Caupona Taverna di Sicilia

I rarely eat in the same restaurant more than once when visiting a place, but here I came back 3 times!
When I first arrived in Trapani a few days ago, I headed out for dinner to a restaurant I had read about in several places: Caupona, taverna di Sicilia.
After a few bites I became enamored with the food conceived and prepared by chef Rosi Napoli.
The first night I ordered something rather traditional, but that I haven’t eaten much in the past: ricotta ravioli in a rich fish broth, and I felt immediately a very strong emotional connection to this food. The creaminess of the fresh ricotta somehow tempering the intensity of the Trapanese style dense broth and ultimately this dish was incredibly balanced.
Having grown up with a nonna and a bunch of aunts from Trapani, I am very accustomed and I have an emotional attachment to the flavors of Trapanese traditional cuisine. Here I found all these flavors but always with an extra twist that never felt forced or contrived. There is a deep understanding of the traditional flavors and how they can be combined in an unusual way.
At the end of that meal I decided to come back and the second time around I let Francesca (who works there) suggests something for me. She convinced me to try a starter that I would have never ordered: fried tuma cheese and tuna bottarga. For some reason this combination of deep fried cheese and super salty cured tuna roe made no sense to me…and yet she was so right. This proved to be one of the tastiest things I have had in this trip. This was such a happy marriage, a genius combination, you could hardly tell the two ingredients apart in your mouth. The wafer thin bottarga almost melted onto the hot crunchy crust of the breaded cheese, and the gooey interior harmoniously blended with the umami of the bottarga…in fact this was an umami fest in my mouth and I couldn’t help but smile at every bite. After I also tried a pasta with octopus ragu’ (also recommended by Francesca). I rarely order octopus, I do like it, but I have some childhood experiences that somehow always stop me from ordering it (a story for another time). This dish was a true explosion of flavor. At first I noticed some raw cold diced tomato on top of the pasta and was a little worried about that, but after a few bites I understood this was another stroke of genius, the tomato acting as a mouth freshener just when you were starting to feel the ragu’ was almost too intense. The temperature and texture contrast also really worked as a general freshness mouthfeel.
The third night I ordered a mixed platter of antipasti…every morsel tastier than the previous one, special mention to a melt-in-your-mouth anchovy “meatball” and a cured tuna on top of a panella (chickpea fritter). I finished with a handmade pasta with a kind of pesto made with basil, garlic and almonds, and a tartare of rich and almost creamy Mazara red prawn…so good, it was like a celebration in my mouth!
This is my favorite kind of restaurant, it’s normally priced, heavily based on tradition, but with an intensity of flavor and playfulness worth of a starred restaurant, without the pretentiousness. The food is so balanced and so incredibly well seasoned (not always a given even in nice places).
Every night my mouth and my soul were so happy and satisfied that I felt no need or concentration left for a dessert, so I ordered a glass of sweet wine (zibibbo or marsala) instead, accompanied by a small almond paste cookie.
May I add this place has the best view ever, in front of the beautiful chiesa delle anime sante del purgatorio. If you find yourself in Trapani go visit!

Spectacular restaurant in the center of Trapani. Very stylish traditional Trapanese food. The pasta with ricio di mare amazing. We tried most of the menu and it was all delicious. And having dinner outside opposite the church is also a must-do. Service excellent , definitely a visit to it if you are in Trapani

Lovely restaurant. Visited on a Wednesday evening in early April. The food (Mackerel and Spaghetti with huge prawns) was fresh and beautifully prepared. Great prices.
Very nice beer too!

The best place in Trapani, for dinner. Food is absolutely amazing as well as the service. Raw prawns burrata with rocket salad is a must for a starter, try also Spatola alla pantesca from their secondi piati menu or any of primi pastas: home made pasta with raw prawns, busiata with sardines or busiata with aubergine. We tried other recomended places but Coupona takes it to the moon!

One of the best restaurants during our road trip through Sicily. Raw fish plate was the best. Definitely to try.

Enjoyed our evening dining here. Food and service was impeccable. Will definitely visit again

One of the best restaurants I've been to in Sicily!
Everything was so good, and the service was very nice.

Boyfriend and I ate our favorite meal in Sicily here! Excellent, flavorful and fresh local dishes clearly prepared with love and pride. Claudio and all the staff made sure we had a wonderful meal, 10 out of 5 stars! Celiacs: no pasta or bread but you don't even need it. Staff very knowledgeable about what is safe and willing to carefully explain each delicious dish.

Excellent food and service. The best place to eat in Trapani in my opinion. Beautiful church right in front of the restaurant and tucked away from the busy street. Amazing food. Had the pleasure to meet Francesco and Francesca who were both excellent in giving service to customers and making us feel like home. Thank you both. We will be sending all our friends from New York to you guys.

Great family run sicilian restaurant. Had a very tasty evening meal here, sharing some swordfish, one of the fish of the day. Good selection of local wines available.

Fantastic. We had a Couscous alla Trapanese, mixed fried seafood, and a daily special Busiata with Pesto. All are traditional, local dishes done to perfection, followed by a perfect glass of Grillo. The service was excellent as well. Although we didn't end up ordering mixed grilled fish, the staff brought out a huge tray of fresh fish to show us the possibilities. Highly recommended.

I was drawn to this particular restaurant because of a "Slow Food" sign on the wall. The service was great, very attentive wait staff, and the food was very good, too. The place is on a street corner in the old city of Trapani, right across from a lovely baroque church façade. Perfect for a nice dinner.

Amazing place, great vibe & great service. Outstanding food.

Fantastic restaurant with a beautiful view of Chiesa Anime Sante del Purgatorio - especially at night. We definitely recommend their couscous!

Service was great and made us feel so welcome! Amazing food- We shared the antipasti platter and the pesto ala Trapanese. Would highly recommend both!

The food was incredible, every bite was delicious!

We visited this restaurant twice during our holiday. Staff is very friendly (we were with a little child), we had fresh and yummy seafood, many locals are dining there and reservation is recommended!
Thank you for two lovely evenings with amazing sicilian food and totally friendly staff 🥳👏

We’ve been in Sicily for 4 days and so far this takes the baton for the tastiest meal we’ve had out. Service is helpful, friendly and English was spoken :)

Great food, cool view of the church, and good service.

You have to go!
Quality of food is outstanding
Service is immediate and quiet, people there are simply lovely
Every dish a surprise