Vintage 1997

Should You Book Vintage 1997?

If your benchmark for a great Turin dinner is one of the city's more progressive tables — Condividere or Del Cambio, both at €€€€ — Vintage 1997 occupies a different register entirely. This is a Michelin-starred restaurant (one star, 2024) that has been running for nearly 30 years without chasing what is fashionable, it is better for it. The pitch is a traditional Piedmontese dining room, a classically-minded maître d' in owner Umberto Chiodi Latini, a kitchen that treats regional ingredients seriously. At €€€, it is also a price tier below most of its Michelin-starred competition in Turin. If you want depth in the classics, vitello tonnato, tajarin pasta, precise fish cookery, this delivers. If you need a contemporary tasting menu with modernist technique, look elsewhere.

The Room and the Feeling

Piazza Solferino is one of Turin's more composed central squares, the room at Vintage 1997 matches the address. The atmosphere here is formal without being stiff, old-fashioned in the leading sense, with a dining room that has resisted the temptation to update itself into anonymity. Noise levels are low enough for conversation without effort, which makes it a genuinely different experience from the livelier rooms at Cannavacciuolo Bistrot. The energy is unhurried. Latini runs the floor with the kind of directness that belongs to a specific tradition of Italian hospitality, attentive, precise, with a personality that is part of the experience. For a food and wine explorer who wants to feel embedded in a place rather than processed through it, this register works well.

What You Are Eating

The menu is anchored in Piedmontese classics. Vitello tonnato and tajarin pasta are both present, alongside fish dishes that receive serious attention, the "zuppetta 5.0", described in verified source material as a bouillabaisse-style soup served with raw fish, is singled out as a particular strength. Vegetables appear throughout, with some pure plant dishes on the menu. The kitchen team, Roberto, Fabio, Gianluca, Mattia, brings genuine technique to this material: fresh herbs, flowers, careful seasoning feature without tipping into decorative excess. The cuisine has continued to develop over three decades rather than calcifying, which is what the Michelin recognition reflects. The wine list is not long, but it does include vertical labels from Langhe producers, which for a Piedmont-focused explorer is more useful than a bloated international list.

For context on where Vintage 1997 sits within Italy's wider fine-dining picture, it is worth noting that restaurants like Osteria Francescana in Modena, Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence, and Le Calandre in Rubano each represent a different ambition level and price point. Vintage 1997 is not competing in that bracket. It is making a more contained, regional argument, making it with a Michelin star to back it up. Similarly, internationally-minded Italian dining like Enrico Bartolini in Milan or 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong operates in a cosmopolitan mode Vintage 1997 has no interest in replicating. That is a feature, not a limitation.

Booking and Practical Details

The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Friday, dinner only on Saturday, closed Sunday. Reservations: Book well in advance, this is rated Hard for booking difficulty, a Michelin star at this price tier in a known square means demand is real. Aim for at least three to four weeks ahead for dinner, longer for weekend slots. Budget: €€€ per head, which positions it below the €€€€ tier of most starred competition in Turin. Address: Piazza Solferino, 16 H, Turin. Dress: Smart casual at minimum; the room and service formality suggest dressing accordingly. Groups: The traditional dining room format suits pairs and small groups well; check directly for larger tables.

How It Compares

See the full comparison section below for how Vintage 1997 stacks up against Condividere, Del Cambio, and others in Turin's fine-dining tier. For a broader look at eating in the city, the full Turin restaurants guide covers the range from starred rooms to neighbourhood trattorias including Almondo Trattoria and Contesto Alimentare. If you are building a full Turin trip, the Turin hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide are worth consulting together. For Italy's wider Michelin picture, see also Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico and Dal Pescatore in Runate, both of which represent a different approach to regional Italian cooking at the starred level. For Italian cuisine interpreted abroad, cenci in Kyoto offers an interesting counterpoint.

The Verdict

Vintage 1997 is the right booking if you want a Michelin-starred meal rooted in Piedmont's actual culinary tradition, served in a room with real character and at a price point that undercuts most of its local competition. It is not the right booking if you want avant-garde tasting menus or a room buzzing with the energy of a hot new opening. Book three to four weeks ahead minimum, go for dinner if your schedule allows, treat the wine list as an opportunity to drink Langhe verticals rather than a limitation.