The 4 best bakeries of Palermo picked by Gambero Rosso

“Scairsu r'uogghiu e chin'i pruvulazzu”: that is, seasoned with little oil and full dust. This is how one should eat one of Palermo's most typical street foods. The sfincione, or spinciuni in the more accentuated versions of the local dialect, is a tall, soft focaccia, enriched on the surface with a sauce made from tomatoes, boiled onion, anchovies, oregano, and chunks of caciocavallo cheese. On top, there is often also breadcrumbs previously flavoured with extra virgin olive oil and tomato sauce. A delicacy that you can find in the best bakeries listed in our latest guide Pane e Panettieri d'Italia.

The best Palermo bakeries

Panificio D’Angelo

Active since 1968, the bakery is now run by Maria Rita D'Angelo and Mario Arculeo. Here, production is reverted to artisan methods, selecting the best flours, mainly Sicilian. Buttered croissants, apple pastries, Neapolitan sfogline, genovese, doughnuts and brioches are offered from early in the morning. The bread production, although limited in range, offers excellent ciabatta with sourdough, rimacino bread, whole grain focaccia with seeds, Tumminia loaves and semprefreschi. From the patisserie, reinforced in the pre-holidays, almond biscuits and petit fours, excelsior, shortbread, citron and orange preserves and cassatelle alla Malvasia delle Lipari. Triumphant is the production of panettone and colomba for the big festivities. In this period you will also find martorana fruit.

piazza Tommaso Natale, 40 – 091 532268 – dangelopanificio.it

Forneria Gargano

There are two entrances, from parallel streets (viale Regione Siciliana and via Acquileia), which creates a long, narrow conformation, giving the counter a linear development that is a beautiful sight. The workhorses of Salvatore Gargano, a passionate and studious baker, include the impressive Altamura-type bread (not PDO) and the large semolina loaves. In addition to these, whole-grain sandwiches, Apulian ciabatte, mafalde, Tuscan, rye, turmeric, acerola fruit and corn bread. The bread with olive seasoning is tasty, as are the breadsticks with herbs. The entire gastronomy deserves praise, with sfincione and pan pizzas in various flavours. Then baked pasta, anelletti, potato gâteau, pizzette, panelle, crocchette and arancine. There is an extensive production of cakes and biscuits, quaresimali, reginelle, almond biscuits, buccellati and orange biscuits. In summer, excellent homemade ice cream is available, made with milk and fresh cream. At Christmas, classic panettone, pistachio or chocolate panettone.

viale Regione Siciliana Nord-Ovest, 4309 – 091 517423

Panificio Graziano

Unfailingly popular, loved, lived in, even for a lunch break or a standing pizza mini-meal, Panificio Graziano is one of the most specialised businesses in the residential area. Mafalde, rosette, wholemeal, remilled, it's all there. Yet, here you don't just buy bread, especially in the evenings it is a constant churn of pizzas by the slice of every taste and type, including maxi rounds for families. The workhorse is the sfincione palermitano, well dosed in the proportions of tomato, onion and cacio cheese, but also olives, tomato and onions. There is also a good gastronomic section with the best traditional dishes, from arancine (fried rice balls), to anelletti al forno (baked anelletti), potato gâteau and pizzette. The reginelle and almond biscuits are good. Don't miss the treccine, with or without sultanas.

via del Granatiere, 11/13 – 091 6254800

Panificio Guccione

It is a pleasure to enter Valentina and Ottavio Guccione's bakery. The patron is immediately captivated by the aroma of warm bread and the beauty of the shelves where selections of artisanal pasta, preserves, sauces, extra virgin olive oils and other delicacies peep out. It opens early with the first soft wheat rolls, the wholemeal ones, tarts, croissants, 'brutti ma buoni' with almonds and orange, brioche, plain or in the wholemeal or lard-free variety. The half- and one-kilo loaves of durum wheat, from Russello and Perciasacchi, are valuable. The black bread from Tumminia remains one of the top products. The loaves of black bread, in the typical Castelvetrano style, are among the workhorses and among the most popular. Then there are ciabatta breads, cereal or Senatore Cappelli bread, wholemeal carob bread, spighe, cassette bread, and Tumminia breadsticks. The remilled semolina bread varies in size from 250 grams to a kilo. The production of pizza and sfincione is also interesting. The production of fresh pasta, such as Trapani's busiate, is also worthwhile.

via F. G. Pipitone, 63 – 091 346030