Our hotel owner recommended this place to us on a Monday saying it was good, local food. They…read moreopened at 7:30 and we arrived at 7:15 on a raining evening. The door was open and we poked our heads in to ask if they had any open reservations. The owner told us to come in and stay, that they were pretty busy with reservations but he had a couple seats open and with the weather we shouldn't go back out. He wasn't wrong, by 7:40 the place was basically full. A couple of individuals wandered in and he did his best to create a communal table to serve them. When we arrived one waiter was still hand writing the menus for the day and the owner was busy readying the wine selection. They brought us a menu, the waiter spoke English and was able to describe the 10 things on the rough menu. When we asked if they had rabbit he jokingly remarked 'no, none were running around the place today'. We opted for a 1/2 bottle of barolo, a portion of tajarin ragú (spaghetti with meat sauce), Milanese and brasato (traditional stewed veal). As per norm plenty of bread was served. The entrees came with sautéed vegetables. The brasato was good, meat was soft and flavorful and sitting at this long, wooden, communal table I could completely envision eating this as a traditional dish. The tajarin was perfect for my taste. It was not sauce heavy so if you prefer a meat sauce like that this is not for you. I loved how the homemade spaghetti and the meat really stood out with a very small amount of sauce to bind the two. The Milanese was great. Pounded thin and pan fried in butter, the flavor was tremendous. Living in Italy could really make me like veal! We did not get dessert but the waiter brought us some local appertif to try. It was very sweet but with bitters, an interesting mix. People watching in this place was great. I got a lot of amusement out of it and it was just the sort of place I was looking for in Italy. A place where people gather, are loud, laugh and enjoy home cooked food without frills.

This was our first meal in Piedmont and one of our very favorites, so we actually ended up going…read moreback for lunch on our last day. Between the two meals, we had fried zucchini blossoms, steak tartare, tuma and figs, tajarin with ragu, ravioli, two different pesto pastas, and veal Milanese. We loved just about everything, with the tartare, cheese/figs, tajarin, and veal probably being our favorites. They were also incredibly friendly to our two small children. We'd definitely come back on another trip to Piedmont, and if anything, next trip I'd probably spend more time eating in Alba in general.

Lovely place in Alba. Nice lunch special. Air conditioning inside. Good service. Food is authentic…read more We sat outside and enjoyed the ambiance of the culture of Italy

Food was amazing as well as the wine and service. It was a gorgeous fall day and we sat outside…read morewhich was pleasant. Happy to have a table as the town is packed with truffle festival people. Reserved in advance but got the last table available. Started with a bite of a carrot curry puree and some taralu and bread. I chose a white truffle pasta dish and veal. Both were perfect.

The first day we tried to come for lunch, they were fully booked. However, our hotel was able to…read morehelp us reserve a table for 2 for lunch the following day. When you walk in, you notice that there's a grano padano cheese cart - I saw other people asking for some, so I did, too, and they gave me a nice chunk to nibble on. They spoke essentially no English, but we got by ok. It made me feel like it was more authentic (no English menu either). House wine was cheap - €6 for a 1/2 L; water was €3 for 750 ml. We decided to focus on pastas (€10 each): they all came in skillets, and this helped keep them warm. Portions were generous. - Gnocchi with castamagno and walnuts: I had never had castamagno until coming to Alba. It made for a nice creamy cheesy sauce. It would have been good with some black pepper - Tajerin with black truffles: probably my favorite. It's amazing to me that the pastas are so well sauced that each noodle is coated, but there's not a pool of sauce on the bottom - Fettuccini with boar and porcini: good flavor, but I still preferred the tajerin In the end, we finished with espressos, and they came by chopping off some pieces of chocolate and hazelnut for us to try. There were only around 10 tables, so definitely make a reservation. Bonus: clean bathrooms. Credit cards accepted. For two of us for lunch, it ended up being €46. I would definitely come back for some very reasonably priced comfort food pasta.

Recommended by the manager of the apartment we rented for 4 days and it was across the piazza from…read morethe apartment tucked away in a little courtyard off the piazza. Great service and food. Must have reservations.

Delicious regional dishes, quite refined and delicious! Very…read morepersonable service and on point ! Vibrant ambiance with white table cloth setting. Very inviting and comfortable. Tried their Tajarin, simple and divine. Noticeable wine selections!

If you like fresh, homemade, spectacular food THIS is the place for you!…read moreIf I could give it a million stars it still wouldn't be enough. This place is spectacular in every sense of the word The food is not only fresh and homemade but has that quintessential "italian " love that you can only get from those that have TRUE passion for what they do and life overall. If you are in Leeds - and let's face it - why would you not be??!! Go to La Piola. The staff is friendly and make you feel at home immediately. The food is so delicious you will only ever compare every other meal in your life to it, and the atmosphere in this 9 table restaurant will keep you asking " why isn't it bigger?" If you are lucky enough to snag a table here you are truly in for an experience of a lifetime! Enjoy the gem of a restaurant!!

Perfectly situated in the center of town is the busy and chic: La Piola. It was by happenstance…read morethat we walked by, captured by the near full indoor and outdoor dining space filled with happy diners, and fortunately they had one table for us! This was hands down the best pasta with truffles we had.

Sensational. Everyone should expect great food at any…read moreMichelin starred restaurant, especially a 3 star. Even having said that this place is remarkable. It helps for sure being surrounded by such amazing produce, but, my mind was blown by the attention to detail and sheer variety of the menu. We (literally) bumped into to chef when we were leaving, he looked like a mad genius which makes sense as you can almost feel his obsessiveness in each and every bite. I'll likely never go back but I don't need to, this one experience will live long in my memory.

It was a good experience but very pricey. We had the Barolo Tasting Menu and it was fine, nothing…read moreto write home about. Here are some of the dishes we had: - The Aperitif of Turin - Winegrover's Salad - L'Albese - Snails and Polenta - Risotto Rooibos - Cardoncello Mushroom - Podolica - Pumpkin Seeds and Malghesino - Profiteroles - Cavour Biscuit & Zabaione

First day on the visit to Alba. Needed to find a place to eat on a short notice. And given that…read moreit was a Tuesday night not everyone was open (Understandable not a busy night). Came here because of convenience and weren't disappointed one bit. Food is top notch and local wines including Barolos, and Barbarescos are amazing. Ordered a truffle tasting menu with the Usual Fassona Tartare and Gnocchi, everything was so wonderful even with summer truffle not being as fragrant as the fall ones. The dining room is located below street level adding to the Name and ambiance with wines lining up along the wall all of that and great service make for a wonderful dining experience.

Best of the best! restaurants in Alba CN. Strongly recommended. Amazing food quality and service!read more

Antica Torre is a small intimate Italian Trattatoria restaurant located at the foot of the…read moreBarbaresco Tower in Barbaresco, Italy, one block from Gaya. The kitchen is run by the owner who serves the dishes herself along side her staff; she makes the best Angolotti del plin in the Region, as well as delicious beef tartar, vitello tonnato, and tarajin pasta in a ragu. Of course you can find all the great wines of the Piedmont Region on the wine list. You will not find many tourists here; mostly locals. This is a restaurant not to be missed. Reservations required. Highly recommended.

"Mystic Kingdoms of Wine - Antica Torre, Barbaresco"…read more I use the Mystic Kingdoms of Wine term to refer to places that combine wine production facilities with first class hotel and restaurant. Although this is not strictly the case of Antica Torre, it is located one block from the Gaja winery and is sorrounded by the Barbaresco vineyard hills. Great local wine selection, very good food an service, nice atmosphere.

This place was great! The food was so so good, including local Piedmont specialties. Prices were…read moregreat (including good prices on Alba White Truffle), nice atmosphere, and very friendly staff. Also they were open for dinner before 7:30 for those who aren't from Italy. Benissimo! Tutto era fantastico.

I'll let the car hire boys do the history bit:…read more http://www.car-hire-centre.co.uk/rd-italy/alba.html "Alba is the capital of the historical Langhe region and part of Piedmont in northwestern Italy, the small city of Alba is one of the many provincial spots in the country that offers tranquillity, history and charm in abundance. Replacing the early Celt and Ligurian tribes, the city itself was originally founded by the Romans as Alba Pompeia. Expanding into a site of regional importance, Alba was especially remarkable as the birthplace of Pertinax, the shortest serving Roman emperor in history (lasting just 86 days in 192 AD). Decimated by the marauding Burgundian, Frankish and Lombard tribes, it was only in the Middle Ages that Alba regained some semblance of stability as part of the 12th century Lombard League. Later dominated firstly by France then Spain, the city passed definitively to the Savoy family in the 17th century only liberated two centuries later by the Risorgimento. A notable anti-Fascist centre during the 20th century, even winning a Medal of Valour during World War II, the city is now more famous for its truffles than its politics. However, for a taste of the quiet life in a truly beautiful setting, Alba is the place for you." These Piedmontese white truffles are an expensive underground fungus delicacy that taste of earth, wood, garlic and - as some say - even sweat. They are tracked by dogs, unlike the French black ones, which are sniffed out by pigs. In October, the annual truffle festival takes place, when restaurateurs from all over Europe gather there. Parking is not easy among all the vans with registration plates ranging from Paris and Berlin to Barcelona. You can smell the market from a long way away and inside, the pungent pong is unbelievable. Learn more here: http://www.cnn.com/TRAVEL/PURSUITS/FOOD/9908/truffle.lat/ We decided to eat at the Aldente which was conveniently situated just off the Piazza and looked interesting (their website doesn't work, so somebody might like to correct the address). To start with, I had barbecued octopus, which I can still taste today in my imagination! They then recommend various dishes to go with truffles and I went for beef tartare. They bring a truffle to the table - along with digital scales - and shave truffle over your food until you decide you have enough. The amount of truffle consumed is charged by weight, and the truffle then removed for further use. Cheap it is not for an Italian lunch (EUR120 for 3) if I remember correctly, but then truffles don't run cheap. Still, I was given a handy little billfold with their name on it, which is a pleasant reminder. One caveat though: I subsequently learned that the Piedmontese claim truffles taste best with hot food and say that a fried egg is best. The waiter could have told me that ;-( but I'll forgive him because of the octopus. Alba is known not just for the truffles but also for fine wines such as Barbera d'Alba and Dolcetto d'Alba which are freely available at a reasonable price in the U.K. No truffles in these though - the latter prefer to grow under trees rather than grapevines! A nice place to go in this charming city. Note - off season it is a charming little place (we have been back), but during the festival it is seething...

Amazing food! The truffle and ravioli first course is delicious! The swordfish was also very good…read more Would recommend.