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ristorazione — Palermo · Sicilia
In the heart of Palermo, on Corso Finocchiaro Aprile, there is an address that four generations of the Buffa family have turned into a civic ritual. Antonino, known as Nino u' Ballerino (Nino the Dancer), carries forward an ancient art: the Palermo focacceria tradition that the national competition CiboDiStrada.it crowned Italy's best street food.
Beyond the threshold of this place, open for more than thirty years, you step into a family story spanning four generations. The Buffas have made this focacceria a fixture of the neighbourhood and of the whole city: a place where Palermo recognises itself, keeps coming back, and brings its guests when it wants to show who it really is — and what it can put in bread.
At the counter, the preparation of pani câ meusa is a spectacle in its own right: Antonino moves his hands in a precise rhythm before the pan of meusa (spleen), a gesture so distinctive it earned him the nickname Ballerino, the Dancer. The sandwich is ordered schietto — plain, with a spritz of lemon — or maritato, "married" with caciocavallo cheese or fresh ricotta: two ways of being Palermitan.
At the stove, tradition widens its reach: panelle, chickpea-flour fritters, and crocchè, potato croquettes, come out of the fryer following recipes unchanged for generations. Arancine — in classic and gourmet versions — and anelletti al forno, baked pasta rings, round out a broad repertoire, built on locally sourced ingredients and an idea of cooking that takes no shortcuts.
On the page you'll find the full menu, opening hours and home delivery service across all of Palermo: pani câ meusa, at last, comes to your door too.
