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.

This was amazing. I'm always skeptical of hotel restaurants, even ones with a Michelin star, but…read morethis one fully lived up to it. We got risotto with sea bream and lemon, cappellaccio filled with essentially a panzanella salad, spaghettone with a bread/butter/anchovy sauce, an eggplant dish cooked in several different ways, and local steak cooked in a Tuscan style. Every bite was excellent, including their amazing amuses to start, and bread which was basically perfect crusty Tuscan bread but with actual flavor too (unlike the real thing in Tuscany). Our favorite dish of the night was probably the spaghettone, which really says something for Emmy wife who rarely likes anchovies, but this is about as perfect a pasta dish as you can get. The steak and the risotto were also particular standouts, as was the seriously-excellent fusilli with tomato sauce that they made for our three year old daughter. We also stayed at the hotel here which was absolutely perfect in just about every way.

Athmosphere: 5* Service: 4*…read moreFood: 4* We were here last year and it was extremely nice. We stay at the Relais which I fully can recommend. They only have like 10 rooms but they are big and well designed. The food was very good, it was overall a very nice feeling. I really recommend this.

I am a Director of an upscale travel agency, I have traveled extensively since the age of 12, and I…read moreconsider myself a demanding consumer. And yet I don't think I can add to the countless 5-star reviews that the extraordinary Denise and her exceptional staff have earned at this renovated castle. The renovation retained all the ambience of a 900-year-old castle while adding the amenities essential to a luxurious stay. However, it is the services that make the difference here. The daily itinerary is carefully planned by people who know the wineries, restaurants, and experiences like cooking classes intimately. And everyone is courteous, happy, and well trained, carefully attending to every detail of the property and services. Yet most mind-blowing is the dinner. For whatever reason, the restaurant doesn't get the one or likely two Michelin stars that I know it deserves. The menu is based on regional ingredients but uses Denise's expertise and creativity that I couldn't find at any of the many other tradition-bound restaurants we tried while in Barolo and its neighbors. I have read several reviews that rate a dinner at the Costello the best of their entire trip to Italy. So stop reading. Make your reservations!

We found this gem online while looking for a place to stay during a 4-day visit to Piemonte for…read morewine tasting. Located in the tiny residential village of Sinio its a little island by itself up on a breezy hilltop. Since this is a restored castle dating from the 12th century the stone walls are thick and windows are tiny to keep out medieval marauders and the rooms are all unique. We stayed in room 7 on the 1st (2nd the way we count) floor at the end of the hall featuring a large bedroom and sitting area that was a few steps below the hallway. It also had two small twin beds in a loft above so this room would be a good choice for family groups. The staff opened the wrought iron gate and greeted us at the top of the drive along with the owner. While the owner, Denise (who is American) checked us in and provided an extensive orientation while we sipped prosecco, the luggage was taken off to our room. One of the features of the property is an immaculately landscaped courtyard bespectacled with colorful blooms-an oasis of tranquility and beauty in an otherwise unremarkable village. The hotel also has an amazing restaurant open only to guests and we opted to try it our first night-oh my God! It turns out Denise is also the executive chef-perhaps her primary love-and we enjoyed a memorable 2-hour meal seated in the open-air Terrace tasting exquisite delights. We started by sharing the "into the garden pasta"-handmade ravioli artfully displayed with bits of shaved garden vegetables and herbs followed by a most delicious sole perfectly crispy on the edges and succulent with al dente vegetables and a beautiful sauce of lemon and passion fruit. Words just cannot describe how good this restaurant's food was. In fact, the dining is reason enough alone to stay here for anyone who enjoys the culinary experience of a master chef. We followed the meal with a decadent chocolate and cherry mouse cake that was the perfect finale to a beautiful evening. All in all a nice place to stay Positives: -great staff -unique, comfortable and quiet rooms with great AC -great restaurant - fantastic dinner Challenges: -tiny shower in our room (loft suite)-size of old time phone booth -breakfast NOT included and at 14€ per person per day it adds up -onerous cancellation policy (perhaps they've had an issue once people arrive to this small isolated town) -location a bit off the beaten path and very few other places to eat in tiny village-one pizzeria nearby that was nice

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

A wonderful dining experience! I had dinner last night at…read morethis fantastic restaurant and everything was just perfect. The high level of service, the quality of the food, and the warm, elegant ambiance. I tried the 'tajarin with truffles" and it was absolutely delicious. Highly recommended for anyone looking for an authentic and memorable dining experience! Thank you! Grazie mille!

We stopped in Alba and came here for lunch. We've been in the Piedmont area for a week. This was…read moreour best experience to date. A great menu selection, unique dishes, and excellent service. We highly recommend this restaurant.

I highly recommend this very nice restaurant with a gorgeous room in stones below. The owner is an…read moreexperienced sommelier and the food was among the best I have ever had in Italy. Don't miss the plin!

I enjoyed the food at this casual eatery. I was craving some raw food and really liked their…read moresalad. Pasta, of course, is good too.

As mentioned in the previous review, Grappolo D'Oro is a family run coffee shop, restaurant and…read morehotel in the center of Monforte d'Alba. You can't miss it, it's in the middle of the central piazza. Two brothers, they look like twins, are at the front either greeting in the restaurant upstairs in the coffee shop downstairs. Their mother is a regular fixture in the coffee shop too. The Coffee Shop- It's always busy and a great spot to catch up with locals. The coffee is pretty darned good too! Morning pastries and fresh bread is quite limited though. The Restaurant- Located on the top floor, it's a spacious and classic spot serving up a super traditional Piemontese menu. An insalata mista and grilled veal made for a light lunch. The veal, however, was quite tough and chewy, so it wasn't the best I've had in the area. I'll be returning to Monforte to get married, I'll be sure to grab my morning cappuccino there! And yes, English is spoken there for those that need it.

We enjoyed a nice lunch at this hillside restaurant located in the Barbaresco wine district on a…read moreFriday in July. We were in the area with a guide tasting some wine and it's was time for lunch. They've got a beautiful Terrace overlooking the Vineyards with a great view. To start we enjoyed a plate of wonderful burrata with delightfully shaved Parma ham. We each chose a pasta for our main course-me the thin spaghetti with rich and flavorful meat sauce and my wife ordered the tiny hand-pinched pasta in butter with a generous shaving of black truffle. Both were delicious. The star of the meal was the setting on a beautiful Terrace overlooking the vineyards. It was very special. Recommended

We had a reservation on Saturday based on a recommendation of a close friend. When we arrived the…read morestaff was very friendly but then it went down hill from that point forward. We order a local wine which we had tasted only an hour earlier. We were a table of five and three of us ordered there three course menu and others order only two courses. The staff could not figure out that they should have kept the menue in the same order for everyone, first the appetisers, followed by thesecond course then main. What happened was they brought the appetiser for three and the second course for others which through off the schedule and appeared to have significantly delayed one main for one of us. In short the main course showed up so late two people had to leave the table because they were being eaten by mosquitoes while two of us had two wait for their main. If the poor serves was not bad enough when a second bottle of the local wine was requested they only then informed us they did not have another bottle. One would have thought that with a table of five guest they would have informed the table when they brought us the first bottle that they did not have any more in stock and that if we planned to have two bottle we may want to make another selection. When I raised my concern with the service, late service of the main for the final two guest with the manager she simply did not want to hear the issues and proceed my credit card with no remorse. We will never return to the restaurant and I will be more than happy to post about the poor attitude of the manager. The other issues would have been forgiven but the managers attitude and lack of apology simple cant be overlooked.