Excellent small restaurant ambiance, great authentic food and superior service despite being busy every night.

Our hotel owner recommended this place to us on a Monday saying it was good, local food. They opened 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. read more

See all

This was our first meal in Piedmont and one of our very favorites, so we actually ended up going back 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. read more

See all

A traditional Piedmontese restaurant with excellent local dishes. Although the menu is small, the food is delicious and the service is gracious and welcoming. read more

We didn't realize that it would be super difficult to get a casual lunch on a Thursday. After being turned away from multiple places, we stumbled upon Osteria dei signatori, which was a little more spacious than a lot of the other places, and they had larger communal tables. We started with the house Barbera, which was only €3 for a 1/2 liter. They had a more extensive wine list for about €16-30 a bottle, which was crazy cheap compared to the US. The server spoke some English and started us with 4 antipasti. We were starving, so we went for all 4. Antipasti: €5-7 each 1. Veal tonnato: thinly sliced veal with tuna sauce, which is very popular around here. On its own, the veal is quite dry. The tuna sauce is mayo based. I don't see the appeal, but everyone seemed to order this at most casual places we went to 2. Veal tartare: super fresh, simple, good with bread or crackers 3. Sardines: salty as expected, but there was a super intense and sweet tomato sauce that I wish I could jar up to go 4. Salami: unexpected - a salami meatball that was super tender, served with cooked cabbage Pastas: €7-9 each 1. Tajerin with ragu: great flavor on the meat sauce, be sure to get some Parmesan to sprinkle on your pasta 2. Fettuccini: with pumpkin, squash, etc- seasonal and healthier / lighter, but not as good as the tajerin It's nice that we never felt rushed. It was a super relaxed course by course casual lunch. The menu changes daily, and there's a paper near the entrance with general price ranges, but the server will tell you what's available that day. In the end, it was €45 for the two of us. Portions were quite filling. Bathrooms were clean. Credit cards accepted. read more

Osteria dei Sognatori - This plus wine - not bad for €45 - Italian Near Me - Alba, CN

Our server was sweet, energetic and responsive but the food itself was just so-so. We wouldn't go back. There so many good restaurants in Alba. read more

This is a lovely, busy place. The wait staff is friendly and speak a little English so you can be understood. We got there at 730pm and had no wait. It had a waiting list when we left. Everything we ordered was delicious. read more

Osteria dei Sognatori - Italian Near Me - Alba, CN

See all

Diego and Julia were the best! I cannot say enough about this restaurant. My girlfriend and I were traveling through Italy for a 30th birthday and came here on a recommendation. Each course was amazing, some of the tastiest food either of us had ever eaten. The ragu sauce was cooked slowly to release amazing flavors, while the ravioli was delicately flavored with sage. And the tiramisu was beautifully light while the panna cotta had sweetness beautifully balanced by a bitter sauce. But the service and kindness Diego and Julia showed made the whole experience magical! Whenever we hesitated choosing a course, Diego just brought us a small portion of each option. Even when the kitchen ran out of tiramisu, Julia found a sample and brought it out to us (adding to our dessert sampler). Somehow the bill came to a ridiculously low amount, and then Diego tried to offer us a discount (along with limoncello). We definitely declined the discount and eagerly accepted the limoncello. Diego and Julia, a sincere thank you for the experience! read more

We just got off from the train without knowing where to go. And we just followed yelp's advise. The outside looked like a local tavern or something. But the food there was more than we had expected and the waiter (owner?) was very kind and suggested a few dishes that we followed. We were extremely satisfied with our first meal at Alba area. This had well indicated our good (eat until we drop) trip. read more

One of our first stops in Alba and it was a hit. We put our name in and popped across the street to their bar. Two glasses of Nebbiolo for $4 euros, quickly followed up by two free plates of very tasty stewed beef and polenta. 15 minutes later at the table, shared with a fantastic Canadian couple. The food was a hit; steak tartare--knock out, chicken salad--fresh and if I could get the recipe I would lose an arm, ravioli, more polenta, etc. house wine was solid. Our incredible server plopped down another bottle of wine and told us to try a glass with our new friends. I wish I got her name, she was spunky, entertaining and tons of fun. We did get that she was a yoga teacher, a server and sat as a model for young artists. We thought the room was perfect, loud, upbeat and lively. Hope to get back soon!! Ciao! read more

See all

This unassuming restorante in the heart of Alba may as well surprise your palate. Although the ambience is drab and uninviting, the food do not fall short of stellar. Osteria Dei Sognatori offers affordable simple cuisines from the region of Piedmont. Reservation isn't required and patrons simply line up outside the restaurant. Don't expect a menu either as they serve food they are offering that day. I would recommend ordering other wines they serve other than the house wine. The restaurant serves ample servings of sumptuous antipasti such as beef tartare , slices of cheese con tartufo nero, my fav purée anchovies over peppers, eggs stuffed in zucchini, fresh sliced roast beef, and so much more. The server will keep serving antipasti until you tell him to stop. The restaurant offers different pasta plates for the first course such as gnocchi, ravioli con plin, and creamy pasta dishes...my apologies if the names elude me. An unforgettable second plate I ordered on my 4th visit was lamb shanks that just fell off its bones. I'm very pleased with the digestives they serve such as grappa, Fernet Branca, and their dessert house wine. Mother Nature is simply generous with Piedmont. She graces the region with a host of raw ingredients that provide the inspiration for the Piedmontese table. read more

See all

The food here is incredible. They change their menu daily based on what's fresh. We had a group of 6 and started with the mixed appetizer. Every plate was delicious. We were almost too full to order mains, but didn't want to miss out on the handmade pasta. read more

This was one of my favorite meals of my last trip to Italy. We came in and were promptly served a delicious steak tartare, followed up by 8 more courses. The standouts included an incredible battered eggplant dish with red onion and tomatoes, a delicious bolognese with homemade pasta and so many more. I love places where they just bring out whatever they are cooking and this hit the spot. They also made sure to prepare something different when one of our party couldn't eat something due to her being pregnant. We had multiple carafes of wine, dessert, 9 total courses and digestifs after the meal, grand total for 4, 100 Euros. We almost couldn't believe it. read more

We sat in the old part of the restaurant, in a very cozy room, ventilated (early July) and tasted their fabulous "mal tagliatti" (handmade).... Service was very good and owner was most gracious and generous! read more