Antica Focacceria San Francesco, Palermo

Opened in 1834, the Anticca Focacceria San Francesco is one of the city's oldest restaurants. It sells a wide range of authentic Sicilian cuisine, encompassing pastas, pizzas, seafoods - pretty much every speciality seems to be covered. They also offer a selection of dishes from around the world. The ground floor is a tavola calda - a fast food café, serving ready-made food and snacks and with a relatively limited menu. Upstairs there are a couple of floors of restaurant, where the choice of dishes is much wider and the food made to order. The restaurant thus caters for both casual dining and a more full-on dining experience. The usual thing in Italy is to start with antipasti, then take a first course of pasta and then a second course of meat. Personally I found just a single course plenty with a few antipasti. It was hard not to be tempted by the selection of sweets displayed by the waiter, but I just about managed. The prices are very reasonable, especially considering the quality.

Favorite Dish: We all enjoyed our meal immensely and it would be a shame to choose one dish; I would probably suggest you try Spaghetti alla Norma, a sicilian speciality. From the antipasti, I particularly liked the panelle, which are fritters made from chick pea flour.

Antica Focacceria San Francesco
This is THE place to go to eat typical Palermitan food. It exists since 1834 and has wondeful marble tables and iron chairs in liberty style. The ground floor is a 'focacceria' where you can eat pane e panelle or pani ca meusa, the upper floor is a nice restaurant. Outside tables in summer.

Favorite Dish: Pasta con le sarde (pasta with sardines), involtini di pescespada (rolls of swordfish)

One of the city's oldest eating houses,opened in 1834. It serves menus that include local foods (arancini, panini con le panelle, cannolli)