Restaurant in Turin, Italy
One tasting menu. Serious creative ambition.
Davide Scabin, the two-Michelin-star chef behind Combal.Zero in Rivoli, now runs Carignano inside Turin's historic Grand Hotel Sitea with a single fixed tasting menu built on an inverted course structure — rich and intense at the start, lighter and more acidic by the close. Autumn is the strongest time to visit, when white truffle season aligns with the menu's opening register. Book Tuesday to Saturday, dinner only.
Davide Scabin, who earned two Michelin stars at Combal.Zero in Rivoli, has brought his creative ambition to Carignano, the restaurant inside Turin's historic Grand Hotel Sitea. The hotel marks its centenary in 2025, and Scabin's arrival represents the most significant change to this dining room in years. If you are considering a long tasting menu in Turin at the €€€€ tier, this is the most intellectually driven option currently available in the city. The question is whether Scabin's format matches what you are looking for — because this is not a flexible, à la carte experience. It is one menu, served on his terms, and it is designed to challenge your assumptions about how a meal should unfold.
Carignano sits within one of Turin's most formally appointed hotel dining rooms. The Grand Hotel Sitea occupies a 19th-century building on Via Carlo Alberto, and the restaurant reflects that heritage: high ceilings, measured proportions, and a quiet formality that separates it from the more contemporary rooms you find at Piano35 or La Pista. The setting works in favour of the long tasting menu format , there is space, calm, and an unhurried pace that shorter, more casual venues cannot match. For a meal that will last several hours, the room earns its keep. If you find hotel dining rooms stiff, note that the formality here is architectural rather than cold , the service context Scabin is operating in encourages attention to the guest rather than performance for its own sake.
Scabin's menu runs on an inverted course structure he calls "up & down." You begin with the most intense flavours , dishes built around sweetbreads, foie gras, and rich Piedmontese preparations , and the meal progressively lightens, moving toward vegetables, acidity, and cleaner finishes. This is not a gimmick. It is a deliberate reordering that affects how your palate processes the meal and, critically, how the seasonal ingredient logic plays out across the table.
The seasonal angle matters here more than at most Turin restaurants. Because the menu is fixed and curated entirely by Scabin, what you eat is entirely dependent on when you visit. Autumn and early winter are the strongest window: Piedmont's white truffle season runs from October through December, and the rich, fatty register of the menu's opening courses aligns naturally with the produce available in those months. Late spring, when the kitchen shifts toward more vegetable-forward and acidic ingredients, produces a noticeably different meal , lighter, less anchored in the region's fatty-animal traditions. Both are valid visits, but they are not equivalent experiences. If the Piedmontese larder at full intensity is what draws you, plan for autumn. If you prefer a more herbaceous, produce-led tasting, April through June gives you that.
The menu spans traditional Piedmontese recipes and more adventurous, occasionally exotic constructions , a combination that is characteristic of Scabin's approach at Combal.Zero and consistent with what the Michelin recognition there was built on. For reference, other Italian chefs working at a comparable creative register include Osteria Francescana in Modena and Reale in Castel di Sangro, though neither shares Scabin's specific inverted-course structure. European peers in the creative-tasting format include Quique Dacosta in Dénia and Arpège in Paris.
Verified recommendation from Michelin's own notes is to take the wine pairing rather than selecting a single bottle. Given the course-by-course intensity shift built into the menu structure, this is sound practical advice: a pairing that tracks the progression from rich to light will serve the meal better than a single wine anchored to one register. Piedmont's cellar , Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, and the white wines of Roero , gives the kitchen strong regional pairing material at every stage of the meal.
Carignano opens Tuesday through Saturday, dinner service only, from 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM. It is closed Sunday and Monday. There is no lunch service, which makes this a dinner-only decision and rules it out if your schedule is lunch-driven. Booking difficulty is rated easy, which is notable for a venue operating at this tier with a chef of Scabin's standing , it suggests you do not need to plan months ahead, but given the single-menu format and the smaller scale typical of hotel fine dining rooms, confirming a reservation before you arrive in Turin is direct common sense. The price range sits at €€€€, consistent with Turin's other top-tier tasting menus. For context on the broader Turin dining scene, see our full Turin restaurants guide. The Grand Hotel Sitea's location on Via Carlo Alberto puts it close to Piazza Carignano and the historic centre , useful if you are pairing the dinner with a night at the hotel or exploring the city on foot. For accommodation options nearby, our Turin hotels guide covers the full range.
Carignano is the right call for food-focused travellers who want a structured, chef-driven evening with clear creative ambition and a regional Piedmontese foundation. It suits couples and solo diners comfortable with long tasting menus more than groups looking for a shared, flexible dinner. If you want the chef's full argument , Scabin's inverted course logic applied to the season's leading produce , this is the only place in Turin delivering it. For context on other high-end options in the city, Cannavacciuolo Bistrot and Del Cambio offer alternative approaches at the same price tier. Google reviewers rate the restaurant 4.4 across 486 reviews, a solid signal for a venue operating in a format that divides opinion by design. For broader Turin planning, see also our Turin bars guide, Turin wineries, and Turin experiences.
Come expecting a single fixed tasting menu , there is no à la carte option. Chef Davide Scabin's "up & down" format starts with rich, intense courses (sweetbreads, foie gras) and works toward lighter, more acidic dishes. Dinner only, Tuesday to Saturday. Take the wine pairing rather than a single bottle; it tracks the progression far better. Budget for €€€€ and allow the full evening. For broader context on the Turin fine dining scene before you visit, our Turin restaurants guide is a useful starting point.
At €€€€, yes , if a long, chef-driven tasting menu is what you are after. Scabin's two-Michelin-star track record at Combal.Zero in Rivoli is the clearest benchmark for what you are paying for. Against Turin peers at the same price tier , Del Cambio, Condividere, Piano35 , Carignano offers the most distinctly structured, concept-led format. If you want flexibility or à la carte, the price-to-value equation shifts; in that case, consider Del Cambio instead. At a 4.4 Google rating across 486 reviews, the consensus supports the spend.
Yes, particularly for food-focused celebrations. The Grand Hotel Sitea setting, the formal dining room, and the single-menu format all reinforce an occasion feeling without requiring you to do the work of choosing. The inverted course structure gives the meal a genuine arc , it reads like an event rather than just dinner. Autumn visits, when white truffle season aligns with the richer opening courses, make for the most memorable version of the meal. For couples or pairs marking a significant occasion, this is the most considered option at this tier in Turin.
Dinner is your only option. Carignano runs no lunch service , the kitchen operates Tuesday through Saturday from 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM only, and is closed Sunday and Monday. Plan your Turin day around this: if your schedule requires a midday fine dining booking, look at Piano35, which has broader service hours at a comparable tier.
The fixed tasting menu format works well for solo diners , there are no choices to negotiate, and the paced, structured service typical of hotel fine dining rooms gives solo guests a comfortable framework. At €€€€, the spend is the same regardless of party size, so the value calculation is purely about whether the format appeals to you. Solo food travellers visiting Turin for the dining specifically will find Carignano a more purposeful experience than venues built around sharing plates. For other solo-friendly options in the city, see Cannavacciuolo Bistrot.
The menu is a single fixed tasting, which means dietary restrictions need to be communicated clearly at the time of booking. The menu includes sweetbreads and foie gras in its opening courses, so it is not suitable for vegetarians or those with aversions to offal without prior arrangement. Contact the restaurant directly when reserving to discuss any requirements , the hotel setting generally supports this kind of advance coordination better than smaller independent venues. No phone number or website is currently listed in our database; enquire through the Grand Hotel Sitea directly.
At the same €€€€ tier: Del Cambio is the strongest alternative if you want a more historically rooted Piedmontese experience with à la carte flexibility. Condividere suits groups better, with a more sharing-focused format. Piano35 offers the most dramatic setting in the city , atop the Lingotto building , and serves lunch. If you want to drop a price tier while staying in Piedmontese tradition, Consorzio operates at €€ and covers the regional classics without the tasting menu commitment. For Italian creative tasting menus beyond Turin, Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico, Dal Pescatore in Runate, and Uliassi in Senigallia represent the wider national field. Quattro Passi in Marina del Cantone is worth considering if you are travelling further south.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carignano | Creative | €€€€ | Easy |
| Condividere | Progressive, Italian Contemporary | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Unforgettable | Modern Italian, Innovative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Del Cambio | Progressive Italian, Contemporary | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Consorzio | Piemontese, Piedmontese | €€ | Unknown |
| Piano35 | Italian Contemporary | €€€€ | Unknown |
What to weigh when choosing between Carignano and alternatives.
A single long tasting menu with no à la carte option actually suits solo diners well — there are no group decisions to make and the pace is set for you. The Grand Hotel Sitea dining room is formal enough that solo guests are treated as standard, not as an afterthought. At €€€€ pricing, you are committing to a full evening, so come ready to sit with the experience rather than rush through it.
Carignano serves one format only: a long tasting menu built around Davide Scabin's 'up and down' concept, which reverses the conventional course order — rich, intense dishes like sweetbreads and foie gras come first, lighter vegetable-forward plates finish the meal. There is no à la carte option, so if a structured chef-driven menu is not your preference, this is not the right booking. Michelin's own notes recommend taking the wine pairing rather than selecting a single bottle, which is a practical steer worth following.
At €€€€, Carignano is pitched at the top of Turin's dining market, and the case for the price rests on Davide Scabin's track record — two Michelin stars earned at Combal.Zero in Rivoli — and the creative structure of the menu, which combines Piedmontese tradition with more experimental ideas. If you want a conventional regional dinner, Del Cambio or Consorzio will cost less and deliver solid results. Carignano earns its price specifically if a long, chef-driven tasting menu is what you are after.
Carignano's database record does not document a specific dietary restriction policy, and the single set-menu format — built around dishes including sweetbreads and foie gras — suggests limited flexibility by design. Contact the Grand Hotel Sitea directly before booking if you have serious dietary requirements; this is not a restaurant where you can quietly skip a course and replace it.
Yes, provided the occasion calls for a long, serious dinner rather than a lively or celebratory atmosphere. The Grand Hotel Sitea is one of Turin's most formally appointed hotels, celebrating its centenary in 2025, and the dining room matches that register. For a milestone where the meal itself is the event — an anniversary, a significant birthday for someone food-focused — Carignano fits well. If you need flexibility, noise, or a shorter evening, look at Piano35 or Condividere instead.
Lunch is not an option. Carignano opens Tuesday through Saturday, dinner service only, from 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM, and is closed Sunday and Monday. Plan your Turin itinerary accordingly — there is no midday fallback here.
Del Cambio is the direct comparison for a historic, formal dining room with serious kitchen ambitions and a longer track record in the city. Consorzio is a better pick if you want strong Piedmontese cooking at a lower price point without the tasting-menu format. Condividere suits groups who prefer sharing plates over a structured progression, and Piano35 is worth considering if you want a view alongside your dinner. For creative ambition at the €€€€ level, Carignano currently has the clearest chef-driven identity of the group.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
