I had already decided on 4 stars and am thus corroborating what another reviewer gave La Piola. The funny thing is that it sits near my friends' house and they tend to go to nearby Il Padellino, which I've also reviewed and which is about a block away under the same sidewalk with porticos on Corso Vinzaglio.
I was very happy with La Piola. I was planning on getting lasagna, given that Il Padellino down the street had excellent lasagna. That's what I was craving. However, they had ravioli, so that's what I ordered. (The other two plates at the table were pizzas and they were reported to be tasty.) I happened to see mushrooms as a "contorno" (side), so I ordered mushrooms as well. Both the ravioli and the mushrooms were very good.
The service at La Piola was very amicable. Those of us with ancestry in the country's south are almost taught to think in knee jerk fashion that things in the north can be stiff and cold. It was anything but that and pleasingly informal. (The flip side is that things in the country's north are also less dysfunctional.)
The prices were fair and in the ballpark for these items at an Italian restaurant in a major city anywhere on the boot. Also, the vaulted ceilings, brick/stone, and the way La Piola was outfitted made for a pleasant place to be.
There you have it. Now, I can add La Piola as another very good restaurant under the porticos of Corso Vinzaglio and recommend it to others. The restaurant is about 2 blocks away from the modern Porta Susa railway station. read more