The best places in Pantelleria for aperitivo

Pantelleria is a Sicilian island, known as the ‘black pearl’ because of the blackness of its rocks, due to its volcanic origin. It’s a fabulous island and makes for a fantastic holiday. If you’re reading this post you’ve probably already booked your holiday so be sure to check out my blog post on the best things to see and do in Pantelleria. So, now that you’ve booked your holiday it’s time to find out where the best places in Pantelleria are for aperitivo!

Check out my YouTube Short which features the best places to have aperitivo in Pantelleria and read below for more detail and photos.

Kayà Kayà

Kayà Kayà is a very cool bar located at Porticciolo di Sicauri, a small port. If you’re looking for a ‘beach bar’ vibe (minus an actual beach), this is the place. It’s quite small but that’s ok as you can get a drink at the bar and then sit on the stairs or wooden beams leading down to the sea.

If you’re opting for wine – or even an Aperol Spritz – Kayà Kayà serves wine that is made from the zibibbo grape, which is quite sweet. Can’t say I loved the wine but I loved the setting, which is why we went three times! You can order crisps to have with your drink or something some substantial like a platter.

Kayà Kayà has a really nice vibe with a DJ playing tunes, families having a sunset swim in the sea and people just enjoying a drink whilst the sun sets.

And if you’re looking for somewhere to party after dinner, head to Kayà Kayà. On certain nights they are open really late. One night when we went for aperitivo they told us they closed the night before at 4:30 am!

Dispensa Pantesca

Dispensa Pantesca is located in Scauri and is a restored dammuso. It opened in 2019 as an extension of the La Nicchia restaurant. As well as aperitivo, they also serve food and they have a little shop selling local products. If you want to sit upstairs on the ducchene (traditional seating) then either arrive early or book a table.

If you don’t mind where you sit then there is a lower seating area where you’ll get a table, no problem. The wine list at Dispensa Pantesca is wonderful and a glass of local sparkling wine will cost you about €7 and comes with olives and some bread and local olive oil.

It’s a lovely setting with a great view and a relaxed vibe.

Sesiventi

Sesiventi is THE place to go for aperitivo in Pantelleria. If you’re looking for all the vibes, you’ll find it here. It’s the ‘place to be seen’ and people get dressed up for the occasion.

You’ve got two options for aperitivo at Sesiventi – book a seat at the domes on the rooftop or have a drink below.

If you choose the rooftop, it’s €40 per person and you definitely need to book in advance. This includes a welcome drink when you arrive – we chose sparkling wine – then afterwards you can choose a premium drink (we had champagne) and one plate of food.

There were four options to choose from in terms of food. My husband and I both chose the aubergine polpette, which were absolutely delicious. Beware… the portions are huge! The photo above just shows one portion… the other dishes were beef tartare, fritto misto with seafood and a plate of tapas. Honestly, you can skip a starter at dinner after you’ve had your aperitivo!

I’m not sure how they assign seats on the rooftop but note that you need to leave your shoes downstairs and if you’re seated at the front, like we were, you’re not allowed to stand as you’re fairly close to the edge. At first I was like ‘we have to sit by the front!’ so you get the best view but actually I think you get an amazing view wherever you’re seated as you can stand and dance to the tunes by the DJ.

If you don’t want to pay €40, you can opt to have a drink downstairs at the bar where you’ll just get crisps and olives with your drink. Still got a cool vibe!

Sikelia

Luxury hotel Sikelia, in Scauri, offers aperitivo on the domes of a dammuso, next to their restaurant. We were staying at Sikelia and decided to book aperitivo one night. You don’t need to be staying at the hotel though to enjoy aperitivo – it’s open to anyone. It costs €30 per person and includes a drink of your choice with a selection of tasty treats from the chef.

The food that we got with our drink was, hands down, the best we’d had! Honestly, everything was so delicious and it was really substantial.

Depending on what night or month you go, you may be the only ones enjoying aperitivo at Sikelia – which may be your thing or may not. We were the only ones until right near the end when two other couples arrived. There is music playing from the restaurant and you get a great view of the sunset. We loved it.

Coste Ghirlanda

If you’re looking for aperitivo in an unusual but magical setting, book Coste Ghirlanda, which is owned by Sikelia. Note that as they are a small vineyard, they only serve their own wines and you only have a choice between white and red. Your wine comes with a selection of nibbles from the chef, such as taralli, cheese, olives and more.

I mean… just look at this view! It is insanely beautiful and how often can you say you’ve had drinks in a vineyard? And I highly recommend booking dinner at the restaurant. It’s wonderful!

Coste Ghirlanda is on the pricey side at €30 per person but its setting – in my opinion – justifies the price.

Le Cale

Le Cale is located in-between Cala di Levante and Cala Tramontana in Kamma. It’s actually a fantastic restaurant that we’ve been to a few times for lunch. But it’s also a great spot for aperitivo! They actually own Sesiventi too.

Le Cale serves pretty traditional aperitivo, meaning you get a selection of nibbles such as olives, peanuts and crisps. The aperitivo area is separate but next to the restaurant and has lovely views over Cala di Levante.

Donnafuguta

Ok, so this one technically isn’t aperitivo but also is! Donnafuguta is a well known and well respected Sicilian wine producer with wineries around Sicily. In Pantelleria, the winery is located in Kamma in a natural amphitheatre and is a wonderful place to taste their wines and learn more about wine production.

They have a few different wine tastings that you can choose from. We opted for the 6:30 pm tasting at €40 per person, which lasts an hour and a half. You get a tour, then an outdoor tasting of three wines with food pairings to bring out the flavours of the wine.

The highlight is ending with a short tour of the vineyard and enjoying a glass of Ben Ryè passito (a sweet dessert wine which Pantelleria is famous for). This is a really interesting and fun experience. I highly recommend booking a wine tasting one night for ‘aperitivo’.

So those are my suggestions for the best places to have aperitivo in Pantelleria. Cheers! Or, cin cin or salute, as they say in Italian.

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