Where to eat the best vitello tonnato in Turin, according to Gambero Rosso

Like the Settimana Enigmistica, vitello tonnato (typical dish of sliced veal with a tuna sauce) is a dish “that boasts countless imitations”. Putting aside the fanatical, somewhat 1980s-esque appearance of the sauce-covered trays in delicatessens across Italy, one of the tastiest recipes on the planet is finally finding the place it deserves in our culinary culture, with the best chefs in Italy trying their hand at interpretations, twists and versions faithful to the original.

In Piedmont, vitello tonnato is religion, as well as being a symbol of the region's gastronomic history, which had its centre in anchovies arriving from Liguria on the Salt Road. There are various hypotheses on the origins of the dish, and lovers of culinary history will sink their teeth in this article.

For example, in "La Scienza in Cucina e l'Arte di Mangiar bene" Pellegrino Artusi already speaks of a sauce “made with anchovies, oil-packed tuna, lemon, olive oil and capers”. The eggs are still missing. As we know, recipes are not the result of invention locked in time, but of continuous evolution.

Where to eat vitello tonnato in Turin

In the Piedmont capital, there is no restaurant that does not offer the speciality or that has not measured itself with interpretations of the dish, ranging from orthodoxy (with old-fashioned sauces, containing no mayonnaise) to a breakdown of the two main components, beef and tuna sauce. Marcello Trentini, one of the pillars of Turin's creative cuisine - this year his Magorabin celebrates its 20th anniversary - has over time come up with dozens of modifications on his Il Vitello e il Tonno, but the combination has also amused Antonino Cannavacciuolo, who since the opening of his Turin bistrot could not help but include a - very free - reinterpretation of vitello tonnato on the menu. We also find the dish starring on pizza - and what a pizza! - and, unfailingly, in the sumptuous Savoy tramezzini.

Where to eat traditional versions of vitello tonnato

Osteria Antiche Sere

A treasure chest where the most authentic gastronomic tradition is preserved in an old-fashioned and lived-in setting, but always extremely well cared for and welcoming. This is Antiche Sere, a place where guests can bask in the most sincere flavours of Piedmontese classics: anchovies, baked peppers, tomini cheese, agnolotti with roast sauce and, of course, vitello tonnato cooked to perfection, with an excellent sauce. The wine cellar is not impressive, but there are the right references for this menu offered at honest prices. The service is punctual and friendly.

Osteria Antiche Sere - via Cenischia, 9 – Turin

Madama Piola

"Madama" and "piola" two representative code words for the city. 'Madam' for the former while the latter is a summary of osteria, trattoria, vineria and the name of a card game. The Madama here is in the name, but philosophy and food philology are also there. Among the typical starters, the vitello tonnato in the form of 'bombette': pink-cooked meat, tuna sauce made the old-fashioned way, chilli caramel, is not to be missed. Good service. There is a good choice of beverages and the price is right. Menu at 40 euro. An offer that expands in Cherasco, another of Christian Milone's same formats.

Madama Piola - via Ormea 6bis – Torino – madamapiolatorino.it

Scannabue

There are two pieces of news for this now historic restaurant in the San Salvario district. The first is that it has closed the adjacent restaurant, of the same ownership, which was reserved for fish. The second is that the restaurant has now expanded, occupying the premises. The kitchen is repositioned in the centre, in view, and so Scannabue is now larger and more airy. The menu is always based on classics such as the delicious vitello tonnato, here in one of our favourite versions, agnolotti and guancia, as well as dishes that change periodically such as cappellacci. The gastronomy counter is always present with a few carefully prepared products. The wine list is one of the most interesting in the city, both in terms of its offerings and its fair mark-ups.

Scannabue – l.go Saluzzo, 25h – Torino - scannabue.it

Ristorante Scatto

After Vicenza, Naples and Milan, the Intesa San Paolo project of the Gallerie d'Italia lands in Turin. The catering is entrusted to the Costardi brothers, who also take care of the proposal of Caffè San Carlo (where it is also possible to taste traditional dishes). Scatto has a design room, a counter in front of the kitchen and a small table in the privé. Delicious home-made breads. Three menus, one related to Piedmont, one vegetarian, one more international, with the à la carte possibility of combining two or three dishes plus dessert. Here the vitello tonnato is cooked in a vacuum for 12 hours at 52 degrees, served with tuna sauce with boiled egg and a little mayonnaise. Business lunches during the week are 48 and 58 euro. Extensive wine list.

Ristorante Scatto - p.zza San Carlo, 156 – Torino - costardibros.it

Tre Galline

Entering this restaurant, in the heart of Turin's quadrilateral - an area of nightlife and modern venues - is like crossing the threshold of time. Everything is inspired by the past, the furnishings, the walls, the mise en place. And the cuisine respects these tracks, remaining in the groove of tradition, as is evident in the tasting alone. The ingredients refer to the territory and the recipe book is regional: the excellent vitello tonnato (veal in tuna sauce) or the agnolotti torinesi al sugo di arrosto (agnolotti pasta with roast meat sauce) will be your calling card, as well as the possibility of classics no longer common in restaurants such as bollito misto and finanziera. Adequate wine list, also focused on the territory.

Tre Galline – via G. Bellezia, 37 – Torino – 3galline.it

Vintage 1997

In one of Turin's main squares, this classic restaurant keeps its rhythm, reassuring both in presence, with its classic and important dining room, and in substance, with a precise cuisine and a wide range on offer. The various menus include vitello tonnato and also vitello tonnato alla vecchia maniera al rosso d'uovo. Important wine list that ranges mainly in Italy and France.

Vintage 1997 – p.zza Solferino, 16h – Torino - vintage1997.com

Le Vitel Etonne

Pleasant atmosphere, attentive and helpful service, for this restaurant that right from the sign pays homage to our favourite dish, here proposed in a particularly happy version, among the starters. The menu items are essentially regional, with a few well-made proposals, such as the 36 egg yolk tajarin with liver ragout, the agnolotti gobbi torinesi or the finanziera. Delicious spoon desserts, ice creams and sorbets in closing. Excellent wine cellar.

Le Vitel Etonne, via San Francesco da Paola, 4 – Torino - leviteletonne.com

Casa Vicina

Time passes inexorably and it is now more than fifteen years since the Vicina family first joined Eataly and then the Green Pea project. Fifth generation with Claudio and Anna's daughters inserted in various capacities in the company. The restaurant's style, however, is always reassuring and some dishes are now classics. Among the hors d'oeuvres is the girello di Fassone azienda agricola La Granda in salsa tonnata. The breadth and care of the dessert menu make this one of the most mouth-watering restaurants for the end of a meal. Encyclopaedic wine list.

Casa Vicina – via E. Fenoglietti, 20b (ex via Nizza, 224) c/o Green Pea – Torino – casavicina.com

Casa Savoia by “UNA cucina”

The renovation of the glorious and centrally located Hotel Principi di Piemonte, which has been part of UNA Esperienze for the past three years, has also led to a redefinition of the restaurant proposal, entrusted to Michele Griglio who juggles Piedmontese and Italian cuisine. The menu takes an all-round view: vitello tonnato 'antica maniera'; Carnaroli risotto with caviar, oysters and champagne; roast duck breast with potato and green bean millefeuille; almond milk bunet with toffee sauce and white eating. The room is a good combination of the great history of the place and a contemporary design. Wine cellar with 100 labels and precise service.

Casa Savoia by “UNA cucina” – via P. Gobetti, 15 – Torino – gruppouna.it

Piano 35

On the 35th floor of the Intesa San Paolo skyscraper, from the highest restaurant in Italy you can enjoy an incomparable view. Taking you up to heaven gastronomically speaking is the advice of Marco Sacco, a highly experienced chef who is assisted in the kitchen by Christian Balzo. In the evening, there are two levels of menus, with 4 and 6 courses, available in the Piedmont, Giro d'Italia and Piccolo Lago a Torino versions. In the first, there is vitello tonnato, with pink veal, tuna sauce and crispy celery. At lunch - from Wednesday to Sunday - bistrot formula with the possibility of combining two dishes.

Piano 35 - c.so Inghilterra, 3 – Torino - piano35.com

Where to eat creative interpretations of vitello tonnato

Magorabin

A symbol of creativity in the Turin restaurant scene, Marcello Trentini (he is the Magician Rabin of the sign, taken from a traditional fairy tale) has put his head on straight, but only a little. Having smoothed out certain punk excesses, he now disposes of a more considered and less gestural cuisine, which is nonetheless technical and cultured. The Ventannidimago menu (175 euro) offers a roundup of historical pieces: among them is Il Vitello e Tonno, dated 2009, but always evolving, with meat and raw tuna entering into symbiosis. A few steps away is Casa Mago, the bar with bistro.

Magorabin - c.so San Maurizio, 61d – Torino – magorabin.com

Casamago Bistro

Only a main door separates the emblazoned Magorabin from its 'rib' Casamago, a pleasantly informal space ideal for signature cocktails and good things to eat, including great local ingredients, international street food recipes, contamination and creativity. If the icon is the Mago Sando, a local version of Japanese katsusando, when on the menu don't miss the mouth-watering Tonnato Pig: San Secondo cooked shoulder, katsuobushi and yuzu mayonnaise, Pantelleria capers.

Casamago Bistro - c.so San Maurizio, 61b – Torino - magorabin.com/casamago

Cannavacciuolo Bistrot Torino

One of the city's high-end novelties in recent years. The kitchen is always firmly in the hands of Emin Haziri, with menus that offer a choice of iconic dishes from the Cannavacciuolo school, such as Tonno Vitellato: tuna tartare with bottarga mayonnaise and veal stock. In the dishes, the rich Campanian flavour is always in the background as a reminder of the origins. Important wine list. Professional service.

Cannavacciuolo Bistrot Torino – via U. Cosmo, 6 – Torino - cannavacciuolobistrot.it

Casa Amélie

In the central Roman quad, chef Guido Perino proposes an idea of cuisine based on a few ingredients for perfect recognisability and detail, with maximum attention to the quality of the raw material. The menu alternates between a winter menu and a fresh summer menu, alongside some ever-present "musts", such as Vitello Bottargato, where botargo, declined in various forms, replaces the tuna of the traditional Piedmontese dish. Minimal ambience for a few place settings, with the chef himself taking care of the customers' desires and preferences as well as managing the wine selection that offers a hundred labels, mainly domestic.

Casa Amélie – via C. I. Giulio, 4b – Torino – ristorantecasaamelie.com

Condividere

A scenographic and modern place, which still bears the clear imprint of Ferran Adrià in the kitchen and set designer Dante Ferretti in the ambience, certainly unique for Italian dining. As remains exclusive, the vision brought to the table by the talented Federico Zanasi, interpreter of sequences enjoyable to taste and fun to watch. Also on the Festival menu (85 euro) is the Patata Soufflè like a Vitello Tonnato, a fried potato stuffed with tuna sauce and served with Vicciola meat. Service is as attentive and streamlined as it is attentive and friendly.

Condividere – via Bologna, 20a – Torino - condividere.com

Del Cambio

One of those very few Italian restaurants where history can really be felt and makes the experience special. The great thing is that in a place that boasts 266 years of history, contemporary cuisine is served even if tradition is not forgotten, starting with agnolotti and vitello tonnato, which city regulars can hardly give up. A perfect mix whose merit is entirely due to Matteo Baronetto. His profound knowledge of techniques and products combined with a good dose of creativity allows him to experiment fearlessly. As in the case of the Similitudes, where he combines ingredients that on paper are very different but in the end incredibly similar: here is the interpretation that interests us here, with raw sea bream, veal gravy, Belgian endive in tuna sauce. Impeccable but formal service. Unlimited wine cellar.

Del Cambio – p.zza Carignano, 2 – Torino – delcambio.it

The vitello tonnato on pizza

Sestogusto

Massimiliano Prete, a great pizza maker already known for his Gusto Divino local in Saluzzo, doubled his premises in Turin last December (under the Sestogusto sign) with the opening in Via Stampatori, after the one in Via Mazzini 31/a. On that occasion, it began to propose various “off-menu” pizzas to tell of its evolving gastronomic proposal: among them the Vitello tonnato, with old-fashioned tuna sauce, capers, Fassona La Granda kidney, turnip marinated in citrus fruits and parsley oil, on a crunchy barley base, and the Fassona Tonnata, with marinated Fassona carpaccio, Brussels sprouts marinated in mustard and old-fashioned tuna sauce. Fortunately, the off-menu pizzas have been so successful that he has stabilised their presence alongside the existing menu, so that they are always available.

Sestogusto – via Stampatori, 6 – Torino - massimilianoprete.it

Tellia

There are now 4 branches in the galaxy of Enrico Murdocco, a talented pizza maker who combines pizza and cuisine in an elegant and effective manner. His is a Roman-style pan pizza with a dough of rare lightness and highly selected toppings: the Tonnato, composed of Irish Angus pork loin cooked at low temperature, old-fashioned tuna sauce, and fried Pantelleria capers, was a must. Of particular note is the aperitif with samples of pizza-tellia. The other locations are in corso Sebastopoli 241, the Tellia Lab in via Maria Vittoria (where the bread is also made) and Stonda Pop Delivery, in corso Vercelli 178, a place devoted to gourmet takeaway pizza.

Tellia – via San Tommaso, 27c – Torino – tellia.it

The best vitello tonnato finger sandwiches

Caffè Mulassano

One of the city's emblems and an essential stop on tourist tours, Mulassano is also one of Italy's smallest historic venues, 30 square metres of mirrors, marble tables and period furnishings, including the old lottery wheel for paying the bill and the plaque on the display case that claims the tramezzino was invented in 1926 by then owner Angela Nebiolo. The tramezzini finger sandwiches and toasted sandwiches are still a speciality, stuffed in dozens of variations: among them, the vitello tonnato (veal with tuna sauce), which goes perfectly with the soft pancarrè bread.

Caffè Mulassano – p.zza Castello, 15 – Torino - caffemulassano.com

Caffè Platti

It is a pleasure to enter Platti's, a restaurant that retains all its 19th-century charm, sparkling with mirrors and gilding. Today it is under the management of Gerla, a group that collaborates with Evi Polliotto for the pastries and chef Fabrizio Tesse for the catering. The cafeteria is of a high standard, the pastries and pastries are excellent, as are the sandwiches, in an extensive menu that pays homage to many Piedmontese dishes (peppers and anchovies and vitello tonnato are a must). The latter can also be enjoyed in the traditional cuisine served in the dining room on the second floor.

Caffè Platti - c.so Vittorio Emanuele II, 72 - Torino - platti1875.com

Bar Zucca

A Turin excellence since the early 1900s, Zucca is an emblem of hospitality, and for many it is 'the' aperitif lounge (there is often a queue to get a table). The wine list is excellent and the house cocktails are timeless, from the classic Zucca Rosso and Verde to the Martini with Zucca rhubarb, to those in which creativity finds its place (such as the Balsamic), all of course accompanied by the delicious sandwiches, which have always been the house speciality, the pizzette and the sandwiches (don't miss the semi-sweet sandwiches with vitello tonnato). Breakfast is also a special moment. Service up to the mark.

Bar Zucca – via A. Gramsci, 10 – Torino - barzucca.it

Caffè d’Acaja

This good bar has made itself known to the general public through a TV programme. In addition to a daily menu in which vitello tonnato is not lacking, it also offers a small menu of sandwiches (triangular, different from the classic rectangular Turin shape) in classic or more elaborate flavours: among the war horses, of course, veal in tuna sauce, boiled egg, green apple and celery.

Caffè d’Acaja – via Principi d'Acaja, 57 – Torino - Instagram