Some restaurants not only serve excellent food, but are also institutions with their richness of both food and history. The elegant Del Cambio in Turin is one of those magnificent places. It is steeped in history, since opening in 1757 it has served the likes of Casanova, Verdi, Audrey Hepburn, Nietzsche and Camillo Benso, conte di Cavour, the first Prime Minister of Italy who used to have a permanently reserved table here.

Thanks to the Denegri family, who bought the restaurant in 2012 and brought it back to a historic and contemporary splendour, we all now have the possibility to visit and enjoy this institution.

The kitchen is headed by Head Chef Matteo Baronetto, he is from Torino originally and came back to run Del Cambio after being the Head Chef for the famous Restaurant Cracco in Milan. The cuisine is like the dining room an expression of the history of the place but also there is a true effort to create something new that will last in time. So expect some high level versions of Piemontese classics like vitello tonnato, agnolotti and Finanziera but also contemporary dishes with Piemontese ingredients like their Insalata Piemontese.

To match the dishes there is a magnificent wine cellar that dates back to the seventeenth century with more than 18,000 bottles and 1,700 different labels. Of course all the famous and hard to find regional producers from Piemonte are here but there is also an impressive collection from other parts of the world. The sommelier can also create an interesting and well matched pairing menu by the glass if you do not want to go for a bottle.

There are two main dining rooms, one historic with grand nineteenth century furnishing where you can even find the place marked where conte di Cavour sat and the other contemporary room which is smartly decorated with mirrors displaying ordinary people looking at an undefined event. There is also an exclusive chef’s table that only serves a unique tasting menu.

All in all, Del Cambio is a magnificent place to be seated and enjoy a grand meal with relaxed professional service. Either you go for the more traditional dishes, or even better is to explore the contemporary dishes. Buon Appetito!

Written by Joakim