Ristorante Da Angelino – Zidane’s Favourite Remains a Shrine to Juve Legends

From the outside, Da Angelino in Turin looks a lot like other restaurants in the city – the sign bearing the name hangs in a semi-circle, on a light grey, unremarkable building. 

Yet inside, it is sprinkled with stardust.

Located in Corso Moncalieri in the heart of the affluent Borgo Crimea district, Da Angelino was the popular choice among Juventus players.

It was started by Angelino Fulvo and his wife Rita. A jovial character, Angelino sadly passed away several years ago and the restaurant is now in its second generation, with son Mauro running things.

The restaurant is small and gives off a homely vibe. Bustle without the hustle. Yet when you walk through the doors you can feel the weight of its magnificent history.

The walls are crammed, every inch covered, with photos of footballers – Juve and non-Juve – from across the decades. But don’t expect any from Torino. This is Bianconeri territory. 

“We’ve got a few historic and beautiful memories here,” Mauro says with the pride of someone who has lived them rather than curated them.

Name a significant Juve player of the last 30 years and chances are their picture is on the walls of Da Angelino. There’s Fabrizio Ravanelli, Gianluca Vialli, Alessandro Del Piero, Gigi Buffon, Pavel Nedved, David Trezeguet, Roberto Baggio and Zinedine Zidane.

Utility men such as Gianluca Pessotto, Moreno Torricelli and Mark Iuliano, who were in many respects the bedrock of the great Juve sides of the late 1990s and early 2000s, also ate here.

Mauro took many of the photographs himself. The result is a less polished archive and a more living scrapbook with chefs’ hats occasionally borrowed by footballers who wandered into the kitchen for a laugh.

“They always liked to dress as chefs,” he says, smiling.

Zidane, initially brought to the restaurant by Edgar Davids, Paolo Montero and Pessotto, loved Da Angelino so much that he ate there almost every day during his five years in Turin and became friendly with Angelino’s other son, and then-chef, Roberto. So much so, that when Zidane was preparing for Euro 2000 in the Netherlands and Belgium, he called up Roberto and told him to fly over.

“I’m sick of eating overcooked pasta,” Zidane told him. Roberto became the assistant chef for Les Bleus that summer as they won the competition by beating Italy, of all teams, in the final.

The restaurant may have become an unofficial clubhouse for football’s elite, but its spirit remains resolutely local. Families gather here just as they did decades ago, the room humming with the low murmur of Turin life.

In the back where the food is prepared, shirts from different players can be found framed with, of course, Zidane’s prominent among them. Pasta al dente with cherry tomatoes and pesto was the majestic Frenchman’s dish of choice.

The food, Mauro insists, has never tried to compete with the photographs. Instead, it quietly carries the traditions of Piedmont.

We ordered arrosto di vitello con patate al forno (veal roast with baked potatoes), tagliolini con bagna cauda (tagliatelle with garlic and anchovy sauce) and agnolotti al sugo di arrosto con brasto (stuffed Piemontese pasta with brasato sauce).

The veal was delicious and the potatoes melted in the mouth. If there was one criticism, the portion could have been a bit bigger.

The tagliolini con bagna cauda sauce is a Da Angelino speciality. Normally used for dipping – celery and peppers at aperitif time – here the bagna cauda has been slightly altered and used as a pasta sauce, creamier and not as overpowering. This is one we would definitely recommend.

For dessert, Piemontese staple bunet was ordered (again), in addition to the Italian classic tiramisu and crostata di marmellata. On the advice of the waiter we drank Barbera Ceste Sposabella, a wine produced in nearby Alba, before a round of coffees. 

The veal was €17, with the pasta dishes coming in at €15 and €16 and the total bill was easy to swallow at around €35 each.

We could not leave without taking a closer look at the walls. The 1995-96 Champions League winners brought the trophy to the restaurant, Baggio in his Ballon d’Or-winning pomp stopped in for a bite, while Diego Maradona has also eaten here.

Since Juve moved training grounds back in 2006, the current crop don’t drop in like the players of yesteryear did, although Buffon did continue to visit.

Yet Da Angelino is well worth checking out – for the golden calcio memories as much as the excellent food and friendly staff.