Buatta Cucina Popolana — Restaurant in Palermo

A Tragicomic Ode to Buatta Cucina Popolana:

Oh, Buatta Cucina Popolana, I arrived with high hopes and an empty stomach, fueled by the promise of your Bib Gourmand title, and left with a sense of profound disillusionment and a faint echo of gastronomic regret.

The evening began with the anticipation of a culinary symphony, yet ended more akin to a dirge played on an out-of-tune kazoo. Your menu, a sonnet to Italian cuisine, lured me in like a Siren's song, only to crash me upon the jagged rocks of disappointment.

The starter, a bruschetta that promised the sun-kissed flavors of Tuscany, had all the gusto of a rain-soaked picnic in February. I fear the tomatoes were plucked from the vine during an existential crisis, resigned to their fate, and the bread had the structural integrity of a damp cardboard box in a monsoon.

Ah, and then there was the ravioli... A dish that promised to ferry me to the sun-dappled hills of Emilia-Romagna, but instead stranded me in the culinary hinterlands. The pasta parcels, intended to be plump pillows of delight, were instead as lackluster as an overused beanbag, their edges bearing a disturbing resemblance to ancient parchment. Inside, a filling that aspired to the richness of ricotta and the tang of spinach, but landed in a territory I can only describe as 'distant relative of wallpaper paste'. Each bite was a grim reminder that, like Dante's journey through the Inferno, sometimes one must traverse the depths to truly appreciate the sublime.

Finally, the bill arrived with the speed of a striking cobra, casting a gloomy shadow over the evening. It bore the weight of an extravagant ransom note, demanding hefty sums for each culinary catastrophe.

Dear Buatta Cucina Popolana, you have created a dining experience that will live on in infamy, a grand tragicomedy of epicurean proportions. I applaud the audacity, the sheer bravado of selling such meals at prices that would make a seasoned art dealer blush. Truly, it was an evening that will live long in the memory, much like a recurring nightmare one...

Great finding in the center of Palermo. Well deserved multiple-year recognition from Michelin. Rich wine list of the top Sicilian wines.

WINE: Our selection was Rosato, Bonavita, Sicily 2020 Very pleasant acidity, well structured notes of grapes and herbs that after you finish your glass open up the scents of pomegranate and cranberries. I found it perfect for our shrimps tartare and Baccalà.

FOOD: We tried: Buatta Degustation plate - a selection of typical Sicilian appetizers, including Permitan focaccia, sardines with oranges, caponata, fish balls with capers in tomato sauce, and many others.

Tartare of shrimps with fruits (peach and apple) - light and refreshing start for your meal.

Anelletti alla siciliana - Sicilian style pasta in fresh tomato sauce and beef ragù

Baccalà - cod fish cooked at a slow temperature with a delicious sauce of potatoes, herbs and spinach, covered with sweet roasted tomatoes.

SERVICE: During the dinner we were served by 3 people, despite the fact that the restaurant was full and had no free tables.

Marta introduced us to the menu and was making sure everything was going well and smoothly throughout the dinner.

Umberto advised us on the local dishes and “must-haves” in Palermo, described each menu option in details.

Filippo gave us an informative guidance on Sicilian wines, which helped us to select the right bottle to complement our dishes.

LITTLE PLEASANT DETAILS: Compliment from the chef at the beginning of the dinner - a slice of Palermitan focaccia with tomato sauce and a little glass of homemade Rosato wine. It was a pleasant gesture for us as tourists.

Friendly staff provided me with a charger to charge my phone while I’m enjoying the dinner - yes, it’s a detail, but I appreciate their attention and availability to make me feel comfortable.

I definitely recommend you this place to visit if...

Me and my partner had the chefs tasting menu. Food is decent but nothing amazing. Nice enough service but had 5 different servers none of whom seemed to really know the dishes and we had dishes brought out to us which we’d already had.

A few massive issues though, first was one the last dish a fish dish, informed by the server there were no bones in the dish, both of us had at least 5 bones. The hostess then proceeded to bring us our bill before dessert (dessert is something they state is included in the tasting menu), made us pay prior to any dessert coming and we left because we felt so rushed and pressured to leave. We went back in to enquire about dessert and the waiter claimed we were lying and had dessert (this is the same waiter that cleared our last plate so he knew we hadn’t had dessert), my partner had taken photos of each course and they only believed us when she showed them the photos. They then rudely sat us back down for our dessert which was extremely disappointing, it was a tiny cannoli which didn’t taste very fresh.

We’ve also realised looking on the bill they’ve charged us for the shot of Sicilian dry wine and focaccia which they give to everyone without any question and without any choice so apparently you have to pay for this regardless? This meal was €150, with a glass of wine each and a G&T, compared to anywhere else in Sicily it’s an extreme rip off and I really wouldn’t recommend anyone to go here as it’s a total...