in the city’s restaurants.

In Italy, family is everything. And in Palermo, every family has a fisherman. These concepts are present on Trattoria Piccolo Napoli’s red, blue and white sign, which sports a caricature of a perplexed sea bass and a promise of home cooking. Open the wooden doors to find a three-generation seafood restaurant a stone’s throw from the city’s old harbor with a fantastic fresh fish display, with part of a swordfish sitting high on the icy altar, below a bowl of lemons.