Where to eat in Sestriere, the best 8 restaurants chosen by Gambero Rosso

In addition to being one of the main Italian venues for dog sledding, i.e., excursions with Siberian Husky sled dogs, Sestriere offers the opportunity to practice cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. If the expectations of sportsmen and women are amply satisfied, those of gourmets are no less so, thanks to the many typical products of these mountains, cheeses in primis but also cured meats, game and the ever-present polenta. Here are the best 8 restaurants.

Where to eat in Sestriere, the best 8 restaurants

Le 2 Stagioni

Pizza a taglio. From the very beginning, back in 2010, this shop has always focused on quality, starting with the mix of the three varieties of stone-ground organic flours used to make the naturally leavened dough for pizza and the fragrant focaccia. Even for the toppings and fillings, the selection of ingredients is scrupulous and the difference can be felt immediately when tasting the slices. Craft beers and drinks accompany them. There is also a well-stocked pastry section, with tarts, cakes, biscuits and so on.

Le 2 Stagioni – via Pinerolo, 6/B – 366 4859570 – Facebook

L’Antica Spelonca

Trattoria. In a small hamlet a few minutes from Sestriere, an old village house - with stone vaults, a lit fireplace, lots of wood, cushions, candlelight on the tables - is home to one of the best addresses in the area. The gastronomic offer is in line with the setting, as typical as it gets: knife-beaten Fassona tartare, polenta crostini with lard and chestnuts with honey, maltagliati with wild boar ragout, gnocchi with fondue, tagliata and fillet steak cooked to perfection. Crème brûlée and tarte tatin to close on a sweet note.

L’Antica Spelonca – frazione Borgata Sestriere via Visitazione, 23 – 0122 70116 – Facebook

Biboski

Bistrot. A multifaceted, modern restaurant with a counter and tables, which lends itself to a stop at any time of day. It starts with breakfast and finishes late in the evening, with a good coffee service, a dessert with a hot chocolate, cocktails and drinks, chalices and mugs, appetiser snacks and culinary proposals that please everyone, even vegetarians. Some ideas: agnolotti del plìn al sugo dei tre arrosti, beef cheek with polenta, Filipposki hamburger (200 grams of Fassona, Blue Cheese sauce, crispy bacon, caramelised onion and confit tomatoes).

Biboski – piazza Fraiteve, 2/M – 345 6597917 – Facebook

Cépages vineria e cucina

Wine Bar. The brainchild of Alessandro Gualano, a well-known restaurant entrepreneur, especially in Turin, and a great wine enthusiast (cépages in French means vines), this is the place that was missing in Sestriere: modern, tasteful, with lighting and furnishings studied in every detail. The cellar stocks non-trivial wines, with a predilection for small, still little-known producers who may work organically. There are about 40 proposals by the glass, to accompany refined morsels and quality products, but also 'cooked' dishes of oriental inspiration (read bao and ramen).

Cépages vineria e cucina – piazza Fraiteve, 2/H – 349 3596406

Du Grand Père

Restaurant. In a quaint little village just over 3 kilometres from Sestriere, a reliable family-run restaurant in a typical mountain building. Well-furnished rooms with stone walls, wooden ceilings and floors, well-kept mise en place and a lit fireplace convey a sense of warmth and home. The cuisine bases its success on a modern reinterpretation of local tradition, with dishes that satisfy in terms of presentation and flavour: carpaccio of carne salada, ghenefle (large potato dumplings with fondue), venison civet, donkey stew, and an excellent strudel.

Du Grand Père – frazione Champlas Janvier via Forte Seguin, 14 – 0122 755970 – ristorante-dugrandpere.it

I.Gloo

Bistrot. Breakfast, lunch, aperitifs, dinner: any time is the right time to stop by this modern and glamorous establishment, with the added bonus of a beautiful view of the ski slopes. Much frequented by a varied clientele, in the evening it changes its skin, offering an engaging atmosphere and a more constructed menu, just the right amount of creativity: potato fondue, cardoncelli mushrooms, marinated and smoked egg; potato gnocchi with Monviso blue and rosemary; cbt veal cheek with potatoes and chestnut crumble. All supported by a selection of wines with bubbles from beyond the Alps and a focus on regional wineries.

I.Gloo – piazzale Kandahar, 3 – 338 5346339 – i-gloosestriere.com

La Rognosa

Trattoria. In the upper part of Sestriere, it has been a solid outpost of traditional cuisine for many years, with Francesca Favaretto, owner and cook, at the helm. Carefully selected ingredients, experience and craftsmanship are the solid foundations on which the proposal rests. To begin with a well-assorted platter of cheeses and cold cuts, then polenta concia, agnolotti with wild boar ragout, venison with wild berries, stewed meatballs with potatoes, and chocolate salami. A respectable wine list closes the circle. Booking essential.

La Rognosa – via Monterotta, 21/B – 0122 750987 – Facebook

La Vineria del Colle al Grand Hotel Sestriere

Restaurant. As the sign suggests, wine is the main protagonist here and oenophiles have a vast choice of 1,500 available references spanning the region, the rest of Italy and beyond. The cuisine does not fail to impress, with a traditional menu that, though simple, fully satisfies: bagna cauda with vegetables, potato and chestnut gnocchetti with Castelmagno cheese, braised beef with Barolo, roast veal shank, hazelnut semifreddo with zabaglione sauce. You dine in a tranquil setting of understated elegance. Reservations are advisable.

La Vineria del Colle al Grand Hotel Sestriere – via Assietta, 1 – 0122 76476 – lavineriadelcolle.it