29 Best Restaurants in Piedmont and the Valle d'Aosta, Italy

A chocolate lover's pilgrimage to Turin inevitably leads to this café where Nietzsche, Puccini, Dumas, and the political reformer Cavour have all sipped. If you order the house specialty, bicerin (a hot drink with layers of chocolate, coffee, and cream), or a flavored zabaioni (warm eggnog), and browse the collection of chocolate goodies including chocolate-flavored pasta, you'll understand why.

The well-spaced tables and the ancient brick vaulting in this small, bright space set the stage for game, meat, fish, and seafood dishes served with creative flair. The level of service is very high, even by demanding Turin standards.

Dominated by stone arches, this welcoming eatery off Courmayeur’s pedestrian strip, run by the Garin family of nearby Auberge de la Maison fame, serves up tons of atmosphere along with elevated takes on traditional Valdostan dishes. The large menu offers a choice of hearty tried-and-true plates such as grandma’s salad, with ham, eggs, Mont d’Or cheese, and boiled potatoes, along with lighter fare like salmon trout with savoy cabbage.

Renowned Italian chef Antonio Cannavacciuolo, who cooks at three-Michelin-star Villa Crespi on Lake Orta, oversees the menu at this refined ode to contemporary Italian cooking just outside the town of Asti. Chef Gianluca Renzi creates playful riffs on Piedmontese classics, such as pigeon with black garlic, salted peanuts, and Nebbiolo crystals or hen-filled stuffed Piedmontese pasta (plin) with mushrooms, gorgonzola, and saffron, in his three tasting menus, ranging from five to eight dishes; the Menù Freehand includes five creative tastes of the chef's choosing.

Inside an enchanting 18th-century palace with arched ceilings, this zero-kilometer restaurant uses products only from the surrounding area, including vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers from its own gardens, in its weekly changing seven-course tasting menus. In the warmer months, don’t miss dining amongst the roses in the romantic courtyard, where a smaller three-course menu with cocktail of the day is also offered.

Tucked away on the third floor of the Green Pea sustainable retail venture (next to Eataly Lingotto), one of Turin's top destinations for fine dining is run by the fourth generation of the Vicina family, with Claudio and wife Anna leading the kitchen and Stefano managing the front of house. Excellent-quality traditional Piedmontese dishes are served with creative style, and the wine list is an encyclopedia, featuring not only the top Barolo producers but also many other small but notable wineries.

Set in a palace dating from 1757, this is one of Europe's most beautiful and historic restaurants, with decorative moldings, mirrors, and hanging lamps contrasted with ultramodern takes on Piedmontese cuisine from young Michelin-starred chef Matteo Baronetto. Order an inventive signature dish such as the Piedmontese salad, with around 24 artfully composed ingredients, and an expertly prepared meat or fish dish, or opt for the eight-course tasting menu to sample more of the chef's innovative cooking.

Inside atmospheric stone-walled ancient cellars, the latest incarnation of Guido—which began in 1961 in Costigliole d’Asti—is now managed by the son of the original owners. It serves excellent preparations of traditional dishes best sampled with one of the three tasting menus (including one vegan option), along with superlative pairings of wine from the surrounding regions.

In a contemporary villa built entirely of wood on the outskirts of Asti, chef Enrico Pivieri uses a mix of local and international ingredients to create new takes on traditional dishes with a global flair. The Shaken Horse is especially strong in seafood—rare for meat-heavy Piedmont—with such creative plates as gnocchi with cuttlefish ink in miso broth with smoked sardines and fried Sicilian anchovies with giardiniera (pickled vegetables in vinegar).

When you’re not in the mood for an Italian-style lunch or dinner (read: leisurely), head to the Mercato Centrale for a selection of foods—from more than 20 food stands—like fresh pasta, fish, roast meats, pizza, and fried dishes; more international options including ramen and Peruvian plates; and a good choice of cocktails, wines, and beer. But don’t fill up on the mains, as you’ll also find a delightful selection of baked goods and, of course, gelato, for a sweet finish.

Delicious regional specialties with tartufo-focused and fixed-price tasting menus are served at this bustling family-run restaurant in the center of Alba. Seasonal recipes emphasize local vegetables, nuts (particularly hazelnuts), and meats like rabbit and venison.

This elegant formal hotel dining room with brick arches is one of the best restaurants in the region (with a Michelin star to prove it), serving refined variations of traditional dishes. You can marvel at a wine list of about 1,400 labels, and the service is exemplary.

At one of the most popular restaurants in the Valle d'Aosta (reservations are recommended) you'll find country-style home cooking in a mountain house with lots of atmosphere, including red-and-white checkered tablecloths, antiques, farm tools, and bric-a-brac of all kinds. There's a set menu where cheese, dessert, and fresh fruit complete the meal, or you can order à la carte.

Chef Massimo Camia's restaurant is in an elegant and modern space, with views of the Barolo vineyards that surround the Damilano winery; the service is impeccable and the food is divine. The restaurant is outside the town of La Morra, a 20-minute drive to the southwest of Alba.

Just off Courmayeur’s pedestrian center, this charming restaurant with beamed ceilings and wildlife pictures on the wall is truly a family affair: Stefano Alessandro Marchetto cooks, his wife Monica hosts, and their twin sons are the sommelier and server. The cuisine leans toward modern versions of Valle d’Aosta cuisine with unexpected twists, like the risotto with mountain pine and sturgeon; while you can order à la carte, trying one of the tasting menus lets you sample the full range of their inspired offerings.

Diners can ski or hike (or drive, if they wish) to this charming alpine cabin at the foot of Mount Cervino decorated with a whimsical mix of cowbells and modern art. Alpage specializes in typical Valle d’Aosta cuisine, such as pappardelle with deer ragù and wild boar stew with polenta, using ingredients from small producers, along with a wonderful selection of wines from both local and other Italian producers.

Chef Filippo Oggioni took over this traditional restaurant in 2019, adding freshness and creative versions of regional recipes and decadent desserts, available à la carte or as five- or seven-course tasting menus, including a five-course vegetarian option. The elegant, intimate spaces of this converted mill are furnished with antiques, and a traditional ceramic stove provides additional warmth in cool weather.

The first floor of an elegant town house in the center of Turin makes a fitting location for this sophisticated restaurant. There's an excellent wine list with regional, national, and international vintages well-represented, and tasting menus, including a feast that covers the full range of the restaurant's cuisine and desserts.

The Garin family made over the oldest tavern in Courmayeur to create a warm and inviting restaurant that has a 17th-century stone vault, old wooden floor, and huge stone fireplace. The menu offers seasonal specialties and innovative interpretations of regional dishes, and the cozy bar is a popular (and crowded) place for a predinner drink.

Extremely popular for lunch during the week, this lively and informal osteria is in Turin's business district. The service is relaxed, the decor is low-key, the menu highlights organic meats and vegetables from Piedmont, and there's a good selection of natural wines.

This local favorite has a bright contemporary setting, with green and cream-color walls and just 10 tables, and it stays open late for postmovie and -theater crowds. Specialties change with the seasons, and include risotto, fresh pasta, and a fine cheese selection.

Modern and subdued, this small spot on a quiet backstreet is conducive to a leisurely meal while trying a huge selection of Barolo wines. On the menu you'll find Piedmontese starters, pastas, and a variety of tasty meat dishes, and there's also a superb selection of local cheeses.

A short drive from the center of Alba brings you to the hamlet of San Rocco Seno d'Elvio and this old-style trattoria. The decor is as simple as the menu—with dishes that put truffles center stage—which makes a pleasant change from the more elaborate restaurants that you often find in the center of the city.

Famous for freshly made seasonal pasta dishes since 1872, this shop serves a packed lunch crowd all week long, with outdoor seating in the summer. Secondi and dolci are also available, but pasta is the main event.

If you are hankering for something different from the usual meat-based Piedmontese cuisine, give this simple, extremely popular family-run spot a try. They serve only seafood, and they do it well.

Just outside the Porta Pretoria, this simple and unpretentious restaurant serves hearty local dishes, including homemade pastas and desserts. They're also well-known for their tasty gluten-free recipes.

This excellent enoteca, with a contemporary casual atmosphere, has a whole range of Piedmont specialties to pair with local wines. You'll find more than 60 labels, as well as grappas and liqueurs, on the menu.

In the glass-roofed Galleria Subalpina, near Via Po, stands one of Turin's charming old cafés. It's famous for its exquisite chocolates—you might want to buy their gianduiotti (hazelnut chocolates) or candied chestnuts to take home to friends. Light lunches are also served.

This tiny café, decorated with marble and finely carved wood panels, is famous for its tramezzini (small triangular sandwiches made with white bread and filled with all sorts of goodies), which they claim to have invented here in the 1920s. Popular with the pre- and post-theater crowd, the café also offers a unique roulette system for clients trying to decide on who pays the bill—ask the cashier for an explanation.