Ristorante Gagini — Restaurant in Palermo

Let me start this review by saying we have previously dined at Michelin star restaurants, but also frequently dine out, so we have fairly realistic expectations. We are generally easy to please and are fairly easy going. We booked Gagini for a special dinner during a holiday and we were excited to have a great experience. Unfortunately we were left disappointed. The service overall was not what one would expect from a Michelin star establishment. The staff did not take the time to explain any of the dishes other than a few simple words. One of the dishes was guinea fowl prepared two ways, one of them was stuffed with something. The explanation we received was "guinea fowl". The end. I understand that a language barrier may have factored in, but we dined at a Michelin star place in Portugal under the same conditions and every course was explained to us in detail. The staff were also not very friendly or welcoming. The first course was a bread service, with crusty bread served with olive oil. The bread was not fully cut so we had to tear off pieces (no problem) but this resulted in a lot of crumbs and drops of oil all over the table. Our table was never crumbed until right before dessert, and I would expect this to be done between every course. We dined with my 12 year old, and the only non-alcoholic option they could give as a drink was a non-alc gin and tonic. My daughter did not like it (no surprise) and didn't drink it, and no one once asked about that or checked back in. I had no expectations of child-friendly options here, but there are also adults who don't drink alcohol and to have literally one drink option for them seems a bit odd. No juice? No soda of any kind? We did the tasting menu and the food was ok, but nothing that was really exceptional. The final course was a single carrot. Now, the carrot was good, but I would expect that to perhaps be a mid course, not the final course. The palate cleanser at the end was a sorbet, and then dessert was another scoop of ice cream, way too similar to the palate cleanser in both flavour and texture. it was served with green broad beans and frankly the taste together wasn't good. The restaurant was nearly empty, but we were not given a choice of dining on the terrace or inside. Many tables were left unset, which only served to highlight the lack of customers, and negatively impacted the ambience. The cutlery was old and unpolished. The staff were often standing around, or on a laptop on one of the tables. We consistently had to pour our own water and wine. For the amount we paid for this dinner, the service and food didn't really live up to expectations. We had much better dinners during our trip at other restaurants for a fraction of the price. The combination of inattentive and non-engaging service, along with food that was only ok, left us feeling like we had spent a lot to get not very much in return. I would skip this place and try...

Starting off this review by stating we are from a food centric city (New Orleans), eat out very regularly, and have been to several Michelin restaurants. We chose the 8 course tasting menu. We were seated and were offered what was very much presented as a “complimentary” pour of a Spumante by the sommelier. The sommelier eventually came back around and we chose a wine that was fermented in an amphora at the price of 120 Euros; I told him I was a fan of amphora wines and was super excited about the bottle purely for the usage of the amphora and small production. First the glasses were brought out and were smudged which I thought was not becoming of a supposed 1-star restaurant. The sommelier presented the wine and poured the first bit in the glass and stood waiting for me to assess the wine. The wine had an overwhelming nose and flavor of acetic acid and ethyl acetate to the point of being completely undrinkable. I immediately told him the bottle was not good, and we did not wish to continue with it. He wanted to argue how the profile was absolutely fine for this wine and it was drinkable. Without getting into my personal background, I have an extremely diverse background in fermentation science and sensory analysis of fermented beverages. I explained to him in very specific terminology that the amount presented was not acceptable and it was a flaw as it made the wine completely undrinkable. He stood there, still looking at me holding the bottle expecting to take it. This was nothing more than a Mexican standoff at this point and his pretentiousness of just standing there and looking at me was making me extremely uncomfortable. So I told him I would wait to see if the acetic and ethyl acetate would off-gas from the original tasting pour (which it did not after sitting out for several minutes) . Several minutes later I asked the waiter to just take the bottle and glasses away at which point he hurried back over and I told him the aroma and flavor were still as bad as when presented and we were not going to drink it.

Moving into the 8 course menu, we found 4 out of the 8 corses to be of any noteable quality with the other 4 courses being either bland, over thought out creating clashes in flavor, or just straight unremarkable.

At the end of the day, the meal cost 350 euro’s…. The bottle in question was not taken off and the “complimentary” Spumante was not and we were charged 12 Euro’s a glass for it. I can honestly say that in 10 days in Tuscany, Florence, and Sicily on our trip it was easily the worst meal we had. There is an infinite amount of places in Palermo that will easily give you 10 times the quality for 1/10th the...

A dreadful experience, albeit within aesthetically pleasing walls. Opting for the tasting menu, we were met with visually enticing portions that, disappointingly, lacked any discernible flavour. Even when flavour did make an appearance, it leaned towards repulsive rather than enjoyable. The overuse of inner organs demanded a captivating taste, yet the execution fell flat. Exotic and luxurious ingredients were squandered on a palate that failed to deliver.

The experimental approach, rather than impressing, turned out to be a misadventure. Unanimously, everyone at the table shared the sentiment. To make matters worse, by the end of the night, we all felt queasy. Even the dessert, which should be a delightful finale, presented itself as a tasteless disappointment, resembling nothing more than bland paper.

While the walls exuded beauty, there seemed to be a disconnection in the creative direction of the place. The fusion of modern art and edgy walls clashed with uninspiring music, creating an atmosphere akin to visiting a senior home. The hard lighting only added to the overall discomfort.

In summary, €700 down the drain, and a vow to never return. If this establishment ever held a star, it seems to have sailed away. Having dined in numerous exquisite restaurants and possessing an understanding of both food and design, it's apparent that this concept lacks a cohesive vision. The experience feels disjointed and lost, putting on a grand show without delivering a memorable and enjoyable...