Where to eat in Agrigento: Sicilian cuisine between temples and sea
Discover where to eat in Agrigento: fish couscous, arancine, cannoli, trattorias in the old town and restaurants overlooking the Valley of the Temples.
A cuisine at the crossroads of the Mediterranean
Agrigento rises on land that has seen Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Normans pass through, and its cuisine bears the marks of every one of those cultures. Here couscous sits alongside pasta alla Norma, Eastern spices blend with Sicilian citrus, and fish from the Strait of Sicily arrives at the table as fresh as can be. The province is also home to Raffadali pistachio and the almonds that make local sweets unique.
Local specialities you must try
Fish couscous is the flagship dish of western Sicily: steamed semolina served with a rich broth of grouper, scorpionfish, prawns and clams, perfumed with saffron and parsley. Agrigento arancine are large, golden and stuffed with ragu, peas and mozzarella or with butter and ham.
Pasta con le sarde, dressed with wild fennel, pine nuts, raisins and toasted breadcrumbs, is a masterpiece of contrasting flavours. Do not miss caponata, fried aubergines in a sweet-and-sour sauce with capers and olives, and maccarruni di casa, fresh pasta with pork ragu.
Desserts
A Sicilian cannolo with the freshest ricotta is compulsory. Cassata, almond biscuits and frutta di Martorana (coloured marzipan) complete an extraordinary dessert landscape. In summer, almond granita with brioche is the perfect breakfast.
Where to eat: best restaurants and trattorias
Trattoria dei Templi
A few steps from the Valley of the Temples, it serves genuine Agrigento cooking with zero-kilometre ingredients. The couscous is hand-rolled and the caponata is memorable. Fair prices and a no-frills atmosphere.
Kalos
In the old town, one of the city's most acclaimed restaurants. A menu that spans fish and meat with Sicilian creativity, an excellent island wine list. An evocative terrace on summer evenings.
Osteria Expanificio
Housed in a former bakery, it offers traditional dishes revisited with care. Portions are generous, the setting is welcoming and the value for money is excellent.
La Posata di Federico II
Typical Agrigento cuisine in a historic palazzo. Homemade fresh pastas are the highlight, along with the Sicilian antipasto platter that is a meal in itself.
Ristorante Re di Girgenti
Fresh catch of the day prepared with simplicity and respect for the ingredient. The fried calamari and prawns are crisp and light, the crudo is flawless.
Street food and quick bites
Agrigento's old town is dotted with fryers and rotisseries. Arancine are everywhere and cost just a few euros. Panelle (chickpea-flour fritters), sfincione (soft pizza with onion, anchovies and caciocavallo) and stigghiole (grilled offal) are Sicilian street food in its most genuine form.
Wines
The province of Agrigento produces excellent and still under-the-radar wines. Nero d'Avola is Sicily's emblematic red: full-bodied, fruity, perfect with meats and ragu. Grillo and Inzolia are fresh whites ideal with fish. Do not miss Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Sicily's only DOCG, and Marsala for after dinner.
Budget tips
- Trattorias in the upper old town cost less than those on the road to the Temples.
- Lunch on an arancina, panella and a drink at a rosticceria: under 8 euros.
- Tap water is drinkable: save on bottles at the restaurant.
- Granita with brioche for breakfast costs 3-4 euros and counts as a full meal.
- Restaurants in San Leone, the seaside district, offer fresh fish at lower prices than the tourist centre.
