Ristorante Palazzo Branciforte — Restaurant in Palermo

The service was definitely 5/5 and it kills me to not rate it as such, but honestly the food and atmosphere left a bit to be desired, especially considering the overall price point.

First to say, the service was wonderful. Everyone was incredibly kind, attentive, and patient with us despite my Italian being absolutely horrible. The timing and presentation of the dishes were fantastic, and we never felt any kind of pressure to rush. The staff was truly the best part of the evening for us, personally.

Unfortunately, the food and atmosphere was why I had to give this a 4. We both got starters and felt underwhelmed by them, and my partner’s pasta main was equally ‘fine’ (I think, ‘it’s just filled with potatoes’ were his exact words- which, we knew it would be, but it didn’t make it any less underwhelming). The lamb, on the other hand, was quite spectacular, but not so much that I would recommend the entire dining experience solely based off of it. The three chocolate mousse dessert was also fairly good, but pretty on-par with the chocolate mousse I got recently at a grocery store in France so. do with that as you will.

The atmosphere was a bit odd- it was so close to being the white-tablecloth setting it was trying to be, but the plastic chairs and jumbled music genres interspersed with Pandora radio ads were a bit confusing. They seem to have worked out their music situation eventually, but it was still very odd for such an upscale establishment.

I really do hate to say it, but I think I would skip this restaurant. Perhaps if the tasting menu at the time of your visit suits your preferences then it would be more worth the trip, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend...

Inventive and clever food and Sicilian wines that leave you wanting more. Great for a romantic or family meal.

We had one negative point (I will this preface by saying that we do not know much about Sicilian culture). There was a family on the table next to us who had a swift meal then put the football on loudspeaker on their mobile phone and were cheering (as you do) alongside the game. The staff were too timid to at least ask them to put it on mute. Other guests were clearly disappointed and left swiftly after this started. We stayed and moved table. Our waiter, a gentleman, apologised and offered us a glass of beautiful dessert wine. It did not spoil our experience in the end but the family did get everyone's backs up and probably cost the restaurant money. As a guest at the restaurant, the host should have spoken up.

Besides this, the food and personal service still outshone the above and objectively makes this restaurant worth 5*...

Food was really good, pasta with seafood had that strong fresh taste, like just out of the water, and the risotto was creamy, maybe too creamy but in a nice way, ingredients felt top quality. The waiter talked a lot, explained dishes, even the wine, I almost forgot what I ordered, but in the end it matched perfect with the food. Inside it feels elegant, old walls, kind of like eating in a museum, sometimes too quiet, but also special. Prices not low, maybe high, but somehow it feels ok, because the whole thing is not just eating, more like part of the city history.

Service was professional but also warm, maybe too formal for me at times, but still good, they smile and explain with patience. The atmosphere, I keep thinking about it, rooms big but cozy, a bit strange mix. I liked it and I would go back, maybe next time I try dessert, I regret...