Restaurant in Aosta, Italy
Serious kitchen, informal room, easy to book.
Gina earns a Michelin Plate (2025) and a 4.8 Google rating from its informal two-room space built between Roman walls in Aosta's old town. The €€€ menu covers both traditional Valle d'Aosta cooking and personalised modern Italian plates with strong meat options. Book here when you want serious food without fine-dining formality — it delivers more culinary credibility per euro than anything at the €€€€ tier in the city.
Gina holds a 4.8 Google rating across 95 reviews, has earned the Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025, and operates out of two basement rooms where the physical fabric of the space — Roman stonework from Aosta's ancient foundations , forms the backdrop to a menu that moves between valley tradition and personalised modern Italian cooking. If you've eaten here once and are wondering whether it warrants a second visit, the short answer is yes, and the longer answer follows below.
The address is Via Croix-de-Ville, 25, in the heart of Aosta's historic centre. The two basement rooms are built between preserved Roman walls, which gives the space a density of atmosphere that no amount of interior design budget can replicate. The Michelin description calls it "simple and informal" , which, in practice, means you are not paying for spectacle or theatre. You are paying for the food. That framing matters when you are comparing this to alternatives at the €€€€ tier like Paolo Griffa al Caffè Nazionale or Vecchio Ristoro, where the room and the service ceremony carry more of the overall experience weight.
The menu at Gina works across two registers: dishes rooted in Valle d'Aosta culinary tradition, and more contemporary, personalised Italian plates that include strong meat options. For a returning diner, this dual structure is worth paying attention to. On a first visit, the instinct is often to anchor to the familiar , regional classics, valley produce. On a second visit, the modern side of the menu is where the kitchen's individual voice comes through most clearly, and it is the more interesting direction to explore. The Michelin Plate recognition, held consistently across two consecutive years, signals that the technical execution meets a standard that is not accidental or seasonal.
Valle d'Aosta is a small wine region with a production volume that keeps most of its bottles inside Italy's borders , which means a restaurant like Gina, operating in the heart of the valley, is one of the more reliable places to access the regional list in depth. Wines from producers working with Petit Rouge, Fumin, and the indigenous whites of the Aosta Valley are the relevant category here, and a kitchen with Michelin recognition at this price tier typically supports that list with genuine curation rather than an afterthought selection. For anyone with an interest in lesser-known Italian wine, the drinks component at Gina is worth treating as a destination in itself, not a supporting element. If wine is central to your evening, Aosta's independent wine culture rewards attention , check our full Aosta wineries guide for context on what the region produces before you sit down.
Gina works well for two people who want a serious dinner without the formality of a full fine-dining production. The informal setting makes it a better fit for that format than for large group celebrations, where the atmosphere at a more theatrical room would do more work. Solo diners are well served by the style , a basement space with Roman walls and cooking at this level is more interesting than most alternatives in the city at the same price point. For a special occasion that does not require white-glove service, this is a sound call. For an occasion where the room itself needs to impress, Vecchio Ristoro or Paolo Griffa al Caffè Nazionale will carry more visual weight.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy. Reservations: Book in advance, particularly on weekends , a Michelin Plate kitchen at this price in a city the size of Aosta fills faster than the informal setting might suggest. Budget: €€€ , expect to pay at the mid-to-upper range of Aosta's restaurant market, well below the €€€€ tier competitors but above the value-tier options like Osteria da Nando or Stefenelli Desk. Dress: No stated dress code; the "simple and informal" descriptor from Michelin suggests smart casual is the practical ceiling. Location: Via Croix-de-Ville, 25, Aosta old town , walkable from the central Roman arch and the main pedestrian spine of the historic centre.
For a returning visitor to Aosta who has already worked through the obvious stops, Gina represents the kind of consistent, technically grounded cooking that justifies coming back to a city's restaurant scene rather than treating it as a one-visit checklist. The Michelin Plate is not a star, but two consecutive years of recognition from the same guide signals that this is not a flash-in-the-pan kitchen. For comparison, modern Italian kitchens operating at significantly higher investment levels , Osteria Francescana in Modena, Dal Pescatore in Runate, or Uliassi in Senigallia , set the national reference points for what the cuisine type can achieve at its ceiling. Gina is not operating at that register, and it does not need to be. Its value is in delivering a focused, regionally inflected modern Italian meal in an atmospheric space, at a price point that does not require the occasion to be exceptional to justify the spend. See also Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico, Quattro Passi in Marina del Cantone, and Reale in Castel di Sangro for comparable modern Italian kitchens operating in similarly off-the-beaten-track Italian destinations. For modern cuisine outside Italy entirely, Frantzén in Stockholm and Maison Lameloise in Chagny offer a useful sense of how the format scales internationally. For everything else in Aosta, see our full Aosta restaurants guide, our full Aosta hotels guide, our full Aosta bars guide, and our full Aosta experiences guide.
Gina's two basement rooms can take groups, but the informal, intimate setting means larger parties should book well ahead and confirm capacity directly with the restaurant. It is better suited to small groups of four to six than to large celebratory tables , if you need a room that scales easily for eight or more, Paolo Griffa al Caffè Nazionale at the €€€€ tier offers a more formal structure that handles that format better.
Yes. The informal, no-ceremony approach and the atmospheric basement setting make it a comfortable solo option , you are there for the food and the space, neither of which requires a companion to work. At €€€ in Aosta, it is the most credentialled option for a solo dinner that does not feel like eating at a bar. The city's broader restaurant scene is covered in our full Aosta restaurants guide.
It depends on what the occasion requires. Two consecutive Michelin Plates and a 4.8 Google rating give it the culinary credentials for a meaningful dinner, and the Roman-wall basement setting is genuinely atmospheric. But the "simple and informal" descriptor means it will not deliver the white-tablecloth, full-service ceremony that some occasions call for. For that, book Vecchio Ristoro instead. For a special dinner where the food matters more than the ritual, Gina at €€€ is the better-value call.
No specific tasting menu details are confirmed in available data for Gina. What is clear is that the kitchen has earned Michelin Plate recognition in two consecutive years, which signals consistent quality across the menu at the €€€ price tier. At this price point in Aosta, the overall value-to-quality ratio compares favourably against the €€€€ options in the city. Whether a tasting format is offered is leading confirmed directly with the restaurant when booking.
The menu includes both traditional Valle d'Aosta dishes and modern Italian plates with strong meat options , which suggests the kitchen has range. For specific dietary requirements, confirm in advance when booking, as no dietary policy is stated in available data. The cuisine type and menu structure suggest a kitchen willing to personalise, but verification directly with the restaurant is the only reliable route.
At the €€€€ tier, Paolo Griffa al Caffè Nazionale offers a more formal creative Italian experience, and Vecchio Ristoro is the address for deep Valle d'Aosta cuisine with full fine-dining service. If you want to spend less, Osteria da Nando and Stefenelli Desk both operate at €€ and cover the valley cuisine and contemporary Italian categories at lower spend. Also note Gina casa con cucina as a related option in Aosta worth considering. See our full Aosta restaurants guide for the complete picture.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gina | Modern Cuisine | €€€ | This restaurant in the old town has a simple and informal feel, with two rooms in the basement built between the Roman walls of Aosta. The quality of the cuisine here is remarkable – the menu features dishes inspired by local traditions, alongside a selection of modern and personalised Italian dishes (including meat options).; Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| Paolo Griffa al Caffè Nazionale | Italian Seafood, Creative | €€€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Vecchio Ristoro | Cuisine from the Aosta Valley | €€€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Osteria da Nando | Cuisine from the Aosta Valley | €€ | Unknown | — | |
| Stefenelli Desk | Italian Contemporary | €€ | Unknown | — | |
| Gina casa con cucina | Unknown | — |
Comparing your options in Aosta for this tier.
The two basement rooms are compact, so large groups may find space limited. For parties of four to six, booking well in advance is advisable — particularly on weekends when a Michelin Plate kitchen at the €€€ tier in a city this size fills quickly. Groups of eight or more should check the venue's official channels to confirm capacity.
The informal setting makes Gina more comfortable for solo diners than a formal fine-dining room would be. At €€€, it is a considered spend for one, but the Michelin Plate recognition and 4.8 Google rating suggest the cooking justifies it. If solo dining at the counter format appeals more, check Paolo Griffa al Caffè Nazionale as a contrast.
Yes, with one caveat: the atmosphere is described as simple and informal, so if you need a grand, celebratory room, Gina will not deliver that. What it does deliver is Michelin Plate-recognised cooking at €€€ in a genuinely characterful space built between Roman walls — which makes it a strong choice for a dinner where the food matters more than the theatre.
Tasting menu specifics are not confirmed in available data, so check directly when booking. What is confirmed: the kitchen holds a Michelin Plate for 2024 and 2025, operates at €€€, and blends Valle d'Aosta tradition with contemporary Italian cooking — a format that tends to reward a multi-course approach if the option exists.
No specific dietary policy is confirmed in the venue data. The menu includes both meat-based dishes and more personalised modern Italian plates, which suggests some flexibility, but check the venue's official channels before booking if dietary needs are a deciding factor.
Paolo Griffa al Caffè Nazionale is the higher-end option in the city, with stronger fine-dining credentials if formality and prestige matter more. Vecchio Ristoro is the established local choice for traditional Valle d'Aosta cooking. Osteria da Nando sits at a lower price point for a more casual meal. Gina is the call when you want Michelin-recognised modern cooking without the formality or the elevated price of the top tier.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
