The best pizzerias in Palermo according to Gambero Rosso

As everyone knows, Palermo offers  many insights on eating out: one of the world's street food capitals, it has been witnessing great action over the past years in the restaurant scene and the pizza scene is not that different. There are several styles that thrill Palermitans: ranging from the 100% Sicilian flavors of durum wheat for traditional island pizzas to excellent Neapolitan pizzas, passing through a careful selection of  lots of exceptional ingredients that Sicily reserves for fans. Here are some recommendations from the Pizzerie d'Italia 2024 guide in the multiple areas of the city. Two of Palermo's spots that achieve Tre Spicchi, the highest score in the guide: the Cottone family's historic pizzeria La Braciera, in the Favorita area, and Archestrato di Gela, the establishment near the English Garden in which to taste Pierangelo Chifari's wonderful pizza.

The best pizzerias of Palermo: centro storico, Politeama - Libertà

Paolo Costa - Gusti Unici

Refined and elegant location with a warm and relaxed atmosphere. Paolo Costa, a professional pizza maker since 2013, aims for dough made by a mixture of type 0 and type 1 flours, natural processing with 72-hour maturation and leavening for 5. Baking takes place in an electric oven at a temperature of about 380°C. The result is soft-crunchy, pleasant to the bite. To begin with, stuffed fried gnocco or charcuterie and cheese board. Red, white, sicilian, fried, baked stuffed and covaccini (raw topping) pizzas. These include the Diversamente Marinara, with yellow date purée, Nubia garlic, Taggiasche olives, Cetara anchovies, pine nuts, oregano, basil and evo oil. Beverage list not extensive, but reasoned.

Paolo Costa - Gusti Unici – via Trapani, 3d - paolocostagustiunici.it

Tondo

Safe choice among Palermo's best pizzerias. It is managed by Alfredo Borghi, Francesco Trapani and Orlando Billieri, while the talented Emanuele Ficarotta works at the doughs and oven. The dough is a blend type of flour 0 and Altamura semolina, with 10%  fragrant Majorca. Maturation takes about 48 hours. The style is contemporary, with a particularly nice touch for the fried pizzas and sfincione. Try the Sciavata, with Sicilian peeled tomato, Ragusano Dop, fresh bread crumbs, anchovies from Aspra and red onion from Tropea. Then, U' Sfinciuni bagherese (white) with tuna roe, onion, ricotta, lemon zest, fresh bread crumbs and Nubia garlic evo. Summery the Basilico in Tre Consistenze, with yellow datterino from Campania, smoked buffalo mozzarella from Paestum, anchovy colatura, fried leek and double basil. Polite service.

Tondo – via M. Amari, 16 - Palermo

Tredicisette

A well-made dough without hesitation. Claudio Bica, patron and first employee, and Marco Zagarella, indefatigable pizzaiolo, have fine-tuned a small masterpiece, a digestible, long-maturing semi-integral with a low yeast content (1%) and a pronounced edge. The central texture is fragrant to the bite, melting. Not less impressive is the topping, 15 years of reaserch. To start, cubes of fried Madonie provolone cheese and potato sticks with skins. From the menu 7 Margherite, 7 Storiche and 7 L'Artemano Levoni. A jump in taste is the Montelepre, with Sicilian milk fiordilatte in water, Nebrodi black pork sausage, sautéed seasonal vegetables, fresh mushrooms, yellow cherry tomato reduction, Evo Dop oil and fresh basil. Of dazzling simplicity is the Siccagno Siciliano. Next, burgers and tagliata. Perceptive and helpful service. Proper drink list.

Tredicisette – via Siracusa, 20 – Palermo - tredicisette.com

The best pizzerias of Palermo: centro storico, la Kalsa e via Roma

Assud a Santamarina Pizzeria Siciliana

Well-kept pizzeria with rustic furnishings. "Sicilian Pizzeria" is the most appropriate name because the quality of territorial agricultural products is found from appetizers to desserts, passing through entrees and pizzas. Last-mentioned come from flour made by ancient sicilian grains, a long leavening process and a gastronomic experience that draws from Trapani's traditions. All are italian style, low edge and full-bodied bite, such as the Trimmutura with pizzutello tomato, fiordilatte mozzarella, Pantelleria capers, giarraffe olives and fresh tuma cheese on the way out, or the Rais with Matarocco pesto (cherry tomato, garlic, evo) fiordilatte mozzarella, fresh tuna and toasted crumb. The Gattopardo with pizzutello tomato, fiordilatte mozzarella, black pig capocollo and Vastedda del Belice is very tasty. Polite and careful service.

Assud a Santamarina Pizzeria Siciliana – via del Celso, 5 – Palermo - assud.eu

Cagliostro

The pizzas are cleverly thought out by the brothers Marco, Ruggero and Danilo Sciarrino. For starters, smoked provola of Agerola bard with Norwegian salmon in a crispy breadcrumbs and sour-spicy sauce. The classic dough uses stone-ground type 1 flours with added whole wheat spelt, soy and toasted bran. It has a 48-hour processing time, 70 percent hydration, high and honeycombed the crust that is crispy outside and soft inside. The offerings are divided between Old Style pizzas, the Timeless and the Capsule Collection. Remarkable the Sfumature di Latte, with cream of 30-month Parmigiano, fiordilatte from Campania in water, Ragusano, buffalo blue out of the oven, ricotta spumoncini and chives; the Senise, with artisanal mushroom cream, fiordilatte from Campania in water, prosciutto cotto, provola fondue and peperone crusco from Senise.

Cagliostro – via Vittorio Emanuele, 150 – Palermo - cagliostroristorante.it

Frida

Ornella Falanga and Antonio Di Blasi with no doubt are very skilled. The restaurant is located in the historic center in one of the most visited corners of the city. The pizza is naturally leavened, processed for 48 hours and digestible, and the ingredients are of excellent quality. The types are the Neapolitan-style Vulcanotti with a pronounced edge, the Quadri with a stuffed edge, the fluffy Rectangular Gourmet topped out, the thin and fragrant Romane and al Padellino. The Pantelleria is with tomatoes, buffalo milk mozzarella, fiordilatte, capers, olives, basil; Frida, with tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, buffalo milk mozzarella, fiordilatte, ricotta, pistachios and pesto, and in the edges ricotta, basil pesto with walnuts; the Castello Utveggio, with porcini mushrooms, fiordilatte on the exit, truffle oil, arugula, grana, speck and walnuts. Small cellar. Efficient service.

Frida - p.zza Sant’Onofrio, 7 – Palermo - fridapizzeria.it

Mastunicola

An ancestor of the Neapolitan verace pizza. According to legend, the first Mastunicola appeared in the city of Vesuvius in the late 1400s. Mastro Nicola was the baker of the then Rua Catalana, Roberto Billeci the new star ensuring consistency with the ancient identity. The environment is modern and attracts with its genuine and essential concept. Three doughs, a classic from a mixture of semi-integral flours and leavening with biga, one with a crunchy seed and grain edge and one gluten-free. On the menu is the Borgo dei Marini, with date tomato sauce, yellow date, Cetara anchovies, fresh oregano, Nubia garlic and oregano evo; the Malafemmina, with date tomato sauce, yellow date, Cetara anchovies, fresh oregano and Nubia garlic. Lemon tart for dessert. The drink list could improve with some cocktails. Polite service, but in some kind of trouble.

Mastunicola – via Venezia, 71 – Palermo - mastunicolapizzeria.it

The best pizzerias of Palermo: Centro, Stazione Notarbartolo, Giardino Inglese, Palagonia

Archestrato di Gela

Great teamwork.  The Chifari family pays  particular attention to raw materials, research and craftsmanship in the menu divided into three sections: Rascapignate, Contrade and Quartieri with pizzas inspired in the name by the places of Archestrato. The basic dough is type 1 with evolutive flour, on weekends also pure whole wheat. The tasting itinerary (reservation required) is increasingly temptive: crostone bread, Roman-style pan pizza, salty butter croissant, fried and pan-fried pizzas. Among the must-haves is the vegan Piano Carmine, with creamed zucchini, roasted bell pepper, tropea onion, baked potato, confit tomato, bread crumble, and chili oil. Exhilarating tray of home-made desserts. Accurate service with detailed wine list, champagne and craft beer. From July 2023 new location in Monreale.

Archestrato di Gela - Notarbartolo, 2f – Palermo - archestrato-di-gela.business.site

La Bufalaccia

It is called "pizzeria-quasi-Napoletana," but in fact it is much more. It is worthy work that spans 40 hours of ripening and 6 hours of leavening. The pizzas are fluffy and well-veined with high-quality toppings. More than full-bodied is the Nebrodi, with 100% Italian peeled tomato puree, fiordilatte mozzarella, baked ewe's milk ricotta from Belmonte Mezzagno, Nebrodi smoked provola cheese and, on the side, Roman pork cheek, Napoli salami, Bronte pistachio powder. More wintery is the Fonduta, with 18-month Parmigiano Reggiano fondue, buffalo mozzarella from Campania, porcini mushrooms sautéed with red garlic from Nubia, fresh parsley, and, raw, speck from Trentino and smoked burratina pugliese. Small selection of bottled or draft beers. Thoughtful and quick service.

La Bufalaccia - via Principe di Palagonia, 4f – Palermo - labufalaccia.it

Ozio Gastronomico

For the Romans, idleness had a high meaning, suspending work to engage in conviviality was a moment of sacred importance. Dario Genova makes this ancient wisdom the goal, encouraging patrons to relax and pamper themselves. Accomplices a unique selection of raw materials, a thoughtful wine list with good choice by the glass, craft beers and a pleasant ambiance. The pizzas are made with two main doughs, a classic with durum wheat and a whole wheat, and are divided between Classics, Specials, Sicilian Revisitations and Made in Ozio. These include the Santa Margherita, with fiordilatte, double grated 24-month Parmigiano Reggiano, piennolo tomatoes from Vesuvius "a pacchetelle" and basil. As an alternative to pizza, tartare, Fassona tagliata and Vintage-Burger with sides. Friendly service.

Ozio Gastronomico – via F. P. Di Blasi, 2 - Palermo - oziogastronomico.com

The best pizzerias of Palermo: Zona Favorita, Montepellegrino

La Braciera

It has been since 2011 that the restaurant of the brothers Antonio, Roberto and Marcello Cottone has been making a name for itself. A story, theirs, that gives credit to commitment, research and quality. Four doughs are offered, Classico, Croccante, Contemporaneo and Perciasacchi, supplemented by one "of the day." Ten types of offerings are available on the menu - from Premiate to Novità, from Calzoni Fritti to Classiche - such as the Vello D'Oro, with yellow date cream, buffalo mozzarella, yellow cherry tomato, Aspra anchovy fillets and basil, or the Don Vito, with basil pesto, buffalo mozzarella, semi-dry cherry tomatoes, Nebrodi black pig kissed loin and basil. To drink, draft and craft beers and wine list with Sicilian and national labels. Valid cocktail bar mixing lineup. Impeccable, focused and polite service. Another venue is La Braciera in Villa, in the leafy grounds of what was once the summer home of Prince Tomasi di Lampedusa.

La Braciera - via San Lorenzo, 6b – Palermo - labraciera.it

Ammodo - La Pizza di Daniele Vaccarella

New challenge for Daniele Vaccarella, confident master of successful doughs, toppings and combinations. In the new pizzeria, he is joined by his wife Marialuisa in the dining room and daughter Alice at beverage. The open kitchen where you can follow the preparations has quite a view. As many as five doughs, plus one gluten free and one special of the day. Mouthwatering is the multicereal with seeds, 48 hours maturation and 4 hours leavening, ideal for tasty pizzas with sliced meats. The frimpasts, opening fritters, and anti-(m)meals are dry and fragrant, the montanarine tetralogy excellent. Seven pizza categories, Traditional, Ammodo, Legendary, Fried, Vegan, Crispy, and Frying Pan. Wines include a hundred labels from Sicily and Italy, with a few good foreign inserts. Foreign beers on tap and Sicilian craft beers.

Ammodo – via Empedocle Restivo, 90/B – Palermo - ammodopizzeria.it

Villa Costanza

Year after year, it confirms its leading position among Palermo pizzerias. Costanza and Marco Durastanti start with real "taste chain" from the family's land to toppings on pizzas. The doughs are all made with organic Sicilian flours, a basic blend, one of Maiorca, one of Tumminia wholemeal, carob and Biancolilla, Perciasacchi and Maiorca, and two gluten-free with rice flour and buckwheat. Pizzas include the Padellino Porchetta Madonita (organic Maiorca and Biancolilla dough), with Madonita porchetta, capuliato tomato, chili pepper threads, cinisara cow provola and Giarratana onion jam. Dessert by the tray. Wine list of considerable depth. Kind and attentive service.

Villa Costanza - via P. Bonanno, 42 – Palermo - villacostanza.com