Il Bavaglino

The 1-star Michelin restaurants in Palermo are all in the seaside villages/towns around the city. Before going to Palermo this time, we went to the small town of Terrasini. The restaurant was actually recommended by the Airbnb host because we mentioned that we had made a reservation for another one and the host said we could try this one. Compared with the other 3 1-star Michelin restaurants during the island tour, the two of us were a little disappointed with this one. I guess in the long food review push later, my friends may see some complaints, and they will not be put in the tag of friends' food recommendations.

We had high hopes after hearing a lot about this restaurant. Starting with the service, the staff felt judgmental of us and made us feel uncomfortable. I don’t think we fit the model of northern Italian pomp that they were looking for, we’re more Berlin or Paris, but whatever, just be nice. As far as the food went, we had about 10 total food items across the apertivo, appetizer, first course and main. Out of these 3 were stellar. The pasta with Rabbit Ragu, fish cous cous, and the apertivo were all great. The other 7 items however were just average to middling. Compared to other Starred restaurants we have tried all over the world, where each dish leaves you amazed, this place falls short.

A truly starred restaurant to try, all the tasting courses were a pleasant surprise of tastes, flavors, smells and an explosion of colors: from fish to meat, from appetizers to first courses to dessert, all accompanied by excellent local wines for a Sicilian culinary proposal but revisited with elegance and mastery. Excellent and impeccable service in the dining room, relaxing and intimate atmosphere, fabulous view of the Terrasini sea. Congratulations!

Do not book from this portal because the restaurant does not receive reservations. I arrived at the restaurant on the 14th for dinner with my partner and they replied that they had not received the reservation and that they are not registered on the fork. The chef immediately made himself available to prepare another table since other guests were about to finish. After us, another couple arrived with the same problem and we only solved it by having a Valentine's dinner for 4 with two strangers, a rather special event. The chef tried to accommodate us by offering us a glass of wine each and some table centerpieces as a souvenir.

Great experience! The service was impeccable, the girls were super polite and helpful. The dishes were nothing short of exceptional, all accompanied by the incessant sound of the rain that made the dinner very romantic, highly recommended.