Restaurant in Bagheria, Italy
Michelin star in a palazzo. Book early.
I Pupi holds a Michelin star and operates out of the Villa Palagonia, an 18th-century palazzo in Bagheria. Chef Tony Lo Coco's kitchen delivers personalised Sicilian cooking across four tasting menus and an à la carte, backed by a wine list of around 1,300 labels. Book at least four to six weeks out — and consider Saturday lunch if your schedule allows.
I Pupi earns its Michelin star and its €€€€ price point. Since relocating in 2025 into the lower floors of the Villa Palagonia — a grand 18th-century palazzo in Bagheria that Goethe himself once documented — the restaurant has a physical setting that few fine-dining rooms in Sicily can match. If you are travelling through the Palermo area for serious Sicilian cooking with genuine creative ambition, book here. Saturday lunch is the sleeper option: the same kitchen, the same room, and a meal that typically runs shorter and can feel more focused than the full dinner service. Wherever you land on the menu, reserve well in advance , this is hard booking territory.
Walking into the Villa Palagonia is a different proposition from most restaurant arrivals. The palazzo's facades and interiors are part of the experience before you order a single dish , layered stonework, historic proportions, rooms that carry centuries of architectural intent. Chef Tony Lo Coco's kitchen operates across several distinct spaces inside: formal dining rooms at different scales, a mezzanine for smaller parties who want separation from the main room, and a chef's table for four guests with a direct sightline into the kitchen. That chef's table is the booking to chase if you want the most immersive version of what I Pupi offers, though availability is predictably tight.
The menu structure gives you real choice. Four tasting menus run alongside an extensive à la carte, which is less common at this level of Michelin-recognised cooking in Italy and makes I Pupi more accessible for diners who resist a fully fixed progression. The focus throughout is Sicilian produce and tradition, interpreted rather than reproduced , both meat and fish feature, and the sourcing leans on the island's larder with some personalisation from the kitchen. A wine cellar housing around 1,300 labels sits on the first floor. At the €€€€ tier you should expect serious wine depth, and this list delivers it, with range that suits both committed Italian drinkers and explorers looking further afield.
Saturday is the only day the kitchen opens for lunch, running from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM. That single weekly slot is meaningful: lunch at I Pupi is not an afterthought or a truncated service. At this price tier, Saturday lunch at a Michelin-starred restaurant in a building of this stature is one of the better value propositions in the Bagheria area, because the setting costs the same regardless of which meal you are eating. Dinner runs seven days a week (Sunday closed) from 7:30 PM to 11 PM and gives you the full arc of a long evening in rooms that are designed for it. For most visitors coming specifically for I Pupi, dinner is the format that makes sense , more time, more menu depth, the wine cellar working at its full potential. But if your schedule allows for a Saturday visit and you want a slightly less formal experience, Saturday lunch is worth considering and may be marginally easier to book than a prime Friday or Saturday dinner slot.
Booking difficulty is rated hard, and the 2025 move into Villa Palagonia has only increased the restaurant's profile. Expect to plan at minimum four to six weeks out for standard dinner sittings; the chef's table for four requires even more lead time. Saturday lunch, while less sought-after in absolute terms, still needs advance planning , do not assume it is a walk-up option. There is no phone or website listed in current public records, so reservations should be pursued through third-party booking platforms or direct contact once confirmed. If you are travelling from Palermo, Bagheria is accessible by train and worth the short journey specifically for this restaurant. See our full Bagheria restaurants guide for context on the wider dining options in town, and our Bagheria hotels guide if you are planning an overnight stay.
I Pupi is now operating alongside TuMa, the modern osteria that the same team runs in the old I Pupi premises. TuMa sits at a lower price point and is the right call if you want something less formal from the same culinary lineage. Līmū, Bagheria's other creative-leaning restaurant, offers a different angle on contemporary Sicilian cooking and is worth knowing about if you are in town for multiple nights. For Michelin-starred Sicilian cooking outside Bagheria, La Capinera in Taormina and Mec Restaurant in Palermo are the most comparable reference points on the island. For Bagheria's other food and drink options, see our guides to bars, wineries, and experiences in the area.
I Pupi holds a 4.5 from 467 Google reviews , a solid signal of consistent execution across a large sample at the €€€€ tier, where expectations are high and critical reviewers are more likely to leave feedback.
| Detail | I Pupi (Bagheria) | La Capinera (Taormina) | Mec Restaurant (Palermo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuisine | Sicilian (personalised) | Sicilian | Sicilian |
| Price range | €€€€ | €€€€ | €€€ |
| Michelin recognition | 1 Star (2024) | 1 Star | Not starred |
| Lunch availability | Saturday only (12:30–2:30 PM) | Check current hours | Check current hours |
| Dinner hours | Mon–Sat 7:30–11 PM | Check current hours | Check current hours |
| Closed | Sunday | Check venue | Check venue |
| Booking difficulty | Hard | Moderate–Hard | Moderate |
| Setting | 18C palazzo (Villa Palagonia) | Coastal terrace | Urban Palermo |
| Chef's table | Yes (4 seats) | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Wine cellar | ~1,300 labels | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
Yes, for most guests at this price point. I Pupi offers four tasting menus alongside an à la carte, which is more flexibility than many one-star restaurants give you. If you want a structured, progressive meal in a historic setting with serious wine pairing options from a 1,300-label cellar, a tasting menu is the right format here. If you find tasting menus constraining, the à la carte is a genuine alternative, not a fallback , which is worth knowing before you book.
For most visitors, dinner is the better experience , more time, fuller menu engagement, and the Villa Palagonia at night. But Saturday lunch (12:30–2:30 PM) is the underrated option: same kitchen, same setting, and a meal that suits travellers with limited evenings in Bagheria. If Saturday works in your itinerary, lunch here is one of the stronger midday fine-dining propositions in the Palermo area. Just do not assume it is easy to book , plan ahead regardless of which service you choose.
Few settings in Sicily make a stronger case for a milestone meal. A Michelin-starred kitchen, a 1,300-label wine list, an 18th-century palazzo with multiple room formats, and a private chef's table option for four , the ingredients for a significant occasion are here. At €€€€ the price reflects the setting and the cooking. For occasions where the room matters as much as the plate, I Pupi has a credible claim on being the right address in this part of Sicily.
There is no confirmed bar-seating option at I Pupi. The venue's listed formats are the main dining rooms, a mezzanine space for more intimate dining, and a chef's table for four guests. If counter or bar dining is a priority, the adjacent TuMa osteria , run by the same team in the former I Pupi premises , is likely a more casual entry point.
The venue has multiple dining rooms plus a mezzanine space designed for more intimate gatherings, which suggests some flexibility for small-to-medium groups. The chef's table seats four. For larger parties at €€€€ pricing in a historic palazzo, contact the restaurant directly and well in advance , this is not a venue where group logistics should be left to the last minute. At least six weeks' notice for groups of six or more is a reasonable baseline at this tier.
The menu spans both meat and fish with a strong Sicilian produce focus, and four tasting menus alongside an à la carte suggests the kitchen has range. However, with no website or phone number currently in public records, confirming specific dietary accommodations requires direct contact at the time of booking. Raise restrictions explicitly when you reserve , do not assume a one-star kitchen will adapt without prior notice.
TuMa is the immediate alternative , same culinary team, lower price point, more informal. For a different creative take on Sicilian cooking in town, Līmū is worth considering. If you are willing to travel for comparable Michelin-level Sicilian cooking, La Capinera in Taormina and Mec Restaurant in Palermo are the most relevant peers on the island. See our full Bagheria restaurants guide for a broader view of the local options.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| I Pupi | Sicilian | €€€€ | Hard |
| Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler | Italian, Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Dal Pescatore | Italian, Italian Contemporary | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Enoteca Pinchiorri | Italian - French, Italian Contemporary | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Enrico Bartolini | Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Le Calandre | Progressive Italian, Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
A quick look at how I Pupi measures up.
I Pupi does not operate as a bar-dining venue. The restaurant is structured around formal dining rooms, a chef's table for four guests, and a mezzanine for more intimate sittings inside the Villa Palagonia. If you want a lower-commitment entry point, TuMa — the modern osteria the same team runs in the old I Pupi premises — is the more flexible option.
Yes, and it is one of the stronger cases for a special occasion in Sicily. A Michelin-starred kitchen, multiple elegant dining rooms inside an 18th-century palazzo, and a wine cellar holding around 1,300 labels give the evening a clear sense of occasion. The chef's table for four, where guests observe the kitchen at close range, is the pick for a more memorable booking.
Small groups are well served: the chef's table seats four, and the mezzanine offers a more private setting. Larger groups should check the venue's official channels to confirm capacity across the dining rooms. The €€€€ price point means group dinners here are a significant spend, so confirm format and availability before committing.
The kitchen works across both meat and fish, and the four tasting menus alongside an extensive à la carte suggest flexibility. That said, specific dietary accommodations are not documented in available venue data, so check the venue's official channels before booking if restrictions are a factor.
At €€€€ with a Michelin star, the tasting menu format is where I Pupi delivers its strongest argument. Four menus are on offer, rooted in personalised Sicilian recipes using both meat and fish. If you want to eat à la carte at a similar price point, the offer exists — but the tasting menu makes better use of the setting and the kitchen's approach.
Lunch runs only on Saturdays, from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM — a single weekly slot that books up quickly and offers a meaningfully different pace from the evening service. Dinner runs Monday through Saturday from 7:30 PM. If your schedule allows the Saturday lunch, it is worth prioritising; otherwise, an evening booking is the standard route.
TuMa, the modern osteria run by the same team in the original I Pupi space, is the direct lower-cost alternative in Bagheria — a sensible choice if the €€€€ price point is a stretch. For Michelin-level Sicilian cooking further afield, Palermo offers options at various price tiers. Outside Sicily, Dal Pescatore in Lombardy and Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence operate at a comparable or higher tier for Italian fine dining comparison.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
