Torino Restaurants: Reviews & Recommendations

[danlepard]

Ask for Antoinella, she speaks English

[marlena spieler]

i know that i'm coming late to this discussion, ie we are all home from the salone del gusto and from terra madre, but if anyone is heading to torino just because (just because it is incredibly beautiful, and incredibly friendly, and the food is incredibly good) i'd like to recommend the restaurant La Badessa, which was divine, as in, it is in a former convent.

we had the menu del convento, and switched the tripe for a veal stew with tomatoes served with polenta. it was fabulish-ious. i had to kick my husband under the table as he was reaching for the plate with that light in his eye that said: i gotta lick this plate, i just gotta!.

we started the meal with roasted peppers and bagne caouda, which was very good, but the sformato of versa (cabbage) in a puddle of fonduta that was on the vegetarian menu was better. it was amazing. like a pancake of tender cabbage, parmigiana and egg. and so light and so crisp and so delish that we were all--those who hadn't ordered them-- forking away while those who had ordered them just look on helplessly though good naturedly....

the veal stew was amazing. the polenta could make me cry thinking about it. oh and the pasta course: chickpea soup with flat noodles. mmmmmmmmmm.

desserts were all bellissima. really exquisite, just as you would imagine good sisters in touch with angels would be able to make. i won't go into the details but even someone who prefers a plate of cheese (me) was swooning over the pastries.

but the grapefruit sorbetto was the best: so refreshing.

la badessa ristorante

piazza carlo emanuele 11, 17h

torino tel 011 08 35 940

www.labadessa.net

ps: and it was moderately priced! menu del convento and vegetarian menu are both 25 euro per person, and the larger more tasting ish menu is 30. the place is full of happy italians and the scene to watch almost as beautiful as the food. we drank a glorious nebbiolo that was only 17.50 euros a bottle!

Edited November 3, 2006 by marlena spieler (log)

[carlylutzmann]

Savoia is quite a good value for traditional Piemontese cuisine. They can also do vegetarian menus with advance notice. It's near Piazza Savoia (surprise) and can be reached by foot from the center or Porta Nuova quite easily. Obviously there are the "big names" in Torinese restaurants like Del Cambio and Tre Galline, but as a vegetarian they never really appealed to me.

[carlylutzmann]

For future reference I would definitely suggest the Testa Nero gelato from a bar called Testa. It's their signature item- gelato made from chocolate so dark it's almost black in color. If my memory serves me correctly Testa is on Corso Re Umbreto, three blocks south of Corso Stati Uniti.

[Sampaguita]

My 2 bits if I may, it funny actually that I live so close to Turin, but don't eat there, we did try to 3 Galline once, and it was quite good, albeit hard to find, but we were a bit put off in that it was more expensive then the abundant trattorie and osterie in the countryside around the Langhe and Monferrato (well with the exception of La Contea and da Guidos) and not as good - I guess we are spoiled. Now when we go to Turin for the opera or a museum we grab a light bite at a pizzeria or sandwhich bar!

However a good starting point would be Slow Food's restaurant guide - that's where we found the 3 Galline and were fascinated by its rightup as an old inn. If you are a Slow food member check the website and you can access their restaurant guide with several picks in Turin and around Ivrea and the North. Generally slow food picks are very good and not overpricey. We keep meaning to try Sotto il Mole, next to the Cinema Museum in the Mole Antoneliana, it has good reviews, but it's always closed when we are in town.

[Eden]

Hurray, we're heading to Torino for a week this Spring!

Not so hurray, the exchange rate is painful, and our budget is tight...

We'll have an apartment (right in the center) & will do a lot of our own cooking, but would appreciate any suggestions on good gelato, good pizza shops, bars with great sandwiches etc. Anyplace with classic piemontese food that does a cheap lunch special?

gotta save the sheckels for chocolate!

[hathor]

I'm curious...why Torino?

It's been on our 'go to' list for awhile but we haven't gotten there yet.

Things to look for: pastries, bread sticks and genepi (sp?), it's a green digestivo that we feel in love with. It's made from the alpine wormwood plant. It's strong, but gloriously herbal and refreshing.

A friend of ours worked there for awhile and she said the Torinese out-chic the Milanese...which is saying something!

Have fun.

[tupac17616]

you must, must, must go to Eataly

[divina]

Just got back from 4 days in Torino. It is so much cheaper than Florence.

You must got to the Porto Palazzo market, huge!

It is also cheaper to have fabulous pastries and coffee sitting down in Torino, how civilized!

I am also into chocolate and enjoyed the Chocolate coupon book you can buy at the tourist office, sort of a do it yourself chocolate tour with tastings.

We stayed near Piazza Vittorio and wanted to try Da Michele, looked great and not expensive.

another fun thing to do is the happy hour. Normans is an established place for this. I think standing up a drink is 8 euro.. and a free buffet. sitting down is 18 a person and they bring you the largest table size plate with some of everything..

rather fun!

[Eden]

I'm curious...why Torino?

It's been on our 'go to' list for awhile but we haven't gotten there yet.

a whole list of reasons: chocolate of course (the ChocoPass which Divina mentions, was one of the first items we put into our planning budget )

also one of the finest egyptian museums in the world, a love of baroque architecture, a desire to visit new parts of italy, and who could miss the chance to visit the Wax Fruit Museum?!!!

I'm curious, the Genepi sounds like an absinthe variant, does it also taste strongly of licorice?

We'll add Porto Palazzo & Norman's to our list. Eataly is a must see, though my budget minding husband is nervous about letting me near the place

Thanks for the tips!

[divina]

We have some Genepy and I woudn't say it tastes like absinthe...need to retaste it with that in mind.

Also I ADORE the cinema museum.

they just celebrated the restoration of the Palazzo Madama.. incredible!!!! overwhelming.

Like most big cities a week you just scratch the surface.

What was really lovely too, and didn't break the bank, was having "tea" in the Palazzo Reale, in Palazzo Castello.

the rooms were restored and filled with the tea service from the Royale Family, more like a museum.

My husband had a lovely quiche, I had a hazelnut cake, 2 teas. I think it iwas under 20 euro a wonderful break! I will blog about it soon.

[Kropotkin]

Al Bicerin is, I was told, an institution - a tiny C18th coffee house to the North-West of the Duomo (on Via della Consolata) with decor that hasn't changed much since the late C19th. Apparently Cavour was a patron (amongst others), and this was a very evocative place. Especially welcome, on a freezing November evening, was their Bicerin hot chocolate (with coffee and a nip of brandy, I think?) which was so good (and warming) that I had another pronto!

The grander, old bars of Torino, beneath their arcades, are also splendid spaces for a drink.

I'll also second the Cinema museum: a fantastic space used very well, it is vastly entertaining. The huge Lingotto complex South of the Station (via bus - a long walk otherwise) is designed as a new entertainment hub: that is, a mall with the usual shops, cinemas, hotels etc, but, more interestingly, it is all contained within the shell of the 1920s Fiat factory with its roof-top test track and spiralling access ramps at either end. It may be worth a look if this is your kind of thing?

In my humble opinion, Torino is a much under-rated city - enjoy your trip!

[divina]

no brandy in Bicerin.coffee , hot chocolate and hot milk.

[Kropotkin]

Ah, sorry - must be mistaken (unless it was a special treat for me on a cold night?)

[divina]

I once ordered a cappucino in Sausalito, and it came spiked!

I almost died as I had some sort of a liver thing that I picked up in Europe and went into extreme pain!

[Eden]

Ouch! I wonder what they thought you ordered?

I'm looking forward to trying the traditional Bicerin, but if it happens to be cold one night I may ask them to make me one ala Kropotkin

I have to say I'm surprised at how few guidebooks cover the area, much less in depth. I have a list of things to see/eat a mile long between suggestions here & from the officiial Tourism Website, but if you were to go based on a guidebook, you'd see the shroud and a royal palace or two, eat some chocolate and go home

[tupac17616]

For gelato recommendations, you might page through the Gelaterie d'Italia book by Gambero Rosso. There are several Torino recommendations in it. A cup of Sicilian granita at Mondello would be something to consider, too.

[PaoloF]

I have to say I'm surprised at how few guidebooks cover the area, much less in depth. I have a list of things to see/eat a mile long between suggestions here & from the officiial Tourism Website, but if you were to go based on a guidebook, you'd see the shroud and a royal palace or two, eat some chocolate and go home

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[Eden]

I was born in Torino and I can take you for granted that there are a lot of spots to visit in Torino apart of tourist sites. In the outskirts, for example, you must visit The Sacra di San Michele Abbey, overlooking the Alps and the Sant'Antonino di Ranverso Chuch, with the famous Rénaissance-styled frescoes painted by Giacomo Jacquerio.

Also the Venaria Reale Palace recently renewed and the Hunting Lodge of Stupinigi.

Just 30' far from Torino in the direction of Monferrato, you can admire the Santa Maria di Vezzolano Abbey, probably the best example of Romanesque architecture in Monferrato. And discover a local variety of Nebbiolo --the grape of Barolo and Barbaresco noble wines-- the Albugnano...

As you can see, there's a lot to do.

I'm a food journalist and writer and I'd be glad to give you other suggestions and useful tips...

Try the apéritif in the old Carignano Square at Mood's Café, a lively bookstore+wine-bar where you can enjoy a good drink and the pleasant view of some of the nicest girls of Torino...

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Thanks! I've added Mood to my list of cafes, and I'm sure my husband will appreciate that last detail

Sacra di San Michele looks beautiful!

I thought the Palazzina at Stupinigi was closed for restauration through the end of 2008? Did I misread that or did they finish early? I know there are several other royal palaces I can visit but this one was at the top of my list...

[emsny]

To duplicate a query I posted under another topic, can anyone recommend a good trattoria/osteria - local or at least regional cooking - that's open late enough that we can go there after the opera?

Also, any favorite pasticcerie / caffe?

Thanks.