One of the things you will fall in love with on Pantelleria is the food! Being an island, obviously on the tables the great protagonist is fish! It will then be interesting to discover the influences of other cultures, as in the dish of Pantelleria's cous cous, one of the most popular on the island.
Are you ready to experience this journey into the local food and wine culture? Here are the 10 things to eat in Pantelleria and where!
1 - Pantelleria Cous Cous
Cous Cous is a dish of Arab origin, but it is now part of the Sicilian culinary tradition to all intents and purposes, so much so that you will find it in different versions throughout the region! In Pantalleria it is known as Cous Cous Pantesco and, as you might imagine, it is made with fresh fish and fried vegetables. It is then moistened with a sauce made from cooking the fish, which may or may not be spicy.
It is still prepared using the traditional method, which requires several hours of work. You will find it in almost every restaurant on the island, a must-try!
Recommended for: lunch, dinner
Average cost: €20.00
Main ingredients: cous cous, fish, vegetables
2 - Pantelleria Salad
Photo by Rosario Cappadona. If you are overwhelmed by the heat of the island's summer days and don't want to weigh yourself down over lunch before heading back to the beach or before exploring the area, this salad might be just the dish for you. It is a fresh and light dish, simple but with strong flavours.
This cold salad consists of fish, boiled potatoes, raw onion, fresh tomatoes and Pantelleria capers. If you like capers, then you absolutely must try those from the island: they have an intense perfume and a marked, strong taste. It has even earned the PGI mark from Europe!
Recommended for: lunch, dinner
Average cost: €15.00
Main ingredients: fish, boiled potatoes, Pantelleria capers, raw onion, fresh tomatoes
3 - Pasta with ammogghio
Among the first courses, you must definitely eat this pasta at least once!Ammogghio is the dialect word for'Pantelleria pesto' and is a pesto made with fresh tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt and oil. In some cases, you may also find almonds added to the pesto.
Ammogghio is mainly used to season pasta, usually spaghetti, but you can also find it on bruschetta during an aperitif at sunset (on the west side of the island you can admire some breathtaking sunsets). It is also sold in the island's shops, so make yourself a present and take it home to relive the atmosphere of Pantelleria even after your holiday is over!
Recommended for: lunch, dinner
Average cost: €10.00
Main ingredients: pasta, pesto with fresh tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt and oil
4 - Ravioli Amari
Another first course you will come across on Pantelleria restaurant menus are these ravioli! Beware, the name can be misleading: in fact they are not bitter, this adjective is used to distinguish them from sweet ravioli. They are thin ravioli with a thin pasta with local rucotta (tumma) and fresh mint inside.
Prepared in a few minutes, they are served either with tomato sauce or with butter and sage, the choice is yours. But either way, a grating of salted ricotta cheese on top is perfect!
Recommended for: lunch, dinner
Average cost: €9.00
Main ingredients: ravioli, ricotta cheese (tumma), fresh mint
5 - Pantesco Kiss
This is the dessert par excellence of Pantalleria! Once you taste it, you will hardly be able to give it up. But then again, you are on holiday, there is no such thing as dieting these days, so eat to your heart's content!
These are fritters filled with ricotta cheese and chocolate chips. You will find them everywhere, both in restaurants as dessert and in bakeries and pastry shops. Perfect for breakfast, a snack or even to end a lunch or dinner.
Recommended for: always
Average cost: €2.00
Main ingredients: pancakes, ricotta, chocolate
6 - Moray and Onion
If you are ready to try anything, we recommend this particular dish. Moray eel is a fish that is not easily found in most Italian restaurants, but here in Pantelleria you can try this particular dish, with its sweet and sour flavour!
The moray eel slices are usually floured and then fried, accompanied by a cipollata, a mixture of onions, Pantelleria capers, white wine vinegar, chilli pepper and bay leaves.
Recommended for: lunch, dinner
Average cost: €18.00
Main ingredients: moray eel, onions, Pantelleria capers
7 - Catch of the Day
As we have already mentioned, fish is the great protagonist of the island's tables! Day and night, fishermen are hard at work catching the freshest fish and restaurants and trattorias buy it in the markets every morning before starting business and opening for their customers. Some restaurants even have their own boats and catch the fish themselves.
So understand that at least once, whether lunch or dinner, you must enjoy and savour a plate of the catch of the day! Whether grilled or fried, in an appetiser, a first course or a main course, you will absolutely not regret this choice and will come away completely satisfied!
Recommended for: lunch, dinner
Average cost: starters from €10.00, main courses from €20.00
Main ingredients: freshly caught fish
8 - Mustazzoli
Source: wikipedia. Theseare much-loved sweets. These were originally only made during Easter festivities, but nowadays, thanks to the high demand and the increasing popularity of the island as a tourist destination, they can be found in pastry shops all year round.
But what exactly are they? The Mustazzolo is a small, sweet, spicy pastry. It is a pastry filled with a special mixture of semolina, sesame, almonds, sugar, honey, cinnamon, mandarin peel, fennel seeds, cloves and vanilla. Something absolutely special and not to be missed!
Recommended for: lunch, dinner, breakfast, snack, anytime
Average cost: €1.00
Main ingredients: semolina, sesame, almonds, sugar, honey, cinnamon, mandarin peel, fennel seeds, cloves, vanilla
9 - Tumma
All Italian regions have their own tradition when it comes to cheese, and Pantelleria is certainly no different! If you are on the island, you absolutely must try this fresh cheese made from freshly milked raw cow's milk. Even today, it is still made according to tradition, the process being handed down from father to son.
You can eat it in different ways: either as it is or seasoned with salt, pepper and oil. You will also find it in first courses, in fact it is found in the filling of the aforementioned bitter ravioli!
Recommended: lunch, dinner, breakfast, snack, always
Average cost: €10.00
Main ingredients: milk
10 - Granita and Brioche
Photo by Sebastian Fischer. If you are anywhere in Sicily, including the small islands, you cannot miss at least one breakfast with the classic granita and brioche! It is a real institution and the best way to start the day! It may seem a strange combination to some, but trust me, you will love it.
Granita is nothing more than a cold dessert made of water, sugar and fruit or other ingredients. In Sicily, you absolutely must try the almond granita! Pistachio, coffee and lemon granita are also very good, but that's personal taste. At breakfast or snack time, or at any other time of the day, try it accompanied by a Sicilian brioche, made with leavened egg dough and flavoured with vanilla or citrus fruits.
Recommended at: lunch, dinner, breakfast, snack, anytime
Average cost: €4.00
Main ingredients: water and sugar; leavened egg dough and flavouring
Where to eat in Pantelleria: cheap restaurants, typical places and street food
Photo by Goldmund100. Despite the fact that the island of Pantelleria is relatively small and not very extensive, you can find restaurants and trattorias to suit all budgets and all tastes in the various localities! From places with terraces where you can enjoy lunch or dinner with a beautiful view of the sea to places perfect for an aperitif or an apericena at sunset, from bakeries where you can buy excellent baked goods for a quick lunch while you explore the island to trattorias and osterias where you can taste the true traditional dishes of Pantelleria. Here are the best places to eat in Pantelleria.
1 - La Risacca
Description: in the centre of the island, on the northern coast, with a beautiful terrace overlooking the harbour; serves traditional Sicilian and Pantellerian dishes.
Speciality: swordfish and Pantelleria salad
Average price: from €20.00 per person
Address: via Don Alonzo Errera, 18 - Get directions / tel: 0923 912975
2 - Osteria Il Principe e Il Pirata
Description: located on the eastern side of the island, near Cala Gadir, a romantic restaurant with wine cellar and terrace overlooking the sea; offers traditional Pantelleria fish dishes
Speciality: Crudités du jour and catch of the day
Average price: from €20.00 per person
Address: strada Punta Karace - Get directions / tel: 0923 691108
3 - Terremoto Bakery
Description: located in the locality of Khamma, in the eastern part of the island; this bakery produces excellent brioche and pastries, such as the famous baci panteschi, and savoury products such as pizzas and focaccias
Speciality: arancine, pizzas and cakes
Average price: from €5.00 per person
Address: via Khamma, 12 - Get directions / tel: 0923 915039
4 - Trattoria Scauri
Description: located in the Scauri district, in the western part of the island; offers traditional Pantelleria dishes and meat and fish menus
Speciality: spaghetti with sardines, cous cous
Average price: from €20.00 per person
Address: via Padre Piccirilli, 3 - Get directions / tel: 320 8931996
5 - U Friscu
Description: located in contrata Scauri, it is one of the best places to have an aperitif or apericena while admiring the sunset; it offers excellent cocktails, pastries and a menu for a quick meal
Specialities: Pantelleria salad, pane cunzato, cocktails
Average price: from €7.00 per person
Address: Contrada Scauri - Get directions / tel: 366 6617719
6 - Restaurant Pizzeria & Wine Bar U'Trattu
Description: Typical dishes cooked with fresh island produce. Land and sea dishes at competitive prices, wonderful location that allows you to dine admiring the sunset from the terrace or lunch in the shade of beautiful trees
Specialities: spaghetti with amberjack, pasta with Pantelleria pesto and Pantelleria salad
Average price: €20.00 per person
Address: Via Gabriele, 7 Contrada Rekale - Get directions / tel: 0923 697001
7 - Forno Murana
Description: ideal for snacks and breakfast, this small bakery is perfect for savouring traditional local food.
You will find the best sweets and bread on the island, pizzas, biscuttegga (typical bread with fennel and seeds) but also pistachio ravioli and other takeaway specialities.Specialities: biscuttegga, mustaccioli bread, almond pastries, ravioli
Average price: €5.00 per person
Address: Via S.Pellico 1 - Get directions / tel: 0923 911068
8 - Agriturismo Zinedi
Description: 800 metres from the sea and 5 km from the centre of Pantelleria, this agriturismo offers home cooking with fixed price menus. Dishes include crostini with caper pâté, aubergine caponata, fish first courses, red prawns and fried squid
Specialities: grouper cous cous (reservation required), aubergine caponata and fried squid
Average price: €20.00 per person
Address: strada Zinedi - Get directions / tel: 0923 914023
9 - Cicci's Bar
Description: Tunisian-inspired pub ideal for a snack, a quick lunch or an aperitif. Besides wines, drinks and beer, it offers vegetable patties, cinnamon sausage, Tunisian brik and organises couscous evenings
Speciality: cous cous and Tunisian brik
Average price: €8.00 per person
Address: Via Cagliari 7 - Get directions / tel: 0923 913696
10 - Strit Fud
Description: close to the harbour and with few seats, ideal for quick food or take-away. Excellent local dishes such as shrimps and courgette spaghetti, caponata, parmigiana, arancine but also sandwiches and fresh salads
Specialities: arancine, parmigiana, fish first courses
Average price: €20.00 per person
Address: Via Catania 8 - Get directions / tel: 389 7909834
