Turin's cuisine is not only regional, but also multicultural. In addition to meat and agnolotti in Turin there are very good and low cost restaurants of Moroccan cuisine and many trattorias, the classic Piedmontese piole.
A Torino, you can eat a little what you want and range from Piedmontese cuisine, with its strong and tasty flavors where the meat is the absolute protagonist, to the desire for ethnicity and indulging in kebabs, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Peruvian or Siberian restaurants.
The choice is wide; the low cost choice too.
Poormanger
I take you from Poormanger, in Via Maria Vittoria 32d between Via delle Rosine and Via San Massimo. Here you will find Marco and Valerio with their sublime baked potato that weighs at least 350 g (so it's pretty big) and has a floury pulp that melts in your mouth. It is cooked with the peel, cut in half and stuffed as you like. At the entrance you will find a counter that reminds a little of the butcher, with all the seasonal ingredients and a blackboard with their proposals. The menu is seasonal and the colors change delighting the eyes. In addition to potatoes, they offer cutting boards, salads, cold dishes or soups; all the products are strictly regional and come from small local producers. The service is very simple and they are very kind: you order at the counter after which they bring you your plastic cutlery and a glass or, if you prefer, you can take your cover directly as if you were at home. Convivial atmosphere and genuine food with a very low budget: i prices range from € 6,50 to € 13. The place is small and the queue is a must, but it's worth it!
Norma the Artisan Polpetteria
We remain in the center but go towards the Mole Antonelliana, in via Roero di Cortanze 4, where we find Norma the Artisan Polpetteria. Here grandma's meatballs have been revisited in different variations: the classic ones with meat, with fish, vegetarian and even just bread just like in the past. For those who really want to overdo it, they can choose the feast of meatballs, try different types to avoid regrets, or taste their 4 special spaghetti with sauce, a little bigger than the famous Barilla No. 3; the kind waitress will tell you that just because they are like this, they will take at least 15 minutes to cook.
To top it off, try the sweet meatballs. I recommend the False Salate with cow's milk ricotta, sugar, strawberries, dark chocolate and mint. Meatball prices go up from € 5 to € 8. Getting up with an empty stomach and wallet is impossible.
Barnum
We change area and move to San Salvario, the Turin nightlife district; you go to Barnum, in via Saluzzo 23 / bis.
The place is a very very basic restaurant-pub; season permitting, take a seat in its outdoor area on the benches and wooden tables, with friends or not, and choose from a series of appetizers, two first courses (about € 6), second courses with side dishes (about € 10) and desserts (€ 3/4). The menu is not very complex, but the dishes are abundant and the ingredients are fresh. Taste the Bra sausage, local cheeses and Calabrian salami is a must. Water it all with a little of the house Barbera.
Suitable for those looking for a popular place without great pretensions and those who do not want to leave their dog at home!
Trattoria Valenza
La piola in Piedmont it is that wonderful place of the past, where time seems to have stopped and the watchwords are: house wine, traditional dishes and very honest prices.
An institution is there Trattoria Valenza in Via Borgo Dora 39. Here we find the boiled, Milanese in carpione, pasta with beans, gnocchi and agnolotti. The bulk wine of the house is red and sincere, as well as sincere and true is the atmosphere, thanks to the decidedly genuine manners of the owner. Finish your dinner with their coffee, accompanied by a lemon peel and six liqueurs.
Suitable for those who love no-nonsense manners, good food and Balon market Saturday morning.
Al Jazera Cafe Restaurant
Let's stay at the Balon but let's change country: let's go to Morocco!
The multiethnic and noisy atmosphere of the stalls is also found at Al Jazera Cafe Restaurant, in via Borgo Dora 26.
Fundamental quality is not to be in a hurry, just as if you were in Marrakesh: the service is slow, but in the meantime you can drink excellent mint tea while smoking the hookah both inside and outside the restaurant.
They don't serve alcohol.
The dishes are simple, both meat and vegetable based. Obviously the cous cous stands out and then on with the beef and plum tajine, the broad bean cream, the Moroccan salad and the lentil crepes. For those who are fond of the combined dishes, for only € 7, you can have falafel with kebab. In the first room you will find the showcase with sweets; I recommend going directly to choose the dry biscuits with almonds and pistachios, excellent with their tea.
The staff is kind and the atmosphere of a small town in the middle of the local market is unparalleled.
