Da Fausto

A Bib Gourmand two years running, at €€ pricing: Da Fausto is one of the clearest value propositions in Piedmontese dining

Michelin awarded Da Fausto a Bib Gourmand in both 2024 and 2025, meaning inspectors have twice confirmed that this small family restaurant in Cavatore delivers quality well above what its price tier suggests. At €€, you are eating Piedmontese cooking that holds its own against restaurants charging three times as much. If you have eaten here once and enjoyed it, the question is not whether to return — it is what to order next and how far ahead to book.

What Da Fausto Is

Da Fausto is a three-generation family operation in the Monferrato hills of Piedmont, run by Fausto front of house, his wife Rosella in the kitchen, and daughter Gaia handling both the dining room and desserts. The menu changes weekly to follow seasonal produce, which means the kitchen is cooking to what is actually available rather than to a fixed template. Meat is the main event, but the fresh pasta is the reason many regulars plan return visits specifically around it: the agnolotti here has a strong enough reputation to feature in Michelin's own notes on the restaurant.

The dessert section is Gaia's territory and worth treating seriously. The fiordilatte ice cream is mentioned in the venue's own documentation, which in Michelin-grade context usually means it is a reliable order. This is a kitchen where the full menu repays attention rather than defaulting to a single dish.

The wine list leans into the restaurant's own production of Pinot Nero, available in both dry and sparkling labels. That is an unusual asset for a €€ restaurant: a house wine that is genuinely theirs rather than a generic sourced bottle. If you visited before and stuck to the Barbera or Dolcetto that dominates this part of Piedmont, the Pinot Nero labels are worth exploring on a return visit.

The Setting and Staying Over

Da Fausto sits in the Monferrato hills at Località Valle Prati, the kind of address that takes some commitment to reach but rewards the effort with the specific atmosphere of rural Piedmont — rolling vineyards, quiet roads, a restaurant that functions as the anchor of its place rather than an import into it. For those who want to extend the experience, guestrooms are available at the Borgo del Gallo. Staying over is not just convenient: it means you can approach dinner without a drive back to Alba or Asti, which changes what you order from the wine list considerably.

The Google rating sits at 4.6 across 449 reviews, a score that at that volume signals consistent delivery rather than a handful of exceptional visits inflating the number.

Who Should Book

Da Fausto works leading for diners who want serious Piedmontese cooking in an unpretentious setting, without the formality or price ceiling of the region's starred restaurants. If you are in Piedmont specifically for the cuisine , agnolotti, seasonal meat dishes, regional wine , and you want to eat the way locals do rather than the way a tasting menu presents it, this is the right booking. It also works well for couples who want a genuine dinner destination that justifies the drive into the hills, and for anyone already visiting the Monferrato wine country who wants a meal that matches the quality of what they are tasting in the cellars. For a full picture of what else is available in the area, see our full Cavatore restaurants guide.

The weekly-changing menu means regular visitors will encounter something different on each return, which is a meaningful advantage for anyone based nearby or visiting the region more than once. If you are the kind of diner who eats somewhere twice a year and expects evolution, Da Fausto is structured to deliver that.

Practical Details

Reservations: Book in advance , tables at a twice-confirmed Bib Gourmand restaurant in a rural setting do not hold for walk-ins, and the weekly-changing menu creates regular demand from returning guests. Overall booking difficulty is rated easy, meaning you should be able to secure a table with a week or two of lead time outside peak summer months, but do not leave it to the day of travel. Budget: €€, making this one of the stronger value plays in Piedmontese dining at this quality level. Dress: No dress code is specified, and the family-run, rural setting suggests smart-casual is appropriate rather than formal. Getting there: Cavatore is in the Monferrato hills of Alessandria province. A car is effectively required. Staying over: Guestrooms at Borgo del Gallo are available for those wanting to extend the visit , consult our full Cavatore hotels guide for context on local accommodation options. Nearby: Explore bars, wineries, and experiences in Cavatore to build out a full visit to the area.

Piedmontese Dining Comparisons Worth Knowing

For context on where Da Fausto sits within the broader Piedmont dining picture: Piazza Duomo in Alba operates at three Michelin star level with pricing to match. Antica Corona Reale in Cervere and Locanda Sant'Uffizio Enrico Bartolini in Cioccaro both offer Piedmontese cooking at higher price points. Da Fausto's Bib Gourmand positioning means it is not trying to compete with those restaurants on formality or ambition , it is delivering the core of Piedmontese cuisine at a price that makes the region accessible without sacrificing quality.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is Da Fausto good for solo dining? Yes, with a caveat on timing. A family-run trattoria in a rural Piedmontese village is a natural fit for solo diners who want to eat well and simply rather than navigate a complex tasting menu format. The €€ price range keeps the spend proportionate. Book ahead and consider sitting at a table near the front of house where Fausto can keep the pace of service moving , solo meals here are about the food and the wine rather than a social occasion, and the kitchen is well suited to delivering both without ceremony.
• Is Da Fausto good for a special occasion? It depends on what the occasion requires. If you want a relaxed, genuinely special meal in a beautiful part of Piedmont without the formality of a starred dining room, Da Fausto is a strong choice. The Bib Gourmand credential gives it weight, the family atmosphere gives it warmth, and the Borgo del Gallo guestrooms mean you can make a night of it. If the occasion demands a white-tablecloth setting with a long tasting menu and sommelier service, look at Piazza Duomo in Alba or Locanda Sant'Uffizio Enrico Bartolini instead.
• Can Da Fausto accommodate groups? No group-specific information is available in Da Fausto's record. For groups of four or more, call or email well in advance , a family restaurant of this type in a rural setting typically has limited flexibility for large parties at short notice, and the weekly-changing menu format means the kitchen runs tight. Contact the restaurant directly to confirm availability and any group-size constraints before planning a large gathering.
• Can I eat at the bar at Da Fausto? No bar seating information is available for Da Fausto. This is a family-run trattoria rather than a bar-forward venue, so a conventional dining table is the expected format. If a bar-adjacent experience in the region is what you are after, our Cavatore bars guide covers the local options.
• Is the tasting menu worth it at Da Fausto? Da Fausto does not have a confirmed tasting menu format in its record. The kitchen operates a weekly-changing menu built around seasonal ingredients, which means the experience is closer to a considered à la carte meal than a structured tasting progression. At €€ pricing with a Bib Gourmand from Michelin, the value case is strong regardless of format. Order the agnolotti, take the seasonal meat dish seriously, and let Gaia's desserts close the meal , that approach will deliver the kitchen's range without needing a fixed tasting structure.