The oldest inhabitants of the old town centre of Palermo like to tell that during the epidemic that struck the city at the beginning of the 20th century the people who went and had something to eat at ”Casa del Brodo“ in  Vittorio Emanuele main street immediately felt a sense of comfort, so much so that they came back again to taste the famous boiled meat, one of the specialities of the house.

The rumour soon spread all over the city so that  people just went there to simply drink a cup of hot broth, which was so beneficial and made them recover all the strength that had been lost after the illness.

It was a period of great poverty and many among those customers did not have the means to buy that beneficial cup of broth, so the owner and founder of the restaurant, Salvatore Catanese, did not send them away but offered them that drink which – as the popular rumour had it – was so helpful to one’s health.

From then on, next to the board of this historical restaurant in Palermo another board reads ”at the Doctor“: it is just by this name that nowadays the restaurant is commonly known in  and outside Palermo, so that when fixing a meeting for lunch or dinner it is sufficient to say: ”Let’s meet at the Broth Doctor“.

This name has been the synonym of good cooking in Palermo for more than one century now.

Salvatore Catanese decided to specialize in this field and opened a restaurant in 1890 in the same, current location. The family tradition still goes on these days. After Salvatore the restaurant has been managed by his son Antonino, from whom the founder’s nephew, Salvatore, took over: today the new owners are the two daughters Maria Luisa and Rosanna together with the nephews Ada and Gaetano.

The menu offered by Casa del Brodo has enriched with the skilfully harmonized tastes of the sea, with no recourse to anything that might affect wholesomeness and natural taste.

It is no more than right to say that also the sea has found its own specialist.

Let us not forget however, the traditional broth cooked after an ancient recipe,  the ”tortellini in brodo“ (stuffed, homemade pasta in meat broth), boiled meat with potatoes,  tongue and the typical Sicilian starters such as ”sarde a beccafico“ (sardines rolled in  slices of sandwich loaf with raisins and pine-kernels), rolls of aubergines, ”musso“ (boiled cartilages) and many more as offered by the tradition of Palermo.

Choice of dishes is as large as possible and satisfies even the most demanding tastes.

Among the most requested courses is the ”frittella“ (broad beans, peas, artichokes and  ricotta cheese), ”macco di fave“ (broad bean soup), ”pasta con le sarde“ (pasta with sardines), ”busiate alla glasse“ (homemade pasta with stewed potatoes and beef), ”linguine con polpa di ricci“ (homemade pasta with sea urchin pulp), ”agnolotti al brasato“ (stuffed, homemade pasta with braised meat), ”risotto con  frutti di mare“ (rice with mussels)... all of this well accompanied by the excellent wines stored in the restaurant cellar.

As years went by ”Casa del Brodo“ has become a meeting place for everybody wishing to taste a good meal: Maria Luisa Catanese with Francesco Lo Coco, together with the chief cook Gaetano and uncle Paolo Montalto have always looked for genuine food and recipes belonging to the true tradition of Palermo.

To establish a human, affectionate contact with the customers -  who must feel at home when going ”to the Doctor“ - is just the family’s highest desire.