Osteria dei Vespri

I’ll admit…I was super hesitant because of the recent reviews. I’ll be happy to admit I didn’t see even one bit of the negative experiences as those reviewing previously did. Maybe the restaurant stepped up their game?? Overall, in my honest opinion this is definitely worth the price point. The food was phenomenal. The service was exceptional. I am full. We chose the wine paring and that made a difference for the meals and I’d highly recommend it. I booked dinner for a friend’s birthday and started to read the reviews the day of and quickly became hesitant. I figured it’s already booked so I might as well try it. I’m so glad I didn’t cancel my booking and I’ll happily come back here again!!

Quite a strange experience at a Michelin restaurant. The food was okay but not bellissimo. Most of the dishes felt unbalanced to my taste. For example, the waffles with ricotta were overly rich, with a lot of heavy ricotta and just small pieces of waffle. Additionally, the staff was so intrusive that we barely had a chance to talk with our friends. Not the place what I visit one more time.

The place where this bistro is located is one of my favorites. As elegant and atmospheric as it is quiet. In the warm months, I've often had a wine or two on the terrace here - and enjoyed the ambience. The bar next door is great, the food there is very good. Today was my first time eating in the bistro. Very attentive, friendly service. Beautiful interior in the vaulted ceiling. The food was visually appealing. However, the taste was dull and boring. I mentioned that there was a lack of spices here. The answer was: Sicilians don't like spices. That may be true. I have often eaten with Michelin-starred chefs, including various 3-star chefs: it was always excellent, no matter what philosophy a chef espouses. Not a single course was tasteless. 80 euros for 1 course plus cheese plus 1 glass of sparkling wine and water. Without having any culinary pleasure. Some reviewers write "tourist trap". It's possible. Great place. Beautiful location. Wonderfully planted terrace in summer. I won't be eating there again. I expect a melange of wonderful flavors and spices from good cuisine. It should always be an unforgettable evening. At least I remember really fabulous food for years to come, whether in Madrid, Paris, New York or with chefs like Sven Elverfeld, Dieter Müller or Christian Bau, Joachim Wissler, Tim Raue from Germany.

We had an outstanding meal with excellent, friendly service. We were nearly put off by the previous negative reviews but could not disagree with them more. We ordered a pasta course and dessert but in addition to this, the restaurant supplies excellent amuse bouche beforehand, palate cleanser between courses and chocolates after the desert. Given this, it is entirely reasonable to require purchase of two courses.

My worst experience in two visits to Palermo. Nice location, very attentive staff and food that I couldn't eat. the tasting menu consisted of several dishes and all of them were tasteless. the pasta with the octopus had a single dominant taste of fennel and nothing else, the fish meatball was nothing, and so on. We had to wait two hours for all the dishes, and it would be normal if we enjoyed the food, which was not the case. 140 euros for this dinner.

I thought the food was excellent full of very subtle flavours. I was well looked after although I dined alone. The sommelier was particularly helpful and friendly. Her knowledge to help me pair the wines to my food was spot on!

Really sorry for this rating, I hope it's useful to improve. The food was nothing special, and quite pretentious, requiring a perfect execution that wasn't delivered. It took a veeeery long time to get our food and it was mediocre at times, decent at best. We made it clear with the staff and they have been rightly apologetic. The bill is very high in a city with so many options where food is extremely high quality. Guys the Idea is ok but you need to up your game a few notches.

The menu had a great variety of options, and everything we ordered was fresh and cooked to perfection. The service was also fantastic, with the staff attentive and friendly throughout the meal. Outstanding wine selection.

Ouch! Have you ever seen the Chevy Chase movie " European Vacation " where he goes to a restaurant and the food is so tiny and the staff is clueless? Overpriced and not the Michelin rating. We were so excited to dine here but was disappointed in the quality and of the wild boar ( not tender) and the lamb dishes. The cuttlefish soup was so so and had no more than 5 tablespoons of soup! 28 euros ...

The food is excellent, let's start there. It is not traditional Sicilian food, and it is expensive for what you usually get. But it is a nice setting, well prepared, and with a thoughtful tasting menu. The slow food aspect of the menu is also appreciated. However, the service is a little overbearing. Also, I went one night when there were clearly tables available, and I was turned away. I made reservations for two nights out, and when I got there, I saw empty tables for my entire meal, and many people being turned away. I do not understand what the point of that is, but seems like a missed opportunity.

Generally when we travel, the one place we "must" eat in each city we visit is carefully scripted in advance by reading multiple 10 best lists, Yelp reviews, Michelin and whatever other information I can get my hands on. For some reason we chose to leave the research and decision making until we arrived in Palermo to begin a 17 day trip to Italy that will end with dinner at La Pergola (among other fabulous restaurants throughout our trip) on our final night. The fact that we ended up at Osteria Dei Vespri on our first night was a totally unexpected joy. I will leave it to others to be food critics and simply say that the overall experience was on par with most any meal we have anywhere in the world. The friendly and knowledgeable staff made itself clear to us immediately. The food, from the outstanding and creative breads and the incredible sampler of 3 delicious amuse right through to the desert we shared and the complimentary 3 piece offering of treats to end the meal was absolutely spectacular. Most surprising was that the check for Pasta, Entree and a shared dessert (including a €30 euro bottle of Rose) was only €124 making this meal without question the best value we have ever found for food and service of this caliber. We have literally paid 4 and 5 times that for similarly spectacular meals at Michelin starred restaurants. (And not one of which I have taken the time to review here) Although we chose to order Al a Carte, the 2 tasting options offered the night we dined were priced at €65 and €75, an exceptional value as well. Although we are more whisky buffs than wine buffs, the very large and extensively diverse wine list would seem to be on par with everything else about the experience. The beautiful little off the beaten path semi-private sguare where Osteria Dei Vespri is located is beautiful and clean, something not all that easy to find in Palermo. It felt more like Rome than Palermo. Enough said. If you are in Palermo this truly is the place to try.

We had the two lunch menus, earth and sea. Both where boring. The house white wine was nice. The table next to us had al a carte and their food looked better.

A stunning way of assembling top ingredients. Gentle and observant service, coupled with an impressive yet affordable wine list. Paid 130€ for two people (2 dishes each, white wine and service).

The service, the food , he ambiance were just terrific...beautifully presented appetizers and main courses...warm and engaging staff that made you feel right at home, language not withstanding. This was really one of the highlights of our Sicily dining experience...we took our friends who live there as a treat and they loved it...............wondered how we ever found such a nice spot!