Bar Di Maria Agata — Restaurant in Palermo

Hey guys!! I gotta tell you about this little place in the heart of Palermo’s street food district - the Bollaro Market. We walked alllllll thru this market on recommendation of our sassy awesome tour guide Max yesterday; all of them attempting to tantilize first our sense of sight with their beautiful plates of seafood and fresh verduras (veggies) e frutti (fruits). Some also had their vendors out in force to entice us in with words like honey, But THIS little place not only drew us by sight and sound (Ms Patricia’s bold tones brought in the crowds!) but for some reason their dishes stood out among the rest! All of the staff seemed to work as a finely tuned machine! They all made us feel welcomed comfy - like we walked into nonnas kitchen for lunch! We at first just wanted to grab some Basa fried fish to go but they said NO NO! Come sit! What else would you like? Messina con Sal! (A local beer with salt - my husband says the salt completely changes the taste experience!) They bring over a quant little table covering that LOOKS like cloth and makes you feel like you are sitting in the cutest outdoor trattoria among friends and family! We were lucky enough to be seated at a front table to the passersby; enjoying the sights and sounds of music and completely enveloped by the atmosphere that surrounded us! We were brought a wonderful sesame encrusted bread while we waited for our food to arrive, and Patricia checked on us frequently - even though she was not our actual server. We got the feeling this was either a family run establishment or that the the people here had been working together so long they worked like family as everything seemed to run so smoothly and everyone seemed to operate with a sort of family intuition! I loved to just watch each one move about and Interact with the customers. Then our food arrived! We had ordered the tomato salad, which were beautifully ripened and sliced heirloom tomatoes over a bed of field greens, my husband loves this salad - he just adds some olio and vinegar, some salt and fresh black pepper and it’s a PERFECT light and refreshing summer salad. The tomatoes were perfectly plump n juicy and a BEAUTIFUL deep red! I had the Basa fish fritte which is dusted with the lightest and finest cornmeal I’ve seen and fried simply with salt to perfection. A little lemon on top is all you need. It’s light, the bite is meaty yet soft with not a single bit of fishy taste to it. Perfetta! And as our side we had the potato fritters w polenta chips. Again. Fried perfectly and the fritters were wonderfully flavored with garlic and maybe some kind of cheese inside? They were fantastic!! Crisp outside n beautifully soft n flavorful inside. I could literally eat these all day, but knew I would be no good w all those carbs lol To pay is very efficient as well all you need to do is take your number up to the register and they have your order ticket ready - you get taken care of quickly! We had a wonderful time and know where to go should we find ourselves back in Palermo looking for some yummy street...

Located right in the heart of the Ballarò Market, this place is chaotic, loud, and constantly busy—but that's to be expected in such a bustling area. Despite the hectic atmosphere, we decided to give it a try. You order first, then sit down.

However, when we went to take a seat, we didn’t realize another couple was already waiting for the same table. Instead of calmly informing us, the waiter yelled at us and treated us as if we were ignorant. He then set up an additional table for us in the middle of the passageway, where market-goers constantly brushed against our table and chairs. It made for an uncomfortable experience.

The overall mood among the staff was quite aggressive, with employees yelling at each other. Giuseppe, the waiter, was particularly bothersome, constantly putting on a loud, over-the-top act to draw in customers. It got annoying fast.

As for the food, it was neither bad nor outstanding—just average. Prices were on the high side for market food, which added to the disappointment.

I wouldn’t recommend this spot and would suggest exploring other options in the...

Massively overpriced food which was not good. I ordered a cup of tea which I didn't drink - the water was bad. 2 medium sized orange juices were €5. €20 for around 8 large prawns, my girlfriend didn't eat them cause they had sand in them and I didn't think they were fresh. We also had a fish arancini which was just plain nasty, even to me and I'll eat most things. We were not given menus and didn't see anyone else with them so didn't know what the prices would be, alittle naive perhaps, and that's how they get ya. This place is a massive tourist trap, it looks nice and is well organised but it will leave a bitter taste, not just...