When a manager asks you after the dinner: "Was all good?" and you have not found anything officially bad with the restaurant but it was also absolutely mediocre, you still will say "Yes, all good" and won't go into a tirade of how you have basically eaten yourself through the whole of Italy and found this experience only so-so. Who would actually start such a confrontation?
Let's start with the positive. The street atmosphere is very nice. The melanzane appetizer was also solid but nothing to write home about. The spaghetti was absolutely bland. Even if you like simplicity, it was bland. And the spaghetti on the verge of being undercooked, and I usually like everything to be al dente.
This restaurant tries to sell themselves on "Sicilian gastronomy reimagined" but, as with many restaurants in other Italian regions, it is just a smokescreen to ask for higher prices for food that looks aesthetically pleasing at first. Even the Negroni Sbagliato tasted meh. And the waiters were professional but just going through the motions in an uninterested way.
I had great hopes for this place but I will give it 3/5 stars. Obviously, you will get your stomach full and the base ingredients are good but also...
Read moreWe recently dined at Caponata in Palermo with a group of seven, and it was a mixed experience overall.
The location is incredibly convenient, especially if you're staying in the city center. It's close to some of Palermo's best attractions, making it an ideal spot for a meal after sightseeing.
The service was decent but not exceptional. The staff were friendly and handled our large group adequately, but there was room for improvement in attentiveness and efficiency.
As for the food, it was hit or miss. We ordered a variety of dishes to share. The pesto Trapanese pasta stood out as a highlight—fresh, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. However, the pizza was disappointing and didn't quite meet our expectations. The suggested fried calamari was not great either and would not repeat.
While some dishes were excellent and others were just okay, the overall experience was still enjoyable due to the convenient location. If you're in the area, Caponata is worth a visit, but manage your...
Read moreThe experience was 10. Unfortunately and fortunately, we came from another restaurant nearby for dinner and had to wait a long time (25 minutes) just to order our drinks. It was also not full and they served customers who arrived later before us that we already were seated. So we decided to leave the restaurant and go to another restaurant to dinner called La Caponata and it was the best decision. The welcome service and waiters were excellent. We were escorted to a table for my partner and I, then we ordered our drinks and they were soon brought to us with complimentary starters which were delicious (pate cones with pistachio and mayonnaise and some spectacular olives). The service throughout the meal was excellent and coming from so far away on our first day of our trip, saved what could have been a bad start to our Sicilian experience. Many thanks therefore to the team at Caponata Restaurant for the service and the great food they served us. 500% recommended if you...
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