With the most beautiful view of Palermo, Doba is the gourmet restaurant of chef Domenico Basile and photographer Paola Schillaci located on the top floor of Palazzo Sovrana right in front of the Teatro Massimo.

The location is breathtaking. Doba – from the initials of the chef, Domenico Basile – is located on a panoramic terrace on three levels that embraces 360° the roofs of the center of Palermo and, in particular, one of its most beautiful views, that of the Teatro Massimo, located right in front.

The largest opera house in Italy, its construction was started in 1875 based on a design by the architect Giovan Battista Basile and continued by his son Ernesto Basile, and it was also the filming location, like Palazzo Sovrana, of the film The Godfather – Part III by Francis Ford Coppola.

We wanted to bring all our international experience to Doba and create a beautiful and good place where we can pamper our guests. (Paola and Domenico)

Doba was born in 2023 from the dream of Domenico Basile and his wife Paola Schillaci, now in charge of the restaurant’s hospitality, to create their own world in their hometown, Palermo, after having traveled extensively around the world; Domenico started from Gagini and Casa Florio in Palermo, and then in haute cuisines in Paris, the Maldives, Moscow, New York, and Paola as a fashion and lifestyle photographer.

For their restaurant, they chose Palazzo Sovrana, which houses a beautiful boutique hotel owned by Paola’s family. The building was the historic headquarters of the Lo Cascio brothers’ tailoring and haberdashery, supplier to the Royal House of Savoy, which is why, at the entrance to the building, it is still possible to see the frieze that denotes the haberdashery as a royal supplier.

The interior design project is beautiful: on the terrace with the use of furniture and lamps in various shades of blue that blend with the sky and, in the interiors, with many works of art, ivory boiserie, velvet seats and very refined blue walls.

Domenico brings to the table a Mediterranean cuisine, with a Sicilian soul and international allure, which he orchestrates by selecting the best raw materials that the island offers, thanks to consolidated relationships with companies and suppliers with whom he has worked for a lifetime.

The menu features delicious dishes, such as the French toast Lobster “Doba special dish” with smoked cheese foam and beef tartare with capers, mustard, truffle oil, Maldon salt and egg yolk, the Lobster Soup “Doba signature” with pasta maltagliati and pic pac cherry tomatoes, the Spaghetti ricci e bottarga with Tenute Costa spaghetti, garlic and oil, sea urchins and tuna bottarga, and, among the second courses, the Lobster Caesar Salad “Doba signature” with Caesar sauce, lobster, grilled lettuce, Jerusalem artichoke, croutons, parmesan or the Pork Capocollo “Doba signature” with beer, green sauce and triple cooked potatoes.

At Doba you can also choose the tapas menu to accompany a cocktail or a glass of wine chosen from the approximately two hundred mostly Sicilian labels kept in the cellar.

Doba is one of the most magical restaurants in Sicily, which enchants with its view, its cuisine, and its exquisitely family management.

The Secret

The premises that house the restaurant were once the apartment that belonged to Paola. Then, when Paola and Domenico were looking for a place to open their restaurant, they thought that such a terrace was the perfect location for their new adventure.

Useful Info

Doba Restaurant and Terrace
Via Bara all’Olivella 78
90133 Palermo
Tel. +39 327 7661682

Tasting menus: from 75 euro, wine pairing 60 euro
Starters: from 23 euro
First courses: from 25 euro
Second courses: from 24 euro
Tapas: from 5 euro
Cocktails: from 15 euro