"Badly, we'll eat a piece of rotisserie." It is a phrase that you will most likely happen to hear during a tour to discover the beauties of Palermo in the company of a native friend of the place. The pieces in question are pizzas, calzones, ravazzate, rollò and other mythical bakery products, children of the local gastronomy, a true object of worship and adoration by entire generations of Palermo Doc wines.

A question of identity

"In Palermo, the rotisserie has always embodied the concept of comfort food, even before there was such a definition to indicate the universe of sensations, affections and appetites that a dish was able to generate", he says Gaetano Lombardo, author of the book Crocchè, the street food of Palermo in the world. «It is a question of identity: every Palermitan has at least one happy memory linked to the“ pieces ”of his life: from the high-calorie, strictly salty breakfasts, before school or at recess, to the snack in the middle of the night with the teenage groups. But also the quick lunch break, the whim outside of meals or the “on the fly” dinner consumed in a hurry on the street. In short, the guarantee of having a valid, delicious and cheap alternative at any time of the day. And the beauty is that there is only the embarrassment of choice, because basically giving in to the temptation of the rotisserie is never really an alternative, but a convinced choice, an act of love and gluttony, to be renewed every day. after day, forever .

The main ingredient: brioche

A true love story, therefore, is the one that binds the people of Palermo to the iconic pieces of rotisserie. The common denominator is undoubtedly the "Croissant”, A soft and fragrant bread obtained by mixing flour, lard and yeast, capable of marrying perfectly with the ingredients of the dressing and enhancing every single flavor. What makes the brioche pastry unique is the sugar: "The dough from the Palermitan rotisserie", continues Gaetano Lombardo, "is always vaguely sweet and encountering tomatoes, cheeses and cured meats generates an ever-changing taste experience. This is the reason why even the small pizza, the simplest of the pieces, is anything but a small pizza, but an original dish with a strong and unmistakable personality. Starting from the traditional classics, the calzone with ham and mozzarella, the rollò with wurstel, the ravazzata or the rizzuola with meat sauce, the crouton with béchamel, in recent years also the Palermitan rotisserie, born poor like all foods from strada, has been at the center of a process of reinterpretation thanks to the use of delicious condiments and a renewed aesthetic taste in the composition, clearing new combinations and creative forms. Timeless then i fried, with his majesty therice ball at the top of the table and some musts like it bolt, which combines meat sauce and béchamel in a layered composition entirely breaded and cooked in boiling oil ".

The 10 best Palermitan rotisseries

La Romanella – Via Giacomo Leopardi 12
Inaugurated in 1972, this rotisserie located in an elegant residential area of ​​the city is the favorite destination for young people for a break for recreation or after school lunch. The flavors and aromas of the Romanella pieces are imprinted in the memories, and in the palate, of generations of Palermitans. Among the strong points is the legendary fried crouton, two slices of soft bread filled with ham and creamy béchamel.

I Cuochini – Via Ruggero Settimo 68
Walking through the windows of the very central Via Ruggero Settimo, you will notice a curious and unusual line of people inside a courtyard. Do not be afraid and decisively cross the large door of number 68. You will discover one of the secret addresses of the Palermitans: I Cuochini, a small laboratory active since 1826 which is credited with inventing the mini-sized rotisserie.

Scatassa Bar – Via Ammiraglio Rizzo 65
A true Palermo gastronomic cult is that of the fried calzone: a difficult task to elect the best in the city even if everyone agrees – including the most critical tasters – Bar Scatassa takes care of it. For over half a century, the calzone made here has been considered the best in Palermo. The secret of this record lies in its crunchiness, obtained thanks to the use of fried lard.

Bar Rosanero – Piazzetta Porta Reale 5/6
It was born in 1961 as a billiard room with a bar and quickly became the meeting place for the city soccer team to which it was named (pink and black are in fact the colors of the Palermo players' shirts). Even today it is a pilgrimage destination for Palermo and tourists to try the legendary pieces of rotisserie. In addition to the historic site, in the ancient Kalsa district, there is also a second bar with a modern design in via XX Settembre.

Bar Touring – Via Lincoln 15
Adjacent to Bar Rosanero you will find another historic address of the Sicilian capital. Bar Touring for the Palermitans means arancina bomba, which is the largest in the city in terms of size (400 grams). The advice is to also try the spitino (skewer in Italian): a parallelepiped stuffed with meat sauce and peas held together by several layers of bread, everything is then breaded and fried. It was born as an anti-waste solution for the reuse of brioche scraps left over from other processes. In more recent times, a second office has been opened on the Mondello seafront, directly overlooking the beach.

Le Savocherie – Via Sammartino 103
Another reference sign, where you can taste the best pieces of Palermitan rotisserie, is the one opened by Francesco Savoca in 1989 in via Sammartino. The confirmation is given by the many people who come out every day from the well-known gastronomy with large takeaway trays overflowing with arancinette, fried and baked calzones, pizzas, ravazzate with meat sauce and rolls with sausage.

Bar Vabres – Via Michele Cipolla 83
Behind the central station, outside the streets of the center crowded with tourists, is the laboratory of the Vabres family. You will have to go there on purpose and rest assured that you will not regret it. The pieces of rotisserie to try are the arancine – among the best in Palermo -, the spitino with meat and the baked Catania with ham, tomato and mozzarella. Surely one of the places in Palermo with the best quality / price ratio.

Bar Pasticceria Sampolo – Via Sampolo 242
Artisan production and selection of ingredients are the basis of the success of Bar Sampolo. Every day you can find a wide selection of classic Palermo rotisserie pieces at the counter. The renowned gourmet arancine deserve a taste. In 2021 a second location was inaugurated inside the new terminal of the Port of Palermo.

Qcinu at Sanlorenzo Mercato – Via San Lorenzo 288
The bakery inside Sanlorenzo Mercato, the largest food court in Palermo, houses a young shop specialized in well-made mignons: the counter of the shop is a riot of classic pieces and more contemporary specialties, always characterized by raw materials of high quality and great aesthetic care. Must-haves include a piece nicknamed dark brown, stuffed with cooked ham and scamorza cheese and externally encircled by smoked bacon with poppy seeds.

Oscar Pastry 1965 – Via Mariano Migliaccio 39
Not just salty. We close our greedy tour with a famous sweet piece, known in Palermo as iris. It is a soft breaded brioche pastry, with a heart of ricotta cream and chocolate flakes. One of the best iris is prepared by Oscar, a historic pastry shop among the most popular in the city for cakes, traditional Sicilian desserts and pieces of Palermo rotisserie (try also the fried calzoni and the arancine with meat and butter).