Restaurant in Varallo, Italy
Low-key, Michelin-recognised, worth the detour.
Hostaria di Bricai earns two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions (2024 and 2025) at a €€ price point, with a garden terrace overlooking Riva Valdobbia and a kitchen grounded in traditional Valsesian cooking. It is the most accessible Michelin-recognised option in the Valsesia valley, well-suited to groups and special occasions. Book a week ahead for weekend tables in summer or autumn.
If you visited Hostaria di Bricai once and left thinking it was a pleasant lunch stop near the Sacro Monte funicular, a second visit will correct that impression. The setting is the same — garden terrace, bucolic mountain air, the funicular cable running overhead — but what you notice on a return is how consistently the kitchen delivers against a price point that stays firmly in the €€ bracket. Two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions (2024 and 2025) confirm this is not accidental. For a first-timer asking whether to make the drive to Riva Valdobbia: yes, book it, particularly if you are in the Valsesia valley for more than a day and want to eat something rooted in the actual landscape around you.
The spatial experience here is the main reason to come at lunch rather than dinner. The residence sits in the gardens adjacent to the Sacro Monte funicular station, and the outdoor setting means the room feels less like a formal dining room and more like an extension of the hillside itself. Tables are spread across a terrace that overlooks the village of Riva Valdobbia below. The scale is intimate without being cramped. For groups, this matters: the garden layout allows a degree of separation between tables that a small indoor trattoria would not offer. If you are planning a private gathering or a celebratory meal with six or more people, the outdoor terrace configuration is better suited to the occasion than a tight interior room would be. Specific private dining room availability is not confirmed in the public record, so contact the venue directly if a fully closed-off space is your requirement. What is clear from the setting is that larger groups will find the garden more comfortable than the alternative of squeezing into a compact alpine interior.
The kitchen operates on a seasonal, local brief. The rabbit leg in porchetta with mountain-style purée is the dish most frequently cited in connection with this kitchen, and it reads as a precise expression of what the menu is doing: classical technique applied to Piedmontese and Valsesian ingredients. Mountain purée here refers to a preparation closer to the polenta and chestnut traditions of this part of northern Italy than to a standard French-style mashed potato. For a first-timer, ordering the rabbit is the obvious anchor for the meal. The broader menu draws on what the valley produces and what the alpine culinary tradition has always done with it: cured meats, fresh pasta, slow-braised proteins, foraged ingredients when in season. If you are visiting in autumn, this kitchen should be at its strongest, as the seasonal ingredient supply from the surrounding terrain peaks between September and November. Spring visits will find a lighter menu inflection; summer, when the garden is fully open, is the most popular period for the terrace.
Booking difficulty at Hostaria di Bricai is low by the standards of recognised Italian restaurants. No online booking portal is listed in the public record, so your leading approach is a direct phone call or an in-person enquiry if you are already in the valley. Given the €€ price range and the outdoor garden setting, this is a venue that fills primarily on weekends during the summer and autumn seasons. Weekday visits in spring or late autumn are likely achievable with short notice. For weekend tables in high summer or during peak foliage season, a week's notice is a reasonable minimum. The address is Piazza Quattro Novembre 10, Riva Valdobbia , note that Riva Valdobbia is a frazione of the Alagna Valsesia commune, roughly 20 kilometres north of Varallo itself, so factor in driving time from Varallo or wherever you are based. The Sacro Monte di Varallo UNESCO site is further down the valley; combining the two in one day is a practical option if you are making the full valley run. For more on what else is available in the broader area, see our full Varallo restaurants guide, our full Varallo hotels guide, our full Varallo bars guide, our full Varallo wineries guide, and our full Varallo experiences guide.
At €€, this is one of the more direct value propositions in Michelin-recognised Italian dining. The Plate designation does not carry the weight of a star, but two consecutive years of Plate recognition signals a kitchen that is consistent and operating above the baseline. Google reviews sit at 4.6 across 388 ratings, which for a remote alpine trattoria indicates a loyal local following as much as tourist traffic. For comparison, the Michelin-starred tier in northern Italy , venues like Piazza Duomo in Alba or Le Calandre in Rubano , runs to €€€€ and requires advance planning weeks out. Hostaria di Bricai sits at the opposite end of the booking difficulty and price spectrum while still carrying a verifiable quality signal. If you are building an itinerary around serious eating in Piedmont and want to include something that feels genuinely local rather than internationally profiled, this is the practical choice. For seasonal cuisine at a comparable format in different European alpine contexts, see also Mesnerhaus in Mauterndorf and The First in Blankenhain.
The garden terrace is the practical argument for groups at Hostaria di Bricai. Unlike a narrow trattoria interior where a party of eight becomes disruptive for other diners, the outdoor garden can absorb a larger group without changing the character of the meal for everyone else. For a special occasion , a birthday, a family gathering tied to a day in the mountains, a small corporate lunch , the setting does the work that a private room would normally do at a more urban venue. The relaxed, bucolic character of the space means the occasion does not feel forced, which is harder to achieve at venues that lean on formality to signal occasion. What this venue cannot offer is a fully private enclosed room for a confidential dinner, so if that is your specific requirement, contact them directly to establish what is available. For groups where the shared experience of a setting matters more than walls around the table, the garden terrace here is the stronger option compared to a standard private dining room at a less atmospherically situated restaurant. For reference on what a private dining experience looks like at the higher price tier of Italian fine dining, Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence and Enrico Bartolini in Milan both operate structured private dining programmes, though at significantly higher cost and formality.
Yes, and the garden terrace is the reason. The outdoor setting at Riva Valdobbia spreads tables across a hillside garden, which handles groups of six to ten more comfortably than a compact alpine interior would. For larger or fully private group events, contact the venue directly, as no confirmed private dining room information is available in the public record. The €€ price range makes group dining here significantly more accessible than the starred northern Italian alternatives.
The kitchen works from a seasonal, traditional Valsesian brief, so the menu is predominantly meat and dairy-forward in the alpine tradition. There is no confirmed dietary flexibility policy on the public record. If you have specific requirements , vegetarian, gluten-free, or allergen-related , call ahead before booking. Do not assume a traditional alpine kitchen will adapt easily without notice; a conversation before arrival is the practical step here.
One week is sufficient for most visits, and same-week booking is often possible on weekdays outside summer. For weekend tables in July, August, or October (peak foliage), book seven to ten days out. No online booking system is listed, so your route is a direct phone call or in-person enquiry. Two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions suggest the venue is building a following, so weekend tables in high season are not guaranteed on short notice.
No confirmed tasting menu is listed in the public record for this venue. The kitchen operates in a traditional trattoria format at €€ pricing. The rabbit leg in porchetta with mountain purée is the documented highlight dish. At this price point, ordering à la carte and anchoring the meal around the kitchen's known signature is the practical approach. If a structured tasting format is important to you, venues like Reale in Castel di Sangro or Dal Pescatore in Runate offer that format, though at considerably higher cost.
Within the Valsesia valley, options at a comparable format are limited, which partly explains this venue's strong local ratings (4.6 from 388 Google reviews). For a step up in ambition and price, northern Italy's starred venues include Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico and Osteria Francescana in Modena, though both require significantly more planning and spend. See our full Varallo restaurants guide for a complete picture of local options.
Yes, specifically for occasions where setting and informality matter more than ceremony. The garden terrace next to the Sacro Monte funicular, at €€ pricing with Michelin Plate recognition, creates an occasion that feels considered without being stiff. Birthday lunches, small family gatherings, or a celebratory stop on a Valsesia valley day trip all fit this venue well. If the occasion requires formal private dining, a dress code, or a structured tasting menu, look at Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli in Verona or Quattro Passi in Marina del Cantone instead.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostaria di Bricai | Seasonal Cuisine | Situated in the gardens next to the Sacro Monte funicular, this beautiful and bucolic residence overlooks the village. In this relaxing setting, Giorgio serves traditional local cuisine: the rabbit leg in porchetta with mountain-style purée is one of the highlights.; Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| 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 | — |
| Osteria Francescana | Progressive Italian, Creative | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Quattro Passi | Italian, Mediterranean Cuisine | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Reale | Progressive Italian, Modern Cuisine | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Yes, and the garden terrace is the practical reason to bring a larger party. Unlike a confined trattoria interior, the outdoor setting adjacent to the Sacro Monte funicular gives groups room to spread without dominating the space. Call ahead to confirm availability, as no online booking portal is publicly listed.
No specific dietary policy is documented for this venue. The kitchen works on a seasonal, local brief with dishes like rabbit leg in porchetta as a signature, so meat features prominently. If you have significant restrictions, check the venue's official channels before booking — details may be available through local tourism listings for Riva Valdobbia.
Booking difficulty here is low by Italian Michelin-recognised standards, but the setting is small and the garden terrace fills during summer weekends. A few days' notice should be sufficient mid-week; aim for a week ahead if you're targeting a Saturday lunch in high season. No online booking is publicly listed, so phone or walk-in enquiry at the address on Piazza Quattro Novembre is the route in.
No tasting menu format is confirmed in the available venue data. The kitchen runs a traditional, seasonal local menu at €€ pricing, which already makes this one of the more direct value propositions among Michelin-recognised restaurants in the region. If a structured multi-course format is what you're after, a more formal destination restaurant in northern Italy would serve that need better.
Hostaria di Bricai is the Michelin-recognised option in this part of the Valsesia valley, which makes direct local comparisons limited. For a step up in formality and prestige within the broader Piedmont and northern Italy region, Dal Pescatore or Osteria Francescana operate at a different level entirely — but also at a very different price point. If the draw here is mountain trattoria dining at €€ with regional Piedmontese focus, Hostaria di Bricai is the clearest answer in its immediate area.
Yes, if the occasion suits the format. The garden setting next to the Sacro Monte funicular, Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025, and traditional local cooking at €€ make this a confident choice for a relaxed, meaningful lunch — an anniversary or a quiet celebration with someone who appreciates place over theatre. It is not the venue for a formal dinner with high-production service; for that, look further afield in Piedmont.
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