Stella

The Verdict

Stella earns its 2025 Michelin Bib Gourmand with a country cooking format that punches well above its single-euro price tier. For food-focused visitors to the Perugia area, this is a direct book — the outdoor terrace in summer fills up, and the bistro-style dining room has limited covers, so plan ahead even though the booking difficulty is rated easy. If you want live-fire Italian cooking at a price that won't require a second mortgage, Stella is the right call.

About Stella

The first thing that earns attention at Stella is the outdoor terrace: in summer, it offers views of the surrounding Umbrian countryside that set the tone for what follows inside. The bistro-style dining room carries a warmth that's hard to manufacture — this is country cooking in the literal sense, grounded in a specific place rather than a borrowed aesthetic. Chef Rob Gentile works from a live-fire kitchen, and if you can secure a seat at the chef's counter, you get a direct sightline to the cooking process: open flames, real timing decisions, and the kind of kitchen activity that reminds you why the counter seat exists.

The menu at Stella is where the Bib Gourmand recognition makes sense. The linguine with carp roe is a dish the Michelin inspectors called out specifically , a local ingredient handled with precision rather than novelty. Stuffed pigeon, lardo di Colonnata paired with strawberries and razor-thin caciocavallo cheese finished with a balsamic amaro, hand-stretched su filindeu pasta cooked in bone broth with braised lamb neck and pecorino dolce , these are dishes that require technique and sourcing, not just a good fire. Iberico pork pluma with porchetta spices and hens yolk cooked over live flame is another option worth ordering. The cassata Siciliana closes the meal on a note that connects Stella to a broader Italian tradition without feeling out of place. The kitchen also offers hand-made pizza, which gives the menu range without diluting the focus.

Service at Stella matches the price point rather than overreaching it. At the single-euro tier, you're not paying for a brigade of floor staff with tableside theatrics, and Stella doesn't pretend otherwise. What the room delivers is friendly, efficient, and genuinely engaged , the kind of service that tells you the team knows the menu cold and wants you to order well, rather than service designed to impress at a distance. For a Bib Gourmand venue, that calibration matters: the value case depends on the food-to-price ratio, and it holds here precisely because the room isn't trying to be something it isn't. If your priority is a formal, choreographed dining experience, look elsewhere in Italy's €€€€ tier. If you want cooking that earns its recognition through what's on the plate, Stella's approach is the right fit.

Timing your visit matters. The outdoor terrace is the reason to come in summer , the views of the area around Casaglia make the meal a different experience from eating inside, and the terrace fills quickly once local knowledge gets around. Book for lunch on a weekday if you want the most relaxed version of the room; weekend evenings fill faster and carry more ambient noise. The bistro dining room works year-round, but without the terrace context it's a different proposition, better suited to cooler months when the focus shifts entirely to the food and the fire.

Casaglia sits within reach of Perugia, so Stella works as a standalone destination meal rather than a consolation prize for visitors already in the city. The address , Via dei Narcisi, 47 A , puts it in a rural setting that reinforces the country cooking premise. For anyone building an Umbrian food itinerary, Stella represents the kind of Bib Gourmand find that rewards the detour: accessible pricing, genuine regional cooking, and a room that delivers on what the setting promises. Pair the visit with broader Umbria exploration using our full Casaglia restaurants guide or extend the trip with our full Casaglia hotels guide. You can also find curated options in our full Casaglia bars guide, our full Casaglia wineries guide, and our full Casaglia experiences guide.

Google reviewers back the quality signal: 4.6 stars across 563 reviews is a broad sample that holds up against a Bib Gourmand accolade. That combination , peer validation and Michelin recognition in the same venue at the single-euro price tier , is the clearest indicator of whether Stella is worth your evening. It is.

How It Compares

Frequently Asked Questions

• What should a first-timer know about Stella? Stella is a Michelin Bib Gourmand country cooking restaurant in Casaglia, near Perugia, operating at the single-euro price tier. The menu centres on live-fire Italian cooking with strong regional ingredients , dishes like linguine with carp roe, stuffed pigeon, and su filindeu pasta are representative of what the kitchen does well. Go in expecting a bistro-style room or, in summer, an outdoor terrace with countryside views. The chef's counter is worth requesting if available. This is not a formal dining experience, but the cooking quality justifies every euro spent.
• What should I wear to Stella? Smart casual is the right call. At the single-euro price tier with a bistro-style room and country cooking format, Stella is not a jacket-required venue. Dress as you would for a well-regarded neighbourhood restaurant rather than a formal dining room. If you're coming from a hotel in Perugia or visiting during a summer evening on the terrace, comfortable but presentable works well.
• How far ahead should I book Stella? Booking difficulty is rated easy, but the terrace fills in summer and the dining room has limited covers. Aim to book at least a week ahead for summer visits, especially if you want the outdoor terrace. Weekday lunches are easier to secure at shorter notice than weekend evenings. The Bib Gourmand 2025 recognition will draw more visitors, so earlier is better if your dates are fixed.
• Is Stella good for a special occasion? Yes, with the right expectation set. At the single-euro price tier, Stella is a strong choice for a celebratory meal where the quality of what's on the plate matters more than formal service or a grand dining room. The live-fire cooking, the outdoor terrace in summer, and the Michelin Bib Gourmand backing make it a credible occasion venue for food-focused guests. If the occasion calls for a full tasting menu with formal service, step up to a €€€€ alternative , but for a genuinely good meal at an honest price, Stella delivers.
• What are alternatives to Stella in Casaglia? Direct peers at the Bib Gourmand level in the immediate area are limited, which is part of what makes Stella worth the trip. For country cooking comparisons in wider Italy, 21.9 in Piobesi d'Alba and Andrea Monesi at Locanda di Orta in Orta San Giulio offer similar regional focus at comparable price points. For higher-end Italian dining in the broader region, Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence operates at €€€€ and is the right move if you want a formal Italian fine dining benchmark to contrast with Stella's bistro register.