Within this article, you will discover the best places you can be near the sea while you savor a lunch, maybe have a drink or two.
Buongiorno! Don Tano Bongiorno here again. I’m your unofficial host and guide to the Palermo other guides sometimes forget to mention.
Today I’m gonna give you some great tips to make your visit more exciting and interesting…and memorable. I want you to go back home to your country with great memories of Palermo and the unique people who live and work here.
And I hope all those memories are gonna make you want to come back.
I’m gonna limit this article to tips on where you can be near the sea while you savor a lunch, maybe have a drink or two. Later, you can have dinner too and take the plunge and get right into those warm inviting Sicilian waters.
I want you to know that places I tell you about in these articles have not paid me one cent or poured me one glass of Marsala for a great review.
At the same time, I have to remind you that I don’t have the objective judgment of a deity.
I’m human and humans are influenced by their personal likes and dislike These are my personal favorites and the ones I’d recommend to anyone.
There’s no shortage of restaurants, bars, clubs, and cafés, that’s for sure.
I didn’t want you to have to rely on my personal opinions alone so I went to the experts. I asked the locals. So from combining my own favorites with those of the locals, I’m happy to give you a list of places where you can dine as the locals do.
So here it is The Don Tano (and Local residents) List of great places for you to visit.
3 Restaurants with sea view
Alle Terrazze
Address: Viale Regina Elena.
This restaurant has one of the most incredible locations in one of the oldest and beautiful parts of the city.
At the beach in Mondello, you dine with a view that looks out over the ever-changing colors offered up by the waters of the Mediterranean and from the sky above.
The menu here varies with the changing of the seasons with delightful seafood dishes being one of the restaurant’s specialties. All the appetizers and side dishes are homemade from local Sicilian foods.
We’re Italian and we love our pasta.
Alle Terrazze has plenty of tasty spaghetti dishes with prawns, clams, brunoise of vegetables as well as bottarga of tuna and cut swordfish on caponata mousse.
You gotta love these dishes, some of which you’ll never find elsewhere.
Service for lunch or dinner is always excellent at Alle Terrazze but averaging €50 per person, this great restaurant isn’t for everyone.
Cuvée du Jour – Villa Igiea
Address: Hotel Villa Igiea, Salita Belmonte 43
Cuvée du Jour is less than five years old but since its installation, this elegant restaurant offers catering at the Grand Hotel Villa Igiea and now represents the gourmet catering place in all of Palermo.
This elegant and exclusive restaurant offers a splendid view of the sea in a cozy atmosphere comprising a total of seating for fourteen lucky diners. The wine cellar is the equal of any of the fine wine cellars of Paris.
Recommendations of the chef are Parmigiana. This delightful appetizer consists of a blend of Jerusalem artichoke, smoked cuttlefish, baked tomatoes and a powder made of black olives.
One of the spectacular first courses might be Verrigni durum wheat spaghetti cooked in tomato water presented with white shrimp, grated oyster, and a taste of lasagnetta, mountain herbs, braised pork cheek and a topping of Parmesan cheese.
A great way to discover many of the chef’s creations is to try the sampling menu, “Terra” (€95) or the “Mare” ( €105)
The average cost per person will run you around €70. The Cuvée du Jour ain’t cheap but you won’t find this elegant dining very often and it’s all very labor intensive.
Calamida
Address: Via Cala, Banchina Cala, Palermo (tel. 3895561080)
Calamida is less formal but the cuisine here has a respectable listing that diners love. Scenically located on the quayside of the Cala di Palermo, the Calamida is the perfect stop for an aperitif.
Lunch and Dinner are both all the more enjoyable with live music in the background to soothe your nerves while you dine with all the marina to view. A feast for more than the stomach. It’s a feast for the entire soul.
One of the principal dishes at Calamida is pasta with sea urchins, simply prepared and delightfully fresh. Appetizers cost an average of €10 and this can be followed by an excellent selection of fresh fish for €12.
Calamida is the ideal restaurant for you to revel in an excellent sea view while enjoying great cuisine without having to take out a second mortgage on your home. On average, a diner may expect to pay around €20.
Dining near the sea for very little money
If you’re short of money, don’t worry. In Palermo you can eat and enjoy the sea even without spending a fortune.
These are the three places you can go to find the restaurant that’s right for you.
Mondello’s seafront
On the model waterfront you will find many places where you can eat street food, sandwiches and rotisserie a few meters from the sea for a few Euros.
Sferracavallo seafront
If you want to eat fish without bleeding out, in the main square of Sferracavallo and on the seafront you will find many places to eat fresh fish.
Isola delle Femmine seafront
On the seafront of Isola delle Femmine there are many kiosks on the beach where you can grab a bite to eat.
Drink with sea view
Mida Lounge Bar
Address: Viale Regina Elena, 91
I like this popular spot however: After about seven-thirty in the evening, this place really gets crowded. You can also dine here but the food is about average.
Nautoscopio
Address: Piazzale Capitaneria di Porto
A stroll from the historic centre, is another of those places most frequented by Sicilians.
The tables are located directly on the beach, so you can sip a cocktail while you sink your feet in the sand.
It’s very crowded from 7.30pm onwards. Here too you can dine but without high expectations.
Plait Mare
Address: Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo, 2847
This one is on the seafront of the Addaura. Simple but charming, Plait’s strong point is the terrace overlooking the sea.
The service and the menu are not outstanding but the view alone makes these slight imperfections quite acceptable. I love it.
Dancing by the Sea
Dancing in front of the sea is something you definitely have to do before you die (or become an old grouch like I’d be if I hadn’t done my share of dancing in my day!) If I was still dancing, these are some of the placed I’d be going to for a really fun and entertaining experience.
Le Calette
Address: Porto Presidiana (59,03 km) – 90015 Cefalù
Le Calette is perhaps the most famous summer club in all of Palermo and its province. The breathtaking location with its huge terrace overlooking the sea in the evening is much more than fun, it’s a memory you’re going to keep forever wherever you live.
Moro
Address: Via Mons. F. Pottino
Moro lies along the coast in the Arenella District, only a few kilometers from the heart of Palermo.
This club is certainly one of the most beautiful nightspots in the city and its particular strength is that you can dance directly on the eat.
The most beautiful evenings take place every Sunday with an event called “La Domenica Italiana”. This is really a must-see!
Kalandria
Address: Via Plauto, 32
The Kalandria Club is in Sferracavallo. It’s a simple club with little more than a terrace overlooking the sea where you can not only dance but dine and have appetizers at sunset. This is a fun place to visit.
I recommend you start your evening here with an aperitif at sunset and the hang around to and until your feet give out.
Seaside Breakfast
One thing I love is having breakfast as one of the seaside bars. You can have a pezzo di rosticceria or a croissant while you sea breezes and the view amaze you. Here are not necessarily places known for the best food or service but they make up for a lot by offering such a splendid view.
Ombelico del Mondo
Address: Viale Regina Elena, 2
It is located in Mondello. I certainly do not recommend it for pastries. Apart from croissants and something else frozen, there is not much for breakfast but the possibility of drinking a coffee with your feet on the sand is priceless.
À Cala
Address: Via Cala
This one is in the area of Cala de Palermo quite near to the historic center.
Although the pastry isn’t particularly memorable, the view is just the opposite. It’s enchanting You can enjoy the view over coffee and croissants from eight in the morning.
Bar Touring
Address: Viale Regina Elena, 13
This is an extremely popular café in the Mondello. The terrace offers up a spectacular view of the beach and these people know how to serve up excellent bakery goods as well as having an outstanding rotisserie as well.
Well, I hope I’ve given you enough ideas to excite your taste buds and satisfy your curiosity about the great seaside places to dine, drink and dance along the beaches of Palermo.
If you have any questions or comments, please leave a comment below and I’ll get right back to you as quickly as I can. I may not dance like I used to, but I still don’t always get to bed until near dawn, but I’ll read every comment. I promise.
Arrivederci,
Don Tano
