T1’s My Chef Café is your basic pre-flight coffee stop
Right inside Terminal T1 at Falcone–Borsellino Airport, My Chef Café sits airside after security, so you can keep an eye on the gate screens while you line up. It’s a standard Italian airport café setup: long counter, self-service fridges, and a few small tables that fill quickly during the 07:00–10:00 morning bank.
Espresso and cappuccino run in the €1.30–€2.00 range, which is fair for an airport in Palermo. You’ll see the usual brioches and pastries at around €1.50–€2.50, plus packaged snacks and bottled water at airport pricing. Coffee comes fast if you stand at the bar; table service, when they offer it, slows things down noticeably.
Food is mostly grab-and-go: pre-made panini, tramezzini, and basic slices of pizza, usually priced around €5–€8. Quality tracks with typical Autogrill-style motorway fare rather than city-center Palermo cafés, so lean on cold panini that can’t be overcooked. If something’s been sitting in the case since early morning, ask for the fresher tray; staff usually restock around lunch.
Payment is straightforward: they accept major cards plus contactless, and receipts clearly show the sit-down surcharge if it applies, which is common in Italian airports. Expect a short queue before the 12:00–14:00 departure wave, especially on days with multiple Ryanair and ITA Airways flights stacked together. Turnover is quick, so even five people ahead of you rarely means more than a 5–10 minute wait for coffee.
Tip: If your boarding pass shows a gate in the low 20s, grab your drink here at My Chef Café in T1, then walk toward your gate before opening anything; seating near those gates disappears about 30 minutes before scheduled boarding.