Al Gatto Nero — Restaurant in Turin

A legendary restaurant in Turin that used to have Michelin stars and chose to stay true and principled instead of serving entertaining fancy modernity.

The interior is from the 70s/80s and the guest seem to be mostly local and in the know. The food is supreme and principled, the perfect execution and ingredients are far more important than decoration.

The perfect anchovies with sublime fresh herbs, the squid with artichokes, the most amazing cod with potatoes you will ever have, the home made pastas with impeccably elegant ragu and game sauces and the most amazing tripe with beans I’ve ever had. Every dish is timeless and even a 5% error can make it bland and useless. Never happens here.

The wine list is great and doesn’t require extra descriptions.

Come here for perfectly executed Italian and you will actually both enjoy the food and learn what benchmark taste...

Tasty food and an extensive wine list. Service is Fawlty Towers -esque. The wine I ordered was not available and I was advised against any of the wines on the Reserve list “in case it’s not good” which seemed a bit weird. We had to beg for grated Parmesan on the pasta and spent a lot of time trying to catch the waiters’ eye. There were 10 occupied tables and 3 waiters which should be more than fine but they don’t organize themselves well. One of them spends the evening opening wine bottles, smelling the corks and helping himself to a glass from each bottle in the middle of the room, paying no attention to the various tables. Admittedly we’re tourists but even the locals weren’t served any more efficiently from what I observed. So go for tasty food but...

One of the best and most pleasant dining experiences I‘ve had. The restaurant had a very special vibe and a true and honest affinity for the arts (not only on a plate). So much quality and dedication – in terms of food and also in terms of service. We ordered a bottle of Barolo – the waiter tried it and did not like it and refused to serve it. Instead we got a even better bottle for the same price. It‘s the kind of place where the chef and staff would not dare to serve anything beyond top quality. Not because they fear bad reviews – but because they could not handle it personally. I love this place and would come back to Torino just for a night at Al Gatto Nero....