La Gondola — Restaurant in Palermo

We were a group of four visiting Palermo, and finding a good place to eat proved trickier than expected. Online reviews for many restaurants were mixed, but this one came recommended by our local host, so we decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, it ended up being the worst dining experience of our vacation.

To be fair, our initial contact was positive. The man who reached out beforehand was friendly, helpful, and suggested some local specialties. Based on his advice, we ordered pasta with sardines (two portions) and pasta with fennel and mullet (also two portions). Sadly, the execution fell short. The fennel pasta was overwhelmed by an excessive amount of fennel — it became the dominant, heavy element of the dish, making it unpleasant rather than balanced.

For our main courses, we followed his further recommendations: swordfish with almonds and calamari in a sweet-and-sour sauce. These were the biggest disappointments of the evening. We had asked if the swordfish was grilled, but what arrived seemed to be fried with an almond crust. The accompanying tomato and green salad was neither fresh nor well-presented — the appearance alone was unappetizing, and the fish itself tasted bland. The calamari dish was similarly uninspiring; the sauce was poorly balanced and didn’t complement the seafood at all. Honestly, these two plates should never have left the kitchen. The rest of the staff, unlike our initial contact, appeared uninterested and not particularly welcoming. The atmosphere felt cold, lacking the warmth and hospitality we usually associate with Sicily.

We left disappointed, especially after seeing more flattering reviews and photos online — our experience simply didn’t match them. While I don’t have photos to support every detail of this review, I genuinely wonder how this place has earned such high ratings. If it once met those standards, I hope they take steps to return to them, treating their guests as they would in their own homes.

To make matters worse, the bill came to €160 in total — a price we would have happily paid for great food and service, but here it only added to our frustration.

In short, despite a promising recommendation and friendly introduction, the poor execution, uninviting service, and underwhelming food made this a meal to forget. Palermo has many wonderful places to eat — sadly, this was not...

I've chosen this restaurant with my family for lunch time on a Tuesday of the beginning of December.

The location is a little bit tricky to find, the place was busy and too many tables for that small amount of space - while I was consuming my meals I had to stop and standing up to let people out from the tables behind mine...

My table was near the front door which was opened at all times allowing the cold temperatures and the smell of the smokers outside to get me and my family while eating. The illumination within the room was also poor.

I have a very fine taste and, at first, I've ordered rice but no rice was available so I've requested to get two times the seconds and I've received the only plate that I could actually enjoy as the starters were, as quantity, poorly managed. Also the presentation of this plate was good instead than all the others plates we've received (pic attached).

My wine glass was empty for most time and no one was able to filled it in. At some point I had to ask for a knife too.

A little thing also that I didn't appreciate it was a personal questions that the gentleman asked me which was what I do for living if, perhaps, I was a photographer as I was taking pics of the place. I've simply smiled sarcastically to him and not replying to the question.

I could even notice the waste, as the bin was located in the hallway between the kitchen and the actual hall. Bin that wasn't recycled but a simple bin full of everything.

On a "positive" note, the gentleman managing the tables offered me a bottle of sparkling wine as a gift for my birthday, he said - which would've been actually a gift if we would receive the whole menu instead we didn't.

Last but not least, the price of this experience: we've paid EUR 70 and we were 3 adults with the same choose of menu. Sadly, I've to say that there are better restaurants and service somewhere else with the same...

Very good price for value and nice ambiance with a décor of old movie posters and other knickknacks. Professional and attentive staff. We had a dinner tasting menu for €25 per person (wine & mineral water included). It consisted of an assortment of 9 fantastic seafood appetizers, each being a traditional Sicilian flavor that I haven’t tasted anywhere else. Then two pasta dishes with seafood that were a wee bit too salty for our taste. We were already feeling quite stuffed by this time, and had to take a break, which the staff understood and was really nice about it. When we signaled that we would like to resume eating they brought a grilled fish platter (calamari and royal shrimps), then dessert: freshly fried Sicilian pastry with ricotta that was an absolute delight! The staff was very attentive and explained the courses but it didn’t feel pretentious. All in all a very good experience, probably the best we had in Palermo especially considering the price! The food is a bit too much, so be sure you arrive hungry! Also it is a smaller place with only a few tables so better to reserve! We were lucky to get a table on a Tuesday night with...