Where to eat in Turin, and what to order when you get there
Turin eats the Piedmontese way: a plate of agnolotti or tajarin, vitello tonnato to start, and a bicerin or a gianduiotto in an old café afterwards. Order the pasta and the veal once, then spend the rest of the stay on the aperitivo, the markets and the pastry counters. Book the well-known restaurants a few days ahead, and go to Porta Palazzo in the morning.
The short answer
- Best area to eat
- The Quadrilatero Romano and San Salvario for restaurants worth a booking, and the streets around Piazza San Carlo for old cafés.
- Order this
- Agnolotti del plin or tajarin, vitello tonnato to start, and a bicerin or a gianduiotto to finish.
- When to eat
- Lunch from about 12.30 to 2.30, aperitivo from the early evening and dinner from about 7.30. Many kitchens close between meals.
- Book or walk in
- Book Del Cambio and the trattorias a few days ahead. Caffè Al Bicerin and the markets are walk-in.
- Tipping
- Not expected. Round up the bill or leave a few euros for good service, and check the menu for a cover charge.
What to eat in Turin
- Agnolotti del plinSmall pinched pasta parcels filled with roast meat, served in butter and sage or in the roast's juices. Pastificio De Filippis and Del Cambio both serve them.
- Vitello tonnatoThin slices of cold veal under a creamy tuna and caper sauce. It is a starter, found on every traditional menu in the city, including Del Cambio's.
- TajarinThin egg-yolk tagliatelle from Piedmont, served with butter, a meat ragù or, in autumn, shaved white truffle.
- Bagna caudaA hot dip of olive oil, garlic and anchovies, eaten with raw and cooked vegetables. It is an autumn and winter dish, and usually shared by the table.
- Bollito mistoA winter feast of boiled meats served with green sauce and mustard fruits. It is easiest to find in traditional restaurants from late autumn.
- BicerinA layered drink of espresso, hot chocolate and cream, served in a small glass. It was born in Turin, and Caffè Al Bicerin has served it since 1763.
- GianduiottiBoat-shaped chocolates made with Piedmont hazelnuts, wrapped in gold foil. The city has made them for more than 150 years, and chocolate shops across the center sell them.
- BonetA baked pudding of eggs, cocoa, amaretti biscuits and caramel. It is the classic end to a Piedmontese dinner.
- GrissiniThin, crisp breadsticks that were first made in Turin. Buy them from a bakery rather than a packet, and eat them with cheese or ham.
- Vermouth and the aperitivoTurin is the home of vermouth, a wine flavored with herbs, and the aperitivo here is a drink of vermouth or a spritz with snacks. The old cafés around Piazza San Carlo serve it.
Where to eat in Turin, by neighborhood
The center and Piazza San Carlo
Old cafés and pastry counters rather than long meals: a bicerin, a coffee at the bar, a gianduiotto. Del Cambio on Piazza Carignano is the formal dinner.
Quadrilatero Romano
Narrow streets of wine bars and small restaurants on the line of the old Roman grid. Consorzio, on Via Monte di Pietà, is the traditional table here, and it stays busy for the aperitivo.
Porta Palazzo and Aurora
The district around the market, with Mercato Centrale for a quick lunch and Caffè Al Bicerin a short walk away on Piazza della Consolata.
San Salvario
Restaurants and bars in a lively district south of Porta Nuova station. Scannabue, on Largo Saluzzo, is the place to sit down for a proper dinner, with the nightlife all around it.
Via Lagrange and the center
Pastificio De Filippis, on Via Lagrange, is a pasta shop and restaurant that has cooked here since 1872, and it is the best place for agnolotti del plin.
Places worth a booking or a queue
-
Caffè Al Bicerin
€Historic café · Piazza della Consolata, near Porta Palazzo
OrderA bicerin, and a gianduiotto
A small café that has stood on the square since 1763, with wood paneling, mirrors and marble tables. It serves the drink it gave its name to, and its recipe is a guarded secret.
- Book
- No booking. Walk in, and expect a short wait at busy times.
- Closed
- Wednesday
Confirmed open: italia.it
-
Del Cambio
€€€€Fine-dining restaurant · Piazza Carignano, center
OrderAgnolotti del plin or the vitello tonnato, with the tasting menu if you want the full evening
A restaurant that has stood on Piazza Carignano since 1757, in a room of mirrors and gilt, now run by chef Matteo Baronetto. The cooking is classic Piedmontese, and it also has a bar and a pastry shop beside it.
- Book
- Online or by phone, a few days ahead, and further ahead on weekends.
- Closed
- Monday, and Sunday evening
Confirmed open: turismotorino.org
-
Pastificio De Filippis
€€Pasta shop and restaurant · Via Lagrange, center
OrderAgnolotti del plin, the fresh egg pasta of the day
A pasta maker founded in 1872, now a shop and a restaurant in one. The fresh pasta is the reason to come, and you can take some home from the shop.
- Book
- By email or phone, as listed on its site.
Confirmed open: pastificiodefilippis.it
-
Consorzio
€€€Restaurant · Via Monte di Pietà, Quadrilatero
OrderWhichever Piedmontese pasta is on the menu that day, with a glass of natural wine
A restaurant cooking traditional Piedmontese food with careful ingredients, in a relaxed room that is neither a formal restaurant nor a plain trattoria. It has a good list of natural wines.
- Book
- Online through its booking page, or by phone.
- Closed
- Sunday and Monday
Confirmed open: ristoranteconsorzio.it
-
Scannabue Caffè Restaurant
€€Bistrot · Largo Saluzzo, San Salvario
OrderA dish of Piedmont beef, the house speciality
A bistrot in San Salvario that cooks Piedmont beef and Ligurian fish, with a wine list and a shop of local products. Its approach is traditional but a little more modern than the old trattorias.
- Book
- Online through OpenTable, for weekend and dinner tables.
Confirmed open: scannabue.it
Food markets in Turin
- Porta PalazzoThe largest open-air market in Europe, on Piazza della Repubblica, with produce, cheese, fish, bread and Piedmont farmers alongside stalls from many other places. Go in the morning for the fruit and vegetables and the covered food halls, and buy cheese and bread for a picnic.Monday to Saturday, mornings, with longer hours on SaturdaySource: arte.it
- Mercato Centrale TorinoA food hall on Piazza della Repubblica beside Porta Palazzo, with artisan stalls for pizza, pastries, fish and drinks. Take food from the stalls and sit where you like. It suits a late lunch or an evening when the trattorias are full.Every day, from 8am, closing late from Tuesday to SundaySource: mercatocentrale.it
How Turin eats
- Meal timesLunch runs from about 12.30 to 2.30 and dinner from about 7.30, and many kitchens close in between. Del Cambio serves lunch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday only.
- AperitivoFrom the early evening, bars bring something to eat with a vermouth or a spritz. The old cafés around Piazza San Carlo serve it at the table or the bar.
- ReservationsBook Del Cambio and Consorzio a few days ahead, and ask when you book about the day they close. Scannabue takes bookings online, Pastificio De Filippis by phone or email. Caffè Al Bicerin takes no bookings.
- Cover chargeMany Italian restaurants add a coperto, a charge for bread and the table, printed on the menu. Look before you order.
- TippingTipping is not expected. Round up the bill or leave a few euros for good service.
- BreakfastBreakfast is a coffee and a brioche at the bar of a café, taken standing. A bicerin makes a good mid-morning stop.
Signs of a place to walk past
A menu with photographs of the dishes, or a stand outside with the menu in six languages.
A waiter on the pavement calling people in, most common on the busiest squares.
A tourist menu that bundles pasta, a main course and a drink at a fixed price at any hour.
Extra charges that are not printed on the menu.
A kitchen that cooks sushi, pizza, steak and paella under one roof.
Eating in Turin: questions people ask
What food is Turin known for?
Agnolotti del plin, vitello tonnato and tajarin are the classics, with bagna cauda and bollito misto in winter. Turin is also known for bicerin, gianduiotti and vermouth, and for the aperitivo.
Where should you eat in Turin city center?
For a quick stop, Caffè Al Bicerin serves the drink it invented and the old cafés around Piazza San Carlo serve an aperitivo. For a proper meal, Del Cambio on Piazza Carignano and Pastificio De Filippis on Via Lagrange are in the center, and Consorzio is in the Quadrilatero.
What is the best area to eat in Turin?
The Quadrilatero Romano and San Salvario have the restaurants and bars worth booking, and the streets around Piazza San Carlo have the old cafés. Porta Palazzo is the place for a market lunch.
Do you need to book restaurants in Turin?
For dinner at the places in this guide, yes: book a few days ahead, and further ahead on weekends. Caffè Al Bicerin and the markets need no booking.
What is the Turin aperitivo?
It is the early-evening drink served with something to eat. Turin is the home of vermouth, so order a vermouth on the rocks or a spritz at one of the old cafés.
Where can you eat agnolotti in Turin?
Pastificio De Filippis on Via Lagrange makes fresh agnolotti and ravioli del plin, and Del Cambio serves agnolotti del plin on its Piedmontese menu. Most traditional restaurants list them.
Can you eat well in Turin as a vegetarian?
Yes, with a little care. Many classic dishes are built on beef, veal and butter, and agnolotti are filled with meat, so ask before you order. Tajarin with butter, vegetable dishes, cheese and the markets give you more choice.
How much do you tip in Turin?
You are not expected to tip. Service is normally part of the staff's pay, so round up the bill or leave a few euros for good service. Check the menu for a coperto, the cover charge, before you sit down.