Osteria al Tagliere – Eat Like a Local in Torino

“Go to Osteria al Tagliere. It’s all Piemontese cuisine and popular with locals.”

This was the first thing our Airbnb host said when learning we were hungry, having just touched down in Turin.

It was good advice.

Sitting on the corner of Via Corte D’Appello in the lively Quadrilatero district, Osteria al Tagliere ticks all the right boxes when craving authentic Piemontese food while avoiding any tourist traps.

The decor is a mix of styles: part classic Italian with the standard chequered red and white table cloth; part rustic aesthetic with the walls painted maroon, and wood and brick visible. Tools, bottles of wine in boxes and even the odd stuffed animal hang from the walls, yet, somehow, it all comes together. And it works.

As for the food, you won’t find carbonara, nor other pasta staples such as amatriciana, spaghetti alle vongole or gnocchi alla Sorrentina. And this is what makes Osteria al Tagliere shine.

The menu is focused, at least in terms of primi and secondi. What it does, it does very well. That being said, the starter menu is extensive, and so we plumped for the peperoni di carmagnola con bagna cauda (peppers with garlic and anchovy sauce) and polenta concia con blu di cuneo e tome d’alpeggio (polenta with blue cheese).

The peppers with garlic was delightful, the sauce strong but not overwhelming while the polenta was creamy, but light for a fairly big portion.

For the main, pappardelle di cinghiale battuto al coltello (pasta with wild boar) and a risotto al cavolo viola mantecato con gorgonzola (violet cabbage risotto with creamed Novara cheese and walnuts) were ordered and accompanied by a glass of Barbera Boccanera, a Piemontese red wine.

The chunks of wild boar were cooked to perfection and topped off with sprinkles of Parmesan, while the risotto was just as filling.

For dessert, the friendly staff suggested the bunet, a traditional Piemontese custard dessert dating back to the 13th century, resembling a chocolate creme caramel with sprinkles and a single piece of biscotti on top. Again, the advice was good.

The night was topped off with glasses of San Simone and Genepy, local brands of amaro to help digestion. Not as potent as other kinds of the bitter liqueur and with more of a sweet flavour.

Main courses were €16 each, while the starters came in between €14 and €19 and dessert was €6. Two glasses of red came to €12. So all in all, under €50 per person, and worth every cent.

If local cuisine is what you want in Turin, there cannot be many better options than Osteria al Tagliere.

Address: V. Corte d’Appello, 6, 10122 Torino.
Opening hours: 12pm-3pm and 7pm-11pm Sunday-Friday.
12pm-3pm and 7pm-11:30pm Saturday.