Osteria Mangia e Bevi – this is where I tasted one of the best meals in Palermo. Everything they do is very tasty. From fish and sardines, to caponata, pasta, antipasti, everything. The atmosphere is very informal and cozy. You can sit inside or outside, which I particularly like. A ten-minute walk away is the harbor / marina where I highly recommend a beautiful stroll along the coast full of boats and sportspeople.

Buatta Cucina Popolana – this restaurant is housed in an old leather goods store from 1870 called Valligeria Quattrocchi. The environment is beautiful, whose restored architecture has preserved the "Liberty Style" (Art Nouveau), well-known and adored by the residents. The food is delicious, although slightly high-priced. One of the owners, Franco Virga, also takes care of two other establishments (one of them, the hip Bocum Mixology bar) and has become renown as a successful businessman in the city. Located on one of the busiest avenues, Via Vittorio Emanuele, it is also the most desired and visited by foreign tourists. Don’t miss the scafazze, a kind of deconstructed canola served in a glass. It’s delicious.

FUD – the name quickly makes us think of food, whose spelling does not deny the way the Italians pronounce the word "food". I like everything about this place: ambience, location, it is cool and cozy, and it serves wonderful salads and antipasti. What appeals to me the most, however, is the variety of wines and the relaxed environment to drink an aperitif with friends or stay for a long meal. You can buy various items made in the house, such as pasta, sauces, cookies, pistachio cream, among others.

A’nìca Ristorante & Pizza Gourmet – although it is considered the best pizza place in town - beautifully handmade with perfect tomato sauce - the restaurant is also open for lunch and dinner with a diverse menu of salads, meat, fish and pasta. The wine selection is also great. Its location is in one of my favorite areas of Palermo's old town (Borgo Vecchio), amidst beautiful piazzas, palazzos and narrow streets full of history. You can find one of the partners in the house, any day of the week, welcoming the customers with a very efficient and attentive staff. On summer days - or even winter, for the bravest customers - it is worthwhile to sit at the outside tables.

Bisso Bistrot – probably one of Palermo's busiest and most crowded restaurants that lives up to the cozy, warm and informal climate of southern Italy. It is a business that belongs to the Bisso family, who emigrated from Genoa to Palermo and went through several moments of glory and decay due to wars and economic changes. One of the apexes was when the patriarch, the current owner’s grandfather, kept the former Libreria Dante with a partner there. The space had not been used for a long time when it opened as a restaurant in 2014. It is on the famous corner of the Quattro Canti monument and, although frequented by many tourists, it is sought by Palermo residents themselves who appreciate good, simple food and efficient service. Because it is not large, its tables are shared, what allowed me one evening to meet new dear friends from abroad with whom I still keep in touch.