The Insider’s Guide to Alba Restaurants

The Insider’s Guide to Alba Restaurants is your starter list for dining in Alba!

Welcome to Alba, Italy Alba, Italy, the primary wine town in Northern Italy’s Langhe wine region. The Langhe is made up of Piedmont’s most well-known wine areas of Barolo and Barbaresco.

Alba sits directly between Barolo and Barbaresco. For visitors looking to explore the Langhe without renting a car, I often recommend they stay in Alba for easy access to amenities like restaurants, pharmacies, grocery stores, hotels, bike rentals, and more.

The Insider’s Guide to Alba Restaurants covers everything from coffee bars and cafés to wine bars, osterias, pizzerias, gelato, and fine dining establishments.

A lot has changed since I first put this guide together in 2016. I’ve had a pandemic, places have opened, closed, and changed, and I’ve continued eating my way around the region. Needless to say, my Piedmont dining list has gotten a whole lot longer. So, I’ve taken the places I recommend again and again and put them into Piedmont Dining: The Essential Guide, going beyond Alba to give you everything: Alba, Barolo, Barbaresco, Monferrato, and Roero. Think of this post as your Alba deep dive and the Essential Guide as what to have on your phone when you’re eating your way through Southwestern Piedmont.

Dig in! 

Alba’s population is about 30,000, so it’s big enough to give you options but small enough to still feel intimate. In addition, the city’s central location makes getting around Barolo, Barbaresco, and even into the Roero and Monferrato easy.

The centro storico or historic center spans two main piazzas, Piazza Savona (recently renamed Piazza Michele Ferrero, founder of Ferrero and inventor of Nutella – all hail) and Piazza Risorgimento (also called Piazza Duomo by the locals). The main street connecting the two is Via Vittorio Emanuele (or Via Maestra to the locals ). My guide to the best Alba restaurants covers that primary vicinity.

Let’s start, of course, with wine! 

Best Restaurants in Alba: Wine and Aperitivo

Wine Bars, Tasting Rooms:

Voglia di Vino

A wine bar offering tasting flights and an extensive wine by the glass list. You can also try older vintages as well as producers like Gaja with their Coravin system. Ask Luca for the Girl’s Gotta Drink tasting flight – five regional wines I picked myself at 15€; drinks are always served with a complimentary small plate of food. 

Find it! Voglia di Vino

• Address: Via Elvio Pertinace, 7A, Alba
• WiFi: Yes

Petricore

Quickly becoming one of my favorite wine bars and fantastic food for dining. Outdoor seating not far from the market. Fantastic aperitivo plates, knowledgeable staff, excellent wine (they delivered to me more times than I want to admit durint lockdown!)

Find it! Petricore

• Address: Via Ospedale 6, Alba         
• Wifi: Yes. 

Il Gourmet della Maddalena

A fun little wine bar on Alba’s main pedestrian street of via Maestra/via Vittorio Emanuele. Find a few tables inside and outside on via Maestra; outside of truffle season, they do tables in the courtyard where the Alba White Truffle Fair takes place, Cortile della Maddalena. 

Pick up artisan meats and cheeses as well as wines to have at your lodging! 

Find it! Address: Via Vittorio Emanuele 19/O, 12051 Alba 

Roberto Sarotto Tasting Room

Located in Piazza Savona with prime outdoor seating. The Sarotto tasting room features about the best aperitivo plate in Alba. The high-quality meats and cheeses perfectly accompany Sarotto wines; available by the glass, bottle, and tasting flights. Aperitivo plate comes with any wine ordered.

Find it! Roberto Sarotto

• Address: Piazza Michele Ferrero 3/A, Alba
• WiFi: Yes

Ape Wine Bar – Alba

It’s the bar / ristorante’s second location, the first in Santo Stefano Belbo. Enjoy wines by the glass, a fantastic wine list, great aperitivo, and a nice lunch and dinner menu. One of my favorite parts? There is a baby changing station in the bathroom – a rarity in Italy!

Find it! Ape Wine Bar – Alba

• Address: Piazza Risorgimento 3, Alba
• WiFi: Yes

Beer:

Pensavo Peggio

A great local brewery / beer bar. They brew their ale on site. Even better, they have the best aperitivo buffet in town with some killer pizza. Wine is available. And, they do coffee in the morning and a lunch and dinner service.

Find it! Pensavo Peggio

• Address: Corso Langhe, 59, Alba
• WiFi: Yes

Best Restaurants in Alba: Mornings

Coffee and Pastries:

Caffé Teatro

I started visiting Caffé Teatro on Saturday mornings en route to the weekly open-air mercato. Teatro is off the main busy street, so it’s a faster walk. I quickly realized it was something special when we kept seeing familiar faces there. The coffee is strong and the pastries are divine.

Find it! Caffé Teatro Address: Via Calissano Teabaldo, 6, Alba

Pasticceria Pettiti

Pettiti is known for their baked goods and local treats. Don’t miss their baci di dama, traditional biscotti cookies with a hazelnut cream filling, or any of the torte cakes – all the baked goods are made fresh daily. They have a coffee bar inside and when the weather is nice they set up tables on the main street – great for people watching. The historical draw to this Alba restaurant is that Pettiti is the bakery is where the recipe for Nutella was invented. Salute!

Find it! Pascticceria Pettiti

• Address: Via Vittorio Emanuele, 25, Alba
• WiFi: No

Best Restaurants in Alba: Lunch and Dinner

Nicer meals, to high-end dining:

Osteria dell’Arco

One of my go-to Alba restaurants when I have friends in town or are just looking for something a little nicer without breaking the bank.

The food is always fantastic, mostly traditional, but you’ll also find things like duck that are not typical to the region. Osteria dell’Arco is associated with the Slow Food Organization, which initiated in the nearby city of Bra. The extensive wine list is about the best deal in town. They are a part of Slow Food, so they cannot sell wine for more than it retails for at the cellar door.

Find it! Osteria dell’Arco

• Address: Piazza Michele Ferrero, 5, Alba (in a courtyard just off Piazza Michele Ferrero)
• Phone: +39 0173 363974

Eno Club

Located in Piazza Michele Ferrero, Eno Club is in the cellar below – perfect for a more intimate experience. 

Dining options include traditional fare as well as a daily seafood dish – sometimes two. During truffle season it makes for a great brunch-style stop of fried egg topped with decadent shavings of Alba White Truffle.

Find it! Eno Club

• Address: Piazza Michele Ferrero, 4, Alba
• Phone: +39 0173 33994
• Reservations: Recommended 
• WiFi: Yes

Osteria Lalibera

On our list of Alba restaurants, Laliberra is a bit more upscale with a fantastic wine list (though, be prepared that the list might not always be accurate and you may do some back and forth with the somm to find something in stock). Traditional dishes with an innovative twist. A visit here isn’t something I do often, so when I make the splurge it’s quite a treat.

Find it! Osteria Lalibera

• Address: Via Elvio Pertinace, 22, Alba
• Phone: +39 0173 293 155
• Reservations: Recommended

Piazza Duomo

Alba’s destination fine-dining experience, Piazza Duomo holds three Michelin stars. It books well in advance, so reserve early.

Find it! Piazza Duomo

• Address: Piazza Risorgimento 4, Alba 
• Phone: +39 0173 366167
• Email: info@piazzaduomoalba.it
• Reservations: Required

Casual, Pizzerias:

Osteria dei Sognatori

A traditional eatery serving hearty local food and wine at great prices. During high season, you’ll see both locals and visitors line-up here – literally because they do not take reservations. They also have an adjacent bistro, Bistrot dei Sognatori, that serves food from the same kitchen. The Bistrot is open daily for coffee, lunch, aperitivo, and dinner. 

Find it! Osteria dei Sognatori

• Address: Via Macrino, 8, Alba
• Reservations: No, it’s a good idea to get there when they open to get a table. 

Pizzeria Da Gio

Da Gio is a great casual option in my list of Alba restaurants and is one of my favorite pizza places. They also do traditional dishes from antipasti to pasta, and mains as well as artisan beers if you need a break from wine. You can get your pizza for takeaway. 

Find it! Pizzeria Da Gio Address: Via Cuneo, 3, Alba

Trattoria da Sergio

Just up a side street off the main pedestrian street of via Maestra, Trattoria Sergio is a great eatery offering a combination of regional cuisine mixed with Sardinian – think fish! You’ll also find local and Sardinian wines. It’s a real treat, especially for the seafood lovers in town!

Find it! Trattoria da Sergio Address: Via Giuseppe Mazzini, 6, Alba

Gastronomia Urbana

There are tons of fabulous gastronomie around Alba. One of my favorites is just across from Piazza Michele Ferrero; you can also dine-in and they have a great wine list.

Find it! Gastronomia Urbana Address:  Piazza Michele Ferrero 11, Alba

Best Restaurants in Alba: Speciality

Gelato:

La Romana (the only gelateria you need!)

Best gelateria in town. Order the panna fresca if you like whipped cream. They do cups, cones, cakes, and takeaway. Find it! La Romana Address: Corso Italia, 2, 12051 Alba

Focaccia:

Focacceria di Budego

If you are looking for a quick bite to eat while walking around town, Budego is perfect. The focaccia is amazing and the owner is always entertaining. But, take the opening hours with a grain of salt. As frequently, I walk by and they are closed during the day. Shoot for lunch, aperitivo.

Find it! Focacceria di Budego Address: Via Cavour Besnco, 9, Alba.

Sushi:

Hasu

Yes, that’s right, you can have sushi here in Alba.

Find it! Hasu Address: Via Cavour, 10, Alba.

Enjoy all the fantastic Alba Restaurants!

Enjoy eating your way through Alba!

I hope this guide gives you a good start on the restaurants, wine bars, cafés and other spots that make Alba such a great base for exploring the Langhe. Heading beyond town? Check out my Insider’s Guide to Barolo and Barbaresco Restaurants, too. And if you want my full Piedmont dining list in one place, keep scrolling for Piedmont Dining: The Essential Guide.

And, if you need any help with your area travel plans, click for my tour and travel planning services.

Do you have some favorite Alba restaurants that I’ve missed? Please, let us know in the comments!