Al Vecchio Club Rosanero Restaurant, Palermo


Al Vecchio Club Rosanero is a small restaurant with an incredible price/performance ratio. When I was researching the local gastronomic scene before my trip to Palermo, I was surprised by the relatively higher prices for classic pasta dishes in restaurants. Then I came across the Al Vecchio Club Rosanero restaurant, read a few reviews, and the decision was made.

The restaurant is located in a side street near the main gastronomic artery of Palermo – via Maqueda street. The menu offers about 10 dishes, with spaghetti as the basic pasta, and about 10 meat or fish dishes, a few appetizers, and a few desserts.

Plate with Sicilian appetizers
Plate with Sicilian appetizers

To start, we ordered a plate of local appetizers – mainly pickled vegetables prepared sour, grilled eggplant with cheese, olives, and local cheeses. The plate cost a friendly 6 EUR. Next came an absolutely incredible vegetarian caponata – a traditional Sicilian dish. I’ve never had better. The caponata cost 4 EUR.

Spaghetti bolognese
Spaghetti bolognese

Al Vecchio Club Rosanero restaurant allows you to order normal and half portions for meals. However, it would be more appropriate to say that the normal portion is huge and the half portion is normal. Excellent spaghetti bolognese with a bowl of parmesan cost 5 EUR, in this case, it was a normal portion.

Spaghetti nero di seppia
Spaghetti nero di seppia

Spaghetti nero di seppia, or spaghetti colored with fresh black ink from cuttlefish with pieces of cuttlefish. As I mentioned earlier, using spaghetti as the main pasta allows the restaurant to serve dishes very quickly and economically. The pasta was again great, the half portion cost 5 Euros.

Al Vecchio Club Rosanero restaurant interior
Al Vecchio Club Rosanero restaurant interior

The restaurant is dedicated to the Palermo football club Rosanero, which is also reflected in the decoration. However, do not expect a noisy fan restaurant of a lower level. Everything is clean, the service is polite, and there is a pleasant calm in the restaurant without music.

The staff hardly speaks English. It was almost cute how we tried to communicate in English at the beginning, and the waiter persistently and with a smile replied in Italian. For some, this may be off-putting, but for me, it is actually a positive sign that the restaurant is visited more by locals and the staff does not have to try to speak a foreign language. The waiter tried to understand anyway. A reservation is necessary, we made it in the morning for dinner on the same day.

For a plate of appetizers, vegetarian caponata, bread, normal portion of Bolognese spaghetti, half portion of spaghetti colored with black ink, half portion of spaghetti with sardines and fennel, and two waters, we paid an incredible 29 EUR, including coperta (service charge of 1.5 EUR per person). It must be said that we couldn’t finish the pasta, but it was no problem to take it with us.

If I had to choose just one restaurant in Palermo where I could go for a meal, I would definitely return to the Al Vecchio Club Rosanero restaurant.

Bon appétit!

More information can be obtained by clicking on the map link: