|
To make your visit more enjoyable, we have selected some
restaurants for you:
Baracca,
via Sant’Eusebio 12, 1½ blocks south of the giardini. Tel. 015
21941. Closed Saturday and Sunday. No credit cards.
This relatively inexpensive trattoria of simple
decor specializes in the typical regional cuisine of Biellese, and it’s
the only one on the foodie’s
Slow Food
guide. Some suggestions (from the guide) are the
antipasto misto caldo (hot appetizers), the riso in cagnone
(risotto with local toma cheese), agnolotti, and, as a main dish,
the bollito misto (mixed boiled meats served with sauces) or the
brasato (braised beef in red wine). Also notable is the selection of
cheeses, all from small local producers, and of traditional desserts.
Prinz Grill,
via Torino 14, 1 blocks southeast of the Giardini. Tel. 015 23876.
Closed Sunday. Reservations recommended.
From the Michelin Red Guide: “Historical establishment
furnished in accordance with the original “English marine” style with an
elegant intimate atmosphere. Traditional Piedmontese cuisine without any
folkloristic derivations.” Note that Beppe and Teresio, the former
owners, retired in 2005 and the restaurant is now owned by their former
chef.
All’Antico Vicoletto,
via Vignetto 20/c, 1½ blocks south of the giardini. Tel. 015 31484.
Closed Monday.
Informal (by Italian standards) restaurant
specializing in “schiacciata” (similar to a pizza but on a different
base) and grilled meats and vegetables served sizzling on a hot stone.
Good for a light meal.
Menabrea,
via Eriberto Ramella Germanin 4, 7 blocks north of the giardini near
the end of via Italia. Tel. 015 252-2435. Open in the evenings only;
closed Sunday and Monday. No credit cards. Reservations recommended.
Biella’s award-winning
brewery also serves one of
the best pizzas in town, as well as selection of appetizers, alternative
main courses, and desserts, in a series of historic rooms with vaulted
brick ceilings. Of course, don’t forget to try the excellent and fresh
beer, mostly Pilsner lagers and a hefeweizen.
Spizzico,
via Alfonso Lamarmora 1/?, immediately south of the giardini in the
same shopping complex of Esselunga. Tel. 015 840-7341 or 849-7635. Open
7-22, Friday and Saturday until 23, closed Monday. No credit cards.
The Italian version of fast food, this place offers
some decent slices of pizza along with focacce, salads, fruit
salads, fruit tarts,desserts, and the ever-present staple of fast food,
french fries. Although we highly recommend that you try real Italian
food at some of the other restaurants, or snack at a pastry shop or at a
gelateria (there’s one across from it), this conveniently located outlet
will fulfill needs for
fast food (unless it’s a Monday...).
McDonald’s Italia,
Corso San
Maurizio corner Corso Europa, 2km/1.2m south of the giardini. Tel.
015 849-7396. Open 11-00, Friday and Saturday nights until 01. Closed
Monday.
For the homesick of this American chain, here you can
get the usual selection of burgers and deep-fried pieces of
reconstructed chicken in protein-based glue (a.k.a. Chicken McNuggets),
as well as products named McPink or McRoyal Deluxe. Beer (but no wine)
is served.
Trattoria Canal Secco Antico,
Strada Canal Secco Antico (lower unpaved road). Tel. 015 245-5902.
Closed Tuesday. Directions: look for an arrow pointing to the unpaved
road on the northwest (upper left) corner of the piazza in front of the
Sanctuary. The restaurant will be at the end of the short road.
Located in a restored and refurbished baita (a
combination shepherd’s mountain house and barn) overlooking the valley,
this little gem offers scrumptious typical dishes, including polenta
counsca (a rather heavy dish of creamy polenta, a mix of local
cheeses, and melted shepherd’s butter), bagna caoda, and all
sorts of game. Recommended.
Croce Bianca,
via Santuario di Oropa 480
(inside the lower sanctuary), Tel. 015 245-5923. Closed Wednesday.
From an older version of the Michelin Red Guide:
“Inside the imposing and famous sanctuary, stands an elegant
establishment: two dining rooms with open hearths, a small tavern and a
veranda overlooking the huge evocative complex.” More formal, but less
typical.
In Pollone
(near the Parco Burcina)
Pollone offers two excellent restaurants of roughly
the same level, with similar cuisine and similar cost. Choosing between
them is a matter of style; however, for a lunch in nice weather il Patio
has outdoor seating.
Il Patio,
via Oremo 14. Tel 015 61568. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
The only restaurant in the Biellese sporting a coveted
Michelin star. From the Michelin Red Guide: “Hidden in the park of a
hotel, an establishment built on old stables: ceilings in stone,
mangers, tethering rings on the walls. Elegant, with a creative
cuisine.”
Il Faggio,
via Oremo 54. Tel 015 256-3763. Closed Monday.
From the Michelin Red Guide: “You get the impression
of being in a greenhouse full of plants; but the atmosphere is elegant,
lovely and well looked after. In a Liberty villa, Piedmontese cuisine.”
Il Talucco,
via Raffaello Sanzio 31, Tel 015 881220. Closed for lunch on Monday
and Tuesday.
A rustic bed & breakfast that serves family-style
meals with top-quality local ingredients in a beautifully restored
farmhouse with an enchanting courtyard ideal for warm days. The local
cuisine is enhanced by a few Sardinian touches by co-owner chef Nico
Zara.
La taverna del Ricetto,
rua Vª del
Castello, Tel 015 253-6066. Closed for lunch on Monday and Tuesday.
This restaurant is notable for its location: it is
inside a building of a very well preserved medieval fortification dating
from the
XII-XIV
century, the Ricetto. The walls, which have been standing for 600+
years, are made of exposed fluvial rocks and give it a romantic feeling.
By Italian standards, the food quality can be lacking. Romantic, but if
you’re looking for good food, stay away. NOTE: it has been recently
taken over by new owners. |
