Osteria Alivàru da Carlo Napoli

This was exactly what I wanted and dreamed of for a meal in Palermo! Seasonal ingredients, Sicilian flavors, simple but elevated preparations, made with obvious love and care. Put this place at the top of your list for your visit. Carlo and Linda are a dream team. You will find the most authentic Palermitan vibes here. Don’t miss out!

Arrived at 7pm without a reservation - and glad we did because the Osteria was solid booked within the hour! Started with the polpette made with sardines and raisins - delicious! I had the spaghetto with shrimp, zucchini and pistachio pesto and my husband had the pasta bianco ragu. Wonderful and simple local cuisine! Service was perfect - left us alone and still knew when to approach. Hostess was very friendly! Grazie!

A lovely lunch at Osteria Alivàru da Carlo Napoli. The restaurant is located in the Kalsa, the ancient Arab quarter of Palermo. We started with the baccala sfincione-style, and the roasted octopus with a purée of carrot & ginger. For main courses, the paccheri bolognese and the baked orata with potatoes. Everything was very good!

This was the highlight on my trip. Wonderful food and people. Worth the trip. I was not rushed and was able to enjoy an amazing dinner with friends. Linda and Carlos make sure you have a memorable experience. Do not miss!

This is the best dinner in Palermo. I have been eating here every time I’ve come to Palermo — for the last 3 years. I bring my groups here and they always accommodate in the most generous and delicious ways. Their food is prepared with such intention and love— ingredients are the best— the flavors mind blowing. Eat here again and again. Thank you Carlo and family — your food is amazing.

I was teaching a class in Palermo a week ago and brought a group to this restaurant as part of our welcome dinner for the experience. Several different people with different eating habits were accommodated for while we were treated to plate after plate of different appetizers and main courses– all beautifully laid out on the plates and served with care and intentionality. All of the servers were incredibly kind and friendly, helping us have a great experience. Many of the people were first time in Sicily, so they really got to understand the different kinds of flavors and preparations in this cuisine. They even brought us several different amaros to try at the end. It was truly spectacular - one of the best dining experiences I've had in Sicily. The chef came out and we chatted with him! What a nice man. I deeply recommend this place for excellent food and beautiful ambience.

We were in Palermo for four days and this was the best meal we had. We enjoyed the food immensely and were blown away by the reasonable prices. Service was a little slow, but honestly you should lean into that and take your time enjoying the excellent food. Our visit was on a Tuesday night in late February and the restaurant was busy (unexpected, and evidence of popularity) but not overly crowded. Everything we had was wonderful. Do yourself a favour and get the caponata, seriously.

Wow. The reviews were misleading. After a week in Palermo, trying out various venues on a budget and being amazed, we decided to spoil ourselves with a nice dinner at this seemingly higher scale establishment. The service was a little chaotic where we had 4 different servers coming to our table repeating the same offers. The only redeeming quality of the food we received was the plating, which was entirely contradictory to the quality of the food itself. We received a small pre-sliced, unseasoned portion of medium rare veal (the cook of the meat was not addressed when ordering). We also ordered a filet of seabream with potatoes. The fish came small, breaded, sans potatoes, and the texture proved to be that of a once frozen, then very over-cooked fish (disappointing since fresh fish is practically standard in other Palermo establishments). After reminding a server that the potatoes were missed, I received day-old reheated potatoes in an over-compensating plate. Such a disappointment.