Ambiance and views: 5 Food: 4…read moreService: 3 My family and I were staying at the Marina Holiday Hotel and Spa in Balestrate, Sicily and while searching for places to eat, we saw that Da Clà was highly rated and located right under our noses, in fact! Da Clà is actually located on the covered patio of Marina Holiday Hotel and Spa so just a quick skip down from our hotel room for our family of 7 dinner. We must have been the first ones because no one was there but we were immediately greeted and sat down by Claudio Palazzolo, the owner. I would like to add that later on, there was a wedding held a few steps away so it was a bit lively when we left but kind of weird this "restaurant" was more like a reserved space on the hotel patio. I immediately embraced the mismatched table settings giving a touch of home and laidback to tone down the pretention of something it's not (reserved space on a hotel patio). Think Shabby chic! If anything the stunning views of the Sicilian sunset on the Gulf of Castellamare is just lovely and bound to take your breath away. Our waiter comes over and we order a few bottles of water and Nero d'Avola wine to enjoy all that Sicily has to offer. Da Cla claims to use only high quality ingredients presented in a haute cuisine fashion. Their menu is made up of dishes that displaying the flavors of Sicily in a rather modern way while honoring tradition. We wanted to try a bunch of things and discussed eating "Family style" to which the waiter overheard and could not comprehend the concept until Claudio suggested a "tasting" menu where we would pick a few dishes so everyone could taste. Not seeing anything on the menu about a fixed or traditional tasting menu, per se, we said yes, hoping he would lead us in the right direction. Either there was a language barrier or mismatched interpretation, the execution was not quite what we had in mind but we go along with it nonetheless because we are on holiday and for that I think back that they had taken advantage of that. We ordered multiple dishes of the following: Tonno Rosso di Castellammare.....fresh caught red tuna served a top a tower of avocado and baby cress with Caviar Calvisius. Delicious! Homemade Black Tagliolino pasta with summer truffle and cloak of sea bass...Now while I advise against ordering pasta in the states due to it being overpriced and underrated, I give it a go while in Italy because duh. This dish, wow. Now while the pasta was a bit overcooked and on the softer side, the truffle sauce was AH-MAZING. No lie, we seriously ordered like four of these dishes and it was my favorite of everything we ordered. Spaghettone with clams and bottarga. Pretty delish, pasta bit more al dente so consistency of cooked pasta a bit lost but clams were fresh and quite tasty. Ravioli di Bufala Campana DOP raw shrimp and salmon caviar. Mozzarella di Bufala was amazing in this and quite an interesting interpretation of ravioli. Fish of the day- skate that was caught that day. Black Angus Argentino reduction Triskelè with cherry and potato gratin. Small cut of black angus beef severely overcooked (we requested rare and it came out well done, no pink) so I would suggest sticking to fish and pasta dishes if you dined here unless you love well done meat. This was my least liked dish. For dessert, multiple dishes: Ball of chocolate mousse with almond toffee sauce. Quite good but I much preferred the Creamy pistachio tiles with passion fruit in comparison. I really loved the sweetness and tart of the passion fruit balance the creaminess and nutty flavor of the pistachio. Family of 7 going straight out HAM at Da Clà prompted Sergio to carted out some apertifs to choose from, we chose grappa and amaretto for toast to a delicious meal! While I left a fan, my family was not the most gung ho on the place and that broke my heart for even suggesting to come here. They felt we were taken advantage of for money. While the staff suggested a tasting, we would have been better off just ordering several dishes ON THEIR OWN, asking for plates to share and eat. For some reason, this was a strange and hard concept to comprehend in Italy. Not only would it have been cheaper, but we wouldn't have left hungry because while food is on the expensive side, the portions are small. What bothered them most were the ambiguous "Da Clà charge"(s) on our check which was a bit shady to say the least. Also my father had requested cold water rather than the water sitting out in the 90something degree heat and brought out measly glass of ice while he watched other diners receive buckets of ice for their water while we received none. I wish my father would have spoke up for whatever reason he didn't but he spent quite a bit of money on dinner plus tipped generously for Italian standards and didn't want to make a thing of it I guess. For the amount of money he dished out, he should have at least gotten a damn bucket of ice at the bare minimum but don't expect no favors.

Great atmosphere. I Took my family there on vacation from the states. It's pricy but the extras…read morelike a glass of prosecco and appetizer are included. These make for a classy meal. The only thing wanting was a big personality chef coming out of the kitchen occasionally for a little banter. Jazz played in the background often drowned out by a saxophonist from a live band at a joint further up the coast.

We have been to Venice room Florence and the Amalfi coast on this trip. This was our favorite…read morerestaurant. Food, service, atmosphere was stellar. Highly recommend.

We had an absolutely delicious meal at Mirko's. They have seating in front of the restaurant on…read moresome steps. We shared the raw fish/seafood platter which was very fresh. The shrimps in particular were sweet and flavourful. It also comes with raw tuna, bluefish and another fish that I cannot remember plus two oysters. It's more than enough to share between two people. My partner had the gnocchi with clams and zucchini which was full of flavour yet light, despite the potential heaviness of the gnocchi. I had the busiate with red shrimp, sea urchin and bottarga which was simply amazing. It was loaded with flavour and I loved the pasta shape. We shared a bottle of local white wine. The meal came to €86. A little in the pricey side but well worth it!

If you are ever in Palermo, this restaurant is worth the 30 min drive down the coast…read more Ristorante Al Burgo offers unique spin on traditional Sicilian dishes, catering to a worldly palate looking a wonderful experience. Nestled in Castellammare del Golfo between the pedestrian zone of Corso Giuseppe Garbaldi and the marina, down some enchanted rustic marble steps, sits a unique gem. My first experience was like this... My GF and I, were sat around the time of sunset, gazing upon a gorgeous view of the mountains and the vast Tyrrhenian Sea. The table was situated on the serpentine steps that cascade through a tiny corridor down to the fishing port below. Music, people, and the sounds of the ocean filled the streets as we dined. Our first dish was a fantastic mix of Sicilian favorites: fresh fish, fruit, and vegetables; new combinations of these typical foods join with different Mediterranean flavors. Across the board the selection was superb. For our prima plate we shared two pasta dishes that turned out to be a complete dream. Our server recommended a dish I've never had before. It was a busiate pasta blended with light tomato and oil based and topped with prawns and fish eggs. My eyes lit up with delight as I embraced the saw the meal and embrace the smell. It was outstanding. My Gf had the squid dyed linguine with delicious prawns and sea urchins. She couldn't believe how much her dish took her back to her childhood when she would collect sea urchins with her late grandmother. It was really a joy just to see her face as she devour it. For desert we had the semifreddo; a beautiful semi-frozen blend of hot espresso and the coffee gelato, comes together perfectly. Hands down one of the best meals I've had in Italy/ in my life. It was so good that even on our 3 day trip we had to go back a second time. I got the pesto gnocchi that time and after that the perfectly cooked tuna, it was simply delicious. She had the sea urchin pasta again. I cannot wait to go back.

We had a lively dinner in this fine-tuned italian restaurant. The young crew is offering a menu…read moremainly based around fish and home made pasta. Great, simple and to the point. Oh forgot to mention the beautiful view inti the harbor.

Great Restaurant with wonderful Sicilian food We arrived at…read morea busy moment but they were able To accommodate us with a short wait We had the Caponata di tonno which was great fir appetizer The Pasta con le Sarde was fantastic Portions are fairly abundant so order accordingly Service was courteous and efficient I definitely recommend this place

Excellent food, probably the best we had during our week in Palermo. We had swordfish and…read moremeatballs. The owner asked what kind of wine we liked and brought us each a glass. The red wine tasted like a Syrah blend, it was easily the best wine that I had in Palermo. Prices seemed reasonable. I recommend getting a reservation, there was often a long line of people waiting for tables.

I absolutely love this place. The ambiance, location, and view across the street are fantastic, and…read morethe food is exceptional. The wine selection was excellent, and the pizza was one of the best I've ever had, by far. I would definitely recommend visiting to check it out. Place was packed and I can easily tell why.

Fantastic food and service. The seafood was fresh and…read moredelicious. The pizza and pasta were fabulous. Highly recommend this wonderful restaurant.

Absolutely the Best. From the time you walk in until your departure you will like you are at home…read more We arrive a couple of minutes prior to their opening and there was one couple in front of us. We basically went right in which was very nice. We sat in the front room as you entered. There were about 7 or 8 tables and another room off to the side. Don't know how big but it seemed to be about the same size. After about 30 minutes the little restaurant was packed. They turned many people away. Sad for them. We ordered the Pasta with Pumpkin, Pecorino, and Ricotta Cheese and the Pasta with Pistachio Pesto, Stracciatella Cheese and Sun Dried Tomatoes. Both dishes were perfectly prepared. My pick was the pistachio one and it was addictive. I couldn't stop eating it. The pumpkin one was equally as good but that addictive kept calling my name. We both had to finally give up because we wanted to try the dessert. The dessert was definitely the finale. A deconstructed cannoli. Best we had In Palermo. This place nails it. The atmosphere is hip. The music is great. The service is the best we have had in our three weeks in Sicily. Prices are very reasonable. Highly recommend. Make a reservation!!!

Simply the best!!! Great service and great atmosphere…read more Delicious food, specially pork dish. Thank you!!!

Ordered the sardine meatballs ans the caponata with swordfish. Both were amazing. The restaurant…read morelooks like a tourist trap given its location but actually the food is very good. Staff freshly as well.

Awesome restaurant located in a typical historical Italian Square. Wonderful Italian and Sicilian…read morefood. Really fresh fish ( branzino, tuna tartare, octopus) and deliciuos pasta. Grest prices and friendly staff. Absolutely to recommend.