Restaurant in Pollone, Italy
One Michelin star, serious booking effort required.
A 2024 Michelin-starred country restaurant in Pollone that consistently earns its reputation as the anchor dining destination for the Biella foothills. Chef-owner Sergio Vineis and his son Simone deliver locally rooted Piedmontese cooking at the €€€ tier, with a serious wine list and a summer terrace that changes the experience entirely. Hard to book; plan several weeks ahead.
Il Patio holds a Michelin star and a 4.7 Google rating across 299 reviews, which tells you something important: this is not a one-visit curiosity. It is the kind of place that earns repeat custom in a small Piedmontese town by delivering consistent, high-quality country cooking rooted in the Biella foothills. If you are already familiar with the restaurant, the question on a return visit is not whether to go, but when to go and what to focus on. The terrace in summer is the clear answer to the first; the wine list deserves more attention than first-timers tend to give it.
Pollone is not a dining destination in the way that Alba or Novara is. It is a quiet hillside comune on the lower slopes of Monte Mucrone, and Il Patio is the reason most visitors from outside the province make the effort to come. That position, as the anchor restaurant for a town with limited dining options, has not made the kitchen complacent. The Michelin recognition is current (2024 star), the Google score is high and volumetrically credible, and the kitchen's approach, grounding contemporary technique in local Biellese ingredients and tradition, is the right call for a restaurant in this location.
The physical setting does real work here. Il Patio occupies converted ancient stables, which means low ceilings, stone, and a sense of enclosure that suits a long winter lunch. In summer, that changes entirely: the terrace opens onto a garden prepared for outdoor service, and the experience shifts from intimate to open. If your last visit was a winter dinner, a summer terrace booking is a different enough experience to justify coming back on those grounds alone. The two formats attract different uses: the interior suits a serious food-focused meal with the wine list as a centrepiece; the terrace is better for a longer, more relaxed pace.
Chef-owner Sergio Vineis and his son Simone run the kitchen together, which matters for consistency. Family-run restaurants at this level in northern Italy tend to maintain standards more reliably than those that cycle through chef talent. The description of the cuisine as beginning with local connection and evolving into a balanced contemporary style is accurate positioning for a Michelin-starred country restaurant in Piedmont: expect regional flavours handled with precision rather than radical invention.
The wine selection is described as extensive, well-structured, and distinctive. At the €€€ price point, which sits below the €€€€ tier of comparison peers, a serious wine list adds meaningful value per head. On a return visit, this is worth treating as an active part of the experience rather than a supporting element. Ask for guidance if you want to stay regional; Piedmont's Nebbiolo-based wines pair well with the kitchen's direction.
Il Patio is genuinely hard to book. A Michelin star in a small town means the seat count, which is not publicly confirmed, is likely limited, and the restaurant closes Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday through Sunday service runs two sittings: lunch 12:30–14:30 and dinner 19:30–21:30. That is ten services per week. Demand from the wider Biella area and destination diners from Turin and Milan means you should book several weeks in advance, particularly for Saturday evening or Sunday lunch, which are the most sought-after slots. The summer terrace adds capacity but also adds demand.
Reservations: Book well in advance; Michelin star demand in a small-town setting makes last-minute availability rare. Dress: Smart-casual is appropriate for a restaurant at this level; the Michelin context and professional service suggest erring toward neat rather than casual. Budget: €€€ — expect a meaningful spend per head but notably below the €€€€ peers in the comparison set. Hours: Wed–Sun, lunch 12:30–14:30, dinner 19:30–21:30; closed Monday and Tuesday.
Also see: our full Pollone restaurants guide, Pollone hotels, Pollone bars, Pollone wineries, and Pollone experiences.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Il Patio | Country cooking | €€€ | Set in ancient stables, with a refreshing terrace overlooking a garden prepared for outdoor service in the summertime, Il Patio is a popular gourmet destination in the area. Its success is due to high-quality gastronomy and excellent, highly professional service. Led by chef-owner Sergio Vineis, alongside his son Simone, the cuisine begins with a connection to the local area and evolves into a balanced contemporary style. The wine selection is extensive, well-structured, and always distinctive.; Set in ancient stables, with a refreshing terrace overlooking a garden prepared for outdoor service in the summertime, Il Patio is a popular gourmet destination in the area. Its success is due to high-quality gastronomy and excellent, highly professional service. Led by chef-owner Sergio Vineis, alongside his son Simone, the cuisine begins with a connection to the local area and evolves into a balanced contemporary style. The wine selection is extensive, well-structured, and always distinctive.; Michelin 1 Star (2024) | Hard | — |
| 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 | — |
| Enoteca Pinchiorri | Italian - French, Italian Contemporary | €€€€ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Enrico Bartolini | Creative | €€€€ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Le Calandre | Progressive Italian, Creative | €€€€ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
There are no comparable Michelin-starred options in Pollone itself. For the wider Piedmont region, Le Calandre (near Padua) and Dal Pescatore (Canneto sull'Oglio) operate at a higher Michelin tier and price point. If you want something closer in scale and style to Il Patio's country-rooted cooking, look at other Biella-province restaurants first before committing to the drive from Turin or Milan.
Il Patio is priced at €€€ and holds a 2024 Michelin star, which positions it as a serious meal rather than a casual outing. The kitchen is led by Sergio Vineis and his son Simone, and the cooking is described as contemporary but anchored in the local area — which is the strongest argument for the tasting menu format here. If you are making the trip to Pollone specifically, the tasting menu gives you the fullest picture of what that local identity means on the plate.
Il Patio is a Michelin-starred restaurant set in converted ancient stables with a garden terrace, so the setting is formal enough to warrant smart dress without requiring a jacket. Think business casual at minimum: no sportswear. For summer terrace visits, the garden setting allows slightly more relaxed attire, but this is still a destination restaurant with professional service.
Pollone is a small hillside comune in the Biella province — not a town you pass through. Coming here is a deliberate trip, so plan accordingly. The restaurant is closed Monday and Tuesday, runs two sittings daily (lunch at 12:30 PM and dinner at 7:30 PM), and holds a Michelin star in a region with limited high-end dining competition, which means seats are limited and demand is real. Book as far ahead as possible.
There is no confirmed bar-seat or walk-in counter arrangement in the available information for Il Patio. Given that it is a Michelin-starred restaurant in a small comune with limited capacity, assume you need a reservation for any dining. Showing up without one is a significant risk given the distance most guests travel to get here.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
