Restaurant · Langhe
La Ciau del Tornavento
Choose a day and party sizeInformation
- Price
- €€€€
- With a dog
- The menu says dogs are welcome, with a water bowl
- Where
- Treiso
A 1931 school turned into a starred table
La Ciau del Tornavento occupies the building of a former 1931 nursery school in Treiso, one of the Barbaresco villages, a quarter of an hour from Alba. The dining room has high ceilings, wooden floors and large windows that look onto the vineyards and, on clear days, the Alps. It is run by chef Maurilio Garola, and the MICHELIN Guide keeps a star for it; the website also lists recognition from Gambero Rosso, which gave it a special award for dining-room service, and from other Italian guides.
It is the special meal of the trip: not the one you have every day, but the one you book in advance for a celebration or for truffle day.
The menu and the tasting menus
The cooking starts from Piedmont and allows itself to leave it. The plin, the pinched filled pasta of the Langhe, are the house signature, in three versions at €30: seirass (ricotta) cooked in hay with butter and thyme, hen with marsala and foie gras, and the classic ones with meat from the three roasts, which the menu recommends with truffle. There is veal cheek braised in Barbaresco with polenta (€38), the finanziera, an offal stew with marsala that is part of Piedmont's history (€38), Cherasco snails, vitello tonnato (€28) and a seafood section with oysters and caviar.
If the whole table goes, there are full menus. Dal mercato di oggi is six surprise dishes chosen by the chef according to the market, at €140 per person. In autumn there is a five-course menu with white truffle in every dish, whose price is not published, and another for the star's anniversary. For children there is a menu in small portions, with painted plates, a colouring tablecloth and a toy: an unusual touch in a house of this level.
The cellar
The cellar is dug into the tufa of the hill and is part of the visit: more than 65,000 bottles from 450 producers and about 1,800 labels from all over the world, with an obvious weight of the neighbours' Barbaresco and Barolo. Wine Spectator honours it with its Award of Excellence. Ask the sommelier for advice: it is the way to drink a wine from the area that you will not find in a shop.
Getting there and booking
Treiso is about 15 minutes by car from Alba on the Barbaresco road. The restaurant is in the village square, Piazza Baracco. It is open Friday to Tuesday, at lunchtime and in the evening, and closes on Wednesday and Thursday. Book on the website or by phone, and weeks ahead between October and December.
What to order: The agnolotti del plin ai tre arrosti (€30), with truffle in autumn, or the surprise menu of the day's market (€140) if the whole table goes.
Practical details
- Phone
- +39 0173 638333
- [email protected]
- Opening hours
- Cuisine
- Piedmontese, signature
- Bookings
- Book a table on their website
House specialities
- Agnolotti del plin ai tre arrosti
- 28-yolk tagliolini
- Veal cheek in Barbaresco with polenta
- Finanziera
- Vitello tonnato
Tips
- Book the plin with truffle In season, the menu recommends white truffle over the meat plin and the hen ones.
- Ask to see the cellar It is dug into the rock beneath the restaurant and holds about 65,000 bottles.
- Designated driver Treiso is high in the hills, with bends: have whoever is not drinking drive, or ask for a taxi from Alba.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to eat at La Ciau del Tornavento?
The plin cost €30 and the main courses between €38 and €42; the six-course surprise menu, €140 per person, without wine.
Which days does it close?
Wednesday and Thursday. It is open the rest of the week at lunchtime and in the evening.
Can I go with children or a dog?
Yes. It has a children's menu with its own table game, and the menu says dogs are welcome.
Do they speak English?
The website and the menu are in Italian and English; if you do not speak Italian, book in English.
As a familyWith a dog
