Restaurant in Bobbio, Italy
Michelin-recognised Emilian cooking at mid-range prices.
Piacentino is a Michelin Plate-recognised Piacentine restaurant and pension on Piazza S. Francesco in Bobbio's old town, priced at €€. Two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024–2025) and a 4.3 Google score across 1,316 reviews make it the strongest dining option in town. The piazza terrace and on-site rooms make it the practical choice for a celebration dinner or overnight stay in the area.
At the €€ price point, Piacentino delivers something genuinely rare in northern Italy: a dual-Michelin Plate recipient (2024 and 2025) that also functions as a pensione, putting you on Piazza S. Francesco in the old town of Bobbio without a four-figure nightly rate. If you are planning a meal in this part of the Piacenza province, this is where you should eat. If you are spending the night in Bobbio, it is also the most convenient base in the centre. The two facts together make the booking decision direct.
Piacentino operates across two distinct environments. In warmer months, tables move outside onto the piazza — a proper outdoor setting in a medieval square, not a pavement afterthought. When the temperature drops, the indoor dining hall takes over: described as airy, it is built for groups and families rather than hushed tasting-menu theatre. This is a room designed for the way Emilians actually eat: communal, generous, unhurried. The scale leans convivial rather than intimate, which matters for how you plan your visit. If you are after a quiet corner for two, arrive early or book specifically for that. If you are bringing a group to Bobbio for a celebration dinner, the space will accommodate you more comfortably than most alternatives in town.
The accommodation side spans two distinct room styles: one using wrought iron beds and Arte Povera furniture , a rustic, craft-forward aesthetic rooted in Italian design tradition , and a second, more contemporary option. Neither will be confused with a design hotel, but the combination of a recognised kitchen and a central piazza address is a strong practical case for staying here over generic accommodation outside the old town.
The cuisine is Piacentine, the cooking tradition specific to the Piacenza area and distinct from the broader Emilian canon. Piacenza sits at the western edge of Emilia-Romagna, borrowing from both Lombardy and Liguria while remaining anchored to its own repertoire: anolini in brodo, pisarei e fasò, coppa and salumi that differ from what you find in Parma or Bologna. This is regional cooking with a specific geographic identity, not a generalised Italian menu dressed up for tourists. The Michelin Plate recognition , awarded in both 2024 and 2025 , signals food that is well-executed and consistent, short of star territory but meaningfully above the average trattoria. For Bobbio, that level of recognition carries weight. See our full Bobbio restaurants guide for context on what else is available in the area.
For Emilian cooking elsewhere in the region at a similar register, Arnaldo - Clinica Gastronomica in Rubiera and Osteria del Viandante in Rubiera offer useful comparisons for the tradition, though neither combines dining with accommodation in the same way.
For a celebration dinner in Bobbio, Piacentino makes the most practical case. The piazza setting in summer is the kind of outdoor dining experience that photographs well but, more importantly, feels right for marking something. The indoor hall works for groups celebrating together. The price tier means the bill will not dominate the conversation. This is not a venue where you need to orchestrate the experience around a tasting menu format or worry about dress codes. It is relaxed and regional, which suits milestone meals that should feel human rather than performative.
On the question of late-night options in Bobbio specifically: this is a small medieval hill town, and the dining infrastructure reflects that. Piacentino, positioned in the central piazza and attached to a pension, is better placed than most to serve evening meals that extend into the night without requiring transport back to accommodation. If you are staying on-site, that removes the logistical pressure that makes late dining in small Italian towns complicated. Check hours directly before booking, as Bobbio operates on a different rhythm than larger city dining destinations. For bars and drinks before or after dinner, see our Bobbio bars guide.
Travellers planning broader experiences around Bobbio can find practical planning resources in our Bobbio hotels guide, our Bobbio wineries guide, and our Bobbio experiences guide.
For country-cooking at a similar local register, Enoteca San Nicola is the main alternative in Bobbio itself and worth comparing if you are deciding between the two for a single-night dinner.
Booking is rated easy, and with a 4.3 Google score across over 1,300 reviews, demand is steady but not feverish. A few days in advance should be sufficient for most visits. If you are planning around a weekend in summer and want outdoor piazza seating, give yourself a week. For accommodation, book earlier , the pension has limited rooms and Bobbio draws visitors specifically in warmer months.
No specific dietary policy is listed in available records. Piacentine cooking is meat-forward , coppa, anolini, cured products , so vegetarians should call ahead. No phone number is published in current data, so your leading approach is to contact them directly via email or through a booking platform before arrival. Do not assume flexibility without confirming.
Yes, with a caveat. At €€ and with a relaxed, regional format, there is no barrier to solo dining here. The communal indoor hall and piazza setting are both accessible for one. Solo diners at a Michelin Plate venue in a mid-range price bracket are getting good value per head. If solo dining in a convivial group atmosphere feels uncomfortable to you, the counter or quieter corner seating would be the request to make at booking.
At €€, yes , clearly. Two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) at a mid-range price point is a strong value signal. You are not paying €€€€ for tasting-menu theatre as you would at Osteria Francescana in Modena or Dal Pescatore in Runate. You are paying a fair price for regionally rooted, Michelin-recognised cooking in a medieval piazza setting. That trade-off works strongly in your favour.
No bar seating is confirmed in available records. The venue operates as a restaurant with a pension, not a bar-forward operation. For drinks before or after dinner, refer to our Bobbio bars guide for options nearby on or around the piazza.
Three things: the food is Piacentine , specific to the Piacenza area, not generic Italian, so expect anolini, pisarei, and local salumi over pasta alla norma. The price is genuinely mid-range for Michelin-recognised cooking. And the venue doubles as a pension, so if you are making a night of it, staying on-site removes every logistical complication a small-town dinner can create. First-timers who have not visited Bobbio before should read our full Bobbio restaurants guide for orientation on the town's dining scene overall.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piacentino | Emilian | €€ | Restaurant with pension near the old town, where you can enjoy Piacentine dishes served outdoors in nice weather and in the airy indoors dining hall during the colder months. The rooms are in two styles, one with wrought iron beds and Arte Povera furniture, the other being more modern.; Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler | Italian, Creative | €€€€ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Dal Pescatore | Italian, Italian Contemporary | €€€€ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Osteria Francescana | Progressive Italian, Creative | €€€€ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Quattro Passi | Italian, Mediterranean Cuisine | €€€€ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Reale | Progressive Italian, Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
Comparing your options in Bobbio for this tier.
Book at least a week in advance for weekday visits; summer weekends and the outdoor piazza tables fill earlier given Bobbio's popularity as a day-trip destination. Piacentino also operates as a pension, so rooms and dinner tables compete for availability during peak season. Call ahead where possible — no online booking link is currently confirmed.
The kitchen focuses on Piacentine regional cooking, a tradition built around pork, pasta, and local dairy — so the menu is not naturally suited to vegan or gluten-free diners without advance notice. Contacting the restaurant directly before arrival is the practical move. No specific dietary policy is documented for this venue.
Yes, and arguably better than most options in Bobbio at this price point. The €€ pricing keeps the bill manageable for one, and the airy indoor dining hall is comfortable for solo guests who want to eat without the social pressure of a counter-only format. Staying in one of the on-site rooms also makes a solo overnight in Bobbio practical and self-contained.
At €€, the answer is straightforwardly yes. Two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions (2024 and 2025) at a mid-range price point is a combination that is hard to find in northern Italy. If you are comparing options in the Piacenza area, Piacentino offers Michelin-acknowledged cooking without the tasting-menu pricing that comparable credentials usually demand.
No bar dining is documented for Piacentino. The venue operates a piazza terrace in warm weather and an indoor dining hall when it is cooler — both are table-service formats. For a casual drop-in drink, Bobbio's central piazza has other options; Piacentino is better treated as a sit-down dinner reservation.
Piacentino is a restaurant-with-rooms on Piazza S. Francesco in the old town — so the address doubles as a place to stay, not just eat. The cuisine is Piacentine specifically, which means dishes from the Piacenza tradition rather than the broader Emilian canon: expect local pasta formats and regional ingredients. Two Michelin Plates back to back signal consistent kitchen quality, and the €€ pricing means you are not paying a premium to access it.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
