Taverna Dei Canti — Restaurant in Palermo

Such a disappointing evening to celebrate our first night in Palermo.

Everything started well and service was very attentive to begin with - until we had ordered. After this, service essentially ceased. We waited over an hour before seeing any food, watching people around us who had arrived after us receive their meals. We had ordered fairly basic food too, it was not as if there was anything complex that you could justify taking more time.

Dining with our three-year-old son, we were conscious of time (we made this clear at the start when we requested all food come out at once for this very reason) but unfortunately, it took us three requests to actually get someone to give us an update - and were told five minutes. After about ten or so minutes, our food finally came out. To our surprise, the pasta and the zucchini flowers were barely even warm - it was as if they had been sitting around! The one upside of food coming out late is that it is usually fresh - not in this case.

We ended up leaving as we had to get my son to bed. We requested doggy bags for the food (as we'd barely touched it), which they agreed to do, seeming obviously annoyed by the request. They proceeded to pack half of the food and leave the rest.

To summarise disappointment:

Food took over an hour to arrive to us Strangely, we weren't even offered additional drinks after we finished our wine (roughly a 40 minute gap between finishing and receiving food) 3 x requests to get ETA on food arrival generally poor service, where everything felt a nuisance

The only thing they got right all night was the bill. They didn't get a thing wrong on that :)

We understand mistakes happen - it isn't the first time we've had food take longer and it won't be the last. The poor quality and temperature of the food when finally received certainly left a bad taste in our mouth, however, it was the service that really left us quite upset. This is the first negative google review I have ever written and it would have been avoided had someone had the decency to at least apologise or appear like they cared.

I would highly recommend finding something more authentic if you are in Palermo. This one is in a great location, but leaves a lot to be desired...

A generous 2 stars.

I'll begin with the food as it was the best part, albeit not as good as hoped.

We ordered 2 x ragu with buffalo burrata and caprese salad to start. They provided bread with balsamic vinegar and olive oil beforehand which was a nice touch.

Decent sized portion of pasta although very small portion of burrata (extra €5 each) considering it represented 30% of the cost.

Overall tasted ok as it was certainly fresh pasta, with a decent sauce.

The place was very busy and we opted to sit inside due to it being awfully cramped and no seats outside. This was a bad idea.

I'd like to think we were forgotten about because we waited 25 mins to order. After 15 mins I got a chance to ask for the wine menu which led to a subsequent delay. I'm fairly sure when I said we're ready to order bluntly they advised the waiter was having a cigarette.

They dropped the bread out shortly after ordering with all the condiments. We had no cutlery or napkins at this time. They dropped the caprese salad out then and I advised we had no cutlery. Waiting staff then went to drop our food to the wrong table only for me to spot it. On the way out they couldn't remember the table so tried to give me thr wrong bill.

Atmosphere was stinking as it was incredibly cramped and the service put a dampener on the experience, some of which was my fault.

All in all we had 5 different waiters who hadn't a clue or weren't interested. I've worked in hospitality extensively and (believe it or not) I never complain as I understand how things can be when busy.

Waiter 1 - sat us down. Waiter 2 dropped menus. Waiter 3 dropped wine menu. Waiter 4 took order (after his fag). Waiter 1 dropped bread. Waiter 4 collected bread and dropped salad. Waiter 1 dropped cutlery. Waiter 5 tried to drop pasta to wrong table. Waiter 2 collected plates. Waiter 4 forgot table when paying. Waiter 4 definitely unhappy I didn't tip 🤣🤣

I'd go elsewhere as first bad experience of service...

Booked a reservation. we were quickly seated next to the busiest spot of the restaurant - right next to the bar/cash register. We were quickly thrown the menu and some cold stale bread. We order the Sicilian pizza and it was truly an unappetizing dinner. It was essentially bread with cheap melted cheese and grocery store ham slapped on top. I was excited to eat a Sicilian dinner but it felt more like a quick fast food chain not worthy of 18 euro. The worst part was when we went to pay, we were charged a 6 euro fee just for sitting down. Why would an establishment who caters towards customers dining out charge the customer an expensive fee to dine at their restaurant?? That made the whole experience our first night simply unappealing and I encourage everyone who reads this to please reconsider your choice in eating here. Please avoid at all costs.

Dear Owner,

First, the “most chaotic spot” I referred to was not the entire historic center of Palermo, but specifically the table we were seated at — directly beside your bar and cash register. This meant people frequently brushed past and bumped into us as they came to pay, making it an uncomfortable dining experience. Second, whether you call it “Sicilian day-old bread” or not, the bread we received was cold, hard, and stale to the touch. It was also delivered in a paper bag with no warmth or freshness. Cultural tradition aside, food should be served in a way that feels appetizing to guests. Third, my review was not written out of malice or a pre-decided dislike. It was written to give honest feedback to help future diners make informed choices. Rather than dismissing my impressions as a misunderstanding of Italian dining customs, it might be more productive to reflect on whether aspects of your menu or service could be improved. Reviews are meant to share experiences — positive or negative — and...