Bisso Bistrot

Had the best pasta of my life there three years ago. Still think about it to this day. The flavour almost made me cry happy tears. The customer service was also amazing. The workers always welcome you with a smile and even though they only speak Italian, we managed to understand each other perfectly. I recommend this place to anyone who wants life altering pasta for a very low price.

It's a really packed restaurant. Gladly my friend reserved a table earlier. The food was good and they had rush on the lunch time but I would say they tried to keep it up whenever we asked for something even if late.

A Perfect setting to enjoy the view of the four corner at night. Waiter and waitress was very well accommodated! Foods was delicious! Thank you for helping us and making our holidays even better!

Amazing amazing food I really recommend the “Riso Basmati con cardamomo e aglio, servito con pollo in umido e stufato di verdure” it was €11 and so delicious !!! It was about a 30 minute wait time (table for 8 though!) they do the “bread scam” so be aware but simply just say no to bread and they will take it away. Definitely would recommend and come back to when I’m in Sicily again

The food was well-balanced and delicious. I was satisfied with the flavor of the house wine.

Ordered the fried seafood "platter", recieved 3 kalamari and a bunch of tiny shrimps that contained of more batter than shrimpflesh. The sea bass pasta with pesto had absolutely no flavour. Getting a beer and some deep fried cheese is fine, just then also not really worth the pricing.

The aperol spritz’s were great, and pasta was delicious and well priced - especially the pasta with tuna ragout which was the dish of the day. The servers were all friendly. We went for dinner relatively earlier so it was a bit quieter than other restaurants on the street.

A good and fairly priced wine list. The staff were amicable, the interior was cosy. Exterior was nice, on the corner to Cuatro Cantiere

Great location!! Good for people watching Our appetizer was the stuffed brick with potatoes. Which BF said was good actually. Then BF had a starter of pasta Norma, and I had balsamic rice with chicken and yogurt sauce on top.

This place is poppin'. And for good reason. It's in a great location, the menu offers a lot, portions are American-sized, and prices are cheap, cheap, cheap. I recommend you share any pasta dishes amongst two or three people. I think this was my favorite meal in the two nights we were in Catania. We had a group of five friends, and the wait wasn't any longer than a glass of prosecco. They were out of most nightly specials before 8pm. But we started with a few appetizers (fried chickpeas were the best) and everyone ordered a pasta for an entree -- and we had so many leftovers. Service was good. Wine was flowing. And it's communal seating, so don't have issues with rubbing elbows with a stranger.

Great wine selection. The people working there really know wines and will Help you choose something you'll really enjoy. Great place to get Sicilian wines!

This place was super busy and after trying I can see why. Really delicious flavorful dishes and not too expensive (especially for a busy touristy area). My favorite things we tried were the fish cous cous and fried chick pea cakes. Definitely worth a visit if you can snag a seat!

Bisso isn't any kind of a fine dining establishment, but they serve truly exceptional Sicilian cuisine. They don't have linen napkins or tablecloths, tables are all communal, and they don't take reservations. If none of the aforementioned deters you, then I highly recommend this place because the food is wonderful and the prices are extremely reasonable. Service is very attentive, though it's obvious that all the staffers are working at top capacity; this is a very popular place, and it's busy throughout most of the day. We actually ate here twice, and all the food was completely delicious! Everything we tried was outstanding; cod bruschetta, mussels pasta, seafood ravioli and swordfish rolls were just some of the dishes I remember enjoying :-) As for desserts, while the cassala was good, the chocolate cake with orange was absolutely amazing! Tip: There's almost always a line, but the best arrival time to try and avoid a wait is just as they open.

Excellent restaurant with delicious Sicilian and traditional Italian cuisine. I recommend to anyone visiting the city.

Bisso Bistrot has a constantly changing, Italian-only chalkboard menu, and there's always a line of locals waiting to get a table! For dinner, we started with a common Sicilian dish, Couscous di Pesce, a reflection of the Arab influences on this island. This was a plate of fine couscous (made of semolina flour), served with a warm, tomato-based seafood broth along with chunks of local squid and swordfish, all topped with chopped cilantro. Next, the Baccala in Verdure in Pastella were pieces of codfish and a celery-like vegetable dredged in a light, airy tempura-like batter, deep-fried, and served with a creamy aioli sauce for dipping. But my favorite dish was the Polpette di Broccolo, which were two balls made of minced cauliflower and herbs with an unctuous, addicting cheesiness. Overall, while the dishes here were decent for what they were and came at a good value, the flavors were generally a bit lacking, and the service could've been more attentive.

Came to this placed because the owner of the Air B and B. Where we stay recommended to us. Lucky we didn't wait to long to be seated. The people that work here are not warm at all everyone looks like they are having the worse day of their life. The food was not the greatest neither. For a restaurant in the center of a tourist are you have to put a little bit of effort to be pleasant with the people. I must said that for the amount of food that we eat including a bottle of Prosecco the bill was pretty descent.

We snagged a table at this bustling bistro without a reservation at 7 PM on a Saturday. We soon figured out the catch though, they were seating people but not taking orders or serving food until 730! So bear that in mind if you arrive early - you will be waiting hungry for a while! We also had to share a table with another couple, which we were not expecting, but it's not a problem of course - just worth knowing if you are a small party sat at a bigger table. We started with the salt cod and potato balls for antipasti, then had two pastas - Pasta alla Norma and the special, pasta with mussels and parsley pesto. Finally the famous Sicilian swordfish involtini. We munched on soft sesame bread while we waited for the food, but didn't wait long! The antipasti were very tasty, soft and savory and good with the tangy olive sauce. The homemade pasta was glorious - so toothsome and thick and made with love. I was surprised at how savory and moreish the Alla Norma tasted. I never loved eggplant/aubergine but they managed to transform it into something I ate greedily. My husband preferred the parsley pesto pasta, which I found a bit too salty, but perhaps it worked out well that we each preferred a different dish! The swordfish rolls were our least favourite offering. Despite this being a famous meal, we found it tasted mainly of the filling - breadcrumbs and raisins and such - and not much else. Service was very friendly, although I wish they'd done better at explaining that we'd be waiting 30 minutes to order. At one point a server said "we will tell you in 2 minutes" when I asked what the specials were - but it was 15 minutes! We didn't have an issue with the way that they run their dinner service, we just wanted to be informed. And they took orders and brought bread in seemingly random order, with people who came in after us being given food first. That was a little frustrating, especially as we have a grumpy toddler. It would've benefited everyone if we could've had the bread and given our food order a bit sooner. The vibe is great though, dim lights and zipping waiters, and wooden beams. Clearly a hot spot; huge queue when we left!

This was one place my host suggest I check out and it was something that I just stumbled upon by accident on the way home one evening. The main dishes are traditional Sicilian pasta, fish and meat dishes along with some decent priced appetizers. I went with a main couse wich was pasta with Brocolli which I must say I wasn't really that impressed with. I I also ordered a second dish which was camramilzed meatballs and with a side dish of oven roasted potatoes, I should have just ordered this and I would have given this place 5 stars for sure. The place does get pretty busy around dinner so if you are travelling in a larger group consider phoning them +39 328 131 4595 to make a reservation. The place certainly has a lot of atmosphere and I could imagine a lot of people loving this place but it wasn't a place for me. The staff were helpful and kind but I would probably only recommend going back here with a group of friends.

No city in the whole of Europe can be compared with Palermo. Naples comes close. Tourists of course, if not too many, in every street corner. Quality is not always around, but when it is, it´s good. Like this bistro/bar/café, Bisso. The oldest in town and also an earlier book store called Dante. Bisso is right in the middle of the very rich historic part of Palermo. With a certain beauty in stile and at the same time "rustico". Excellent coffee and generous atmosphere. Here you can sit for a while and contemplate. Well needed for most of us. The impressions you get in this city are often overwhelming.

It's a fun little establishment that caters to enthusiasts. Requires a bit of adventuring, and committment to a place where food towers over decor. It is a dining delight, to getting here, to finding a table (first come first serve) to the delectable menu that once served, delivers a sensory experience that is worth the effort. Buon Appetito!

The food was okay, but not worth the hour wait or the rude attitude of the wait staff. We went on a busy evening and the host said it would be about a 20 minute wait. We thought that reasonable, but 20 minutes quickly became an hour--we could have walked away, but figured let's give them another 5 minutes, and another. While the hostess was on her ~15 minute break, no one seemed to be covering and no other guests were seated. But we thought, okay, any minute now so we gave them the benefit of the doubt and waited it out. After waiting an hour, we were given counter seating for our party of three. Within a few minutes after we sat down, a table next to us for three was made free because the guests left. The wait staff quickly approached us (surprising considered that after sitting down for more than 10 minutes no one came over to take our drink or food orders--since we placed no type of orders we saw no issue with changing seats), and told us we couldn't sit there because other guests were waiting--we had also been waiting, longer even than the other three guests who were seated. They were unwavering and insisted we go back to the counter seating they initially gave us. By then I was ready to leave and take my business elsewhere, but one of my friends had the opposite philosophy that we waited that long to eat there, we were going to eat there. So we did. We then placed our orders--two of us wanted the ravioli, but were told that that dish was finished. Between us we ordered a fish dish, rice dish, and pasta dish. We were hungry from waiting so long, so we definitely finished our plates, but we all felt that the food was alright, it was okay--but not anywhere near the best food we had in Sicily, or even in Palermo-- and certainly NOT worth the hour wait, and NOT worth the cold and insulting treatment from the wait staff.

One of my favorite restaurants in Italy this far, the food is incredible and the value is outstanding. The mixed fried fish is divine. The stuffed squid with pumpkin incredible. The pasta special with sausage ragu was divine. The cauliflower balls are literally a delicacy not to be missed at only 5 euros. The red and white wines are extraordinary and price point ridiculously affordable. A casual bustling spot for locals do not miss!

Really good food! Specials were delicious. Reasonable price as well. Dinner not served until about 730PM, if you come early you can have a drink but they do not take orders until 730PM. I had Couscous with fish, wife had pasta with mussels! And the antipasto special of tomatoes and motzerella cheese. Community/shared tables except for about 5-6 tables. Fills up fast at 7:30PM.

An old bookstore/liberia converted to a bistro with simple Sicilian favourites. It's very popular among the local crowd. Had both lunch and dinner, the menu she same but they have specials off the menu for dinner. Strangely even though the menu is the same for lunch and dinner, they stop service from 4-730 and only offer drinks. The lunch service was fabulous and friendly, the dinner was not..strange as it appeared to be same staff but just tired.. The food had hits and misses. The stuffed squid was great, the beef stew was lukewarm..the seafood fry was good with light batter but fish was so salty couldn't finish it. The pumpkin ravioli was divine. Cauliflower balls and stuffed pepper was ok not the best. Value 3/5 Atmosphere 4/5 Service 2/5 Quality 3/4 13/20

This place is great. No reservations. Worth the wait. My wife and I tried the fried seafood, sausage and beans, homemade pasta with artichoke and squid and stuffed pepper. The homemade pasta was fantastic. The fried seafood was very lightly crusted octopus, shrimp and other seafood. The sausage and beans were also great. All this food and a few drinks came in under 60 euros.

No, we did not eat there, and yet it doesn't deserve even one star!!! This place do not booking tables, so you have to wait till a table is free, and that's OK. We came at 19:45, I asked for a table for 4, the hostest said it will take about 30 minutes, and it sound OK, after 1 hour of waiting, yes, 1 hour, they said we should wait for additional 15 minutes, since we already lost an hour we figure that additional 15 minutes will be OK. 15 minutes has passed away but the hostest was very busy, talking to her friends outside, smoking and drinking while tables were cleared. After those additional 20 minutes, hoping someone will be concern about all the people outside, the hostest still was smoking and busy with her friends, while the table was empty. I got inside, asking about my table, since I saw that there are free table, the reply I got "oh, there are still 2 tables before you", after an more than hour and a half, still they didn't have a table, while lots of people who came after us got in. I never meet such an arrogant behavior in no city across the world and I did travel quite a lot. This is no way to treat no customer, if you don't have table and you don't think you will keep your word, don't promise nothing! If you wish to go there and they don't get you in within 15 minutes, leave, it doesn't worth it, they will keep promise you a table within minutes away, don't believe them!!! Run away!!! Someone has to say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!

Very good food. Lots of people waiting for tables. Show up right after 7 pm before it gets super busy otherwise the wait is very long. Very affordable, very good value for money.

pretentious wanna be modern and smart. food generally ok some time good. service very good. ambience to loud and crowded

One of local favor, the food is good, little loud, expect to share table with someone else.

Nothing fancy, we opted to go here for lunch. Took bunch of dishes to share. Everything was delicious. Very busy inside, we came for late lunch and got seated right away.

Location right in the center of it all on the main walking street makes this very convenient and very touristy. We came when they opened and we're glad that we did as they filled up quickly with tourists, no a local in sight. All of the servers were friendly and spoke English which made this a very easy dinning experience. The food was okay, like something I could make at home but not overly impressive. The pasta dishes were quite good but my husband has a fried fish dish that was questionable. Relatively affordable for a sit down meal but probably wouldn't go back or rave about it to friends.

The kind of place that was so hard to find in Palermo. A cute, corky restaurant with a nice decor and a soul. Besso, which used to be a library called Libreria Dante, has got all that. For 5€ you can have a big plate of pasta (pasta Norma: yummy!). Their cassatelle was also very tasty.

This is an excellent bistro that out classes most of the places we (Australian & Portuguese tourists) have eaten at in Italy so far. The food is delicious; pasta with zucchini flowers and tomatoes had a rich full flavor. Chickpea flower panelle in contrast was light, delicate, and also delicious. The wait staff were friendly and very generous cf. our inability to speak Italian. The decor was outstanding and the prices good. We will definitely be eating here again.

Stopped in here for an impromptu lunch, partly because we were hungry and partly to get shelter from an unexpected downpour. It's a cute little place and screams authenticity, the squid was a bit tough though charred very well and tomato sauce lukewarm and not as thick as I'd liked, but maybe that's the testimony to its being authentic, e.g. it definitely was not from a can. If they had reduced it on the stove for hours, it would've been thick enough, but as I said, I don't think that was their motive :-) The risotto balls were perfection, not greasy at all, and puffy perfection. We also got their version of pesto pasta, which seemed like it was linguini, but not quite. Still, it had very good, if not outstanding flavor--a bit on the sugary side, but that's likely a Sicilian sweet slant. Of course, we had to get the tiramasu, layered well but the flavors muddled, not that it stopped my husband from scarfing it down :-) Service was efficient and friendly, though they weren't falling over themselves to be attentive. Prices were on point and more reasonable than for the same dishes had we had them in Rome.

Around the corner from our hotel, smack in the middle of town we ended up at Bisso Bistro. The food and service were excellent in a relaxed and laid back atmosphere that is both enticing and exhilarating. Its a good thing Palermo has a moderate climate as the people waiting, glass in hand, spill out on the street.This place would do very well in any trendy city and is definitely worth a stop when you find yourselves in the neighborhood.

This is one of my favorite places in town. The best staff and it's delicious and friendly and down to earth. I come here often and it's consistently terrific. Highly recommended.

Nice local place. We just came from Amalfi so the prices are very reasonable compared to the tourist areas. A bowl of pasta was 4 euro. Menu was eclectic and delicious. We had the stuffed peppers for an appetizer and broccoli pasta and the lentil balls. All we're very delicious. This is located right in the four corners. A very famous spot for sightseeing. My Airbnb host recommended this and it is a local favorite despite its tourist location.i believe the hours are incorrect since I was there at 230pm and it was open and the waitress said they were open for dinner as well.