Osteria dei Vespri
The Cut· research-verified, not yet visited
Housed in the former stables of the 18th-century Palazzo Valguarnera-Gangi on Piazza Croce dei Vespri (the Sicilian Baroque/Rococo pile where The Leopard's ballroom scene was filmed), a sit-down Sicilian seafood restaurant with a wine list to match.
Open since 1999: the Rizzo brothers took over the historic Kalsa-district location and opened it initially as an enoteca con cucina, becoming one of the restaurants to drag the city's fine dining into the present. Alberto Rizzo (chef) and Andrea Rizzo (sommelier/front-of-house) run it; the menu is sharply seasonal, the wine list is monastic in its discipline (over 650 national and international labels, leaning Sicilian and Italian). The spaghettoni with sardines, fennel, pine nuts, and saffron is the city's version of pasta con le sarde. Outdoor tables on the piazza in season. €70–95 per head. Lunch and dinner Mon–Sat; dinner only on Sundays (closed for lunch).
- Price — €€€€
- Order — spaghettoni con le sarde · grigliata mista
- book ahead
- outdoor seating
- Palermo · Piazza Croce dei Vespri 6
- Outdoor seating · closed Sun lunch
- 650+ label wine list
From the HALA guide, reviewed August 2026.
No member reviews yet — the first name on the record gets to set the tone.