Antico Balon is a Restaurant Pizzeria in the district called Quadrilatero Romano , Turin. Very close to Porta Palazzo Market, The Cathedral, the Roman Doors of the City, it is perfect for lunch or an evening dinner while you are visiting the city centre.
Location
Situated in Piazza Emanuele Filiberto 3a, this cozy restaurant has a little terrace outside that faces the lovely square. The interiors are quite rustic and recall those of an inn. You will find photos, memorabilia, bottles of wines and underwear used as decorations. Yes, here and there you will notice huge pants and bras hanging from shelves and other supports. In other word, they made big pants cool before Bridget Jones!
Dishes
Pizza here meets the tradition of Piedmontese dishes. You will find raw meat, veal with tuna sauce, cold cuts, cheeses, sauce prepared with anchovies and of course a lovely selection of desserts like bunet, a pudding prepared with traditional biscuits and chocolate.
While waiting, I suggest you to order some farinata to share. This flat preparation is made with chickpea flour, water, extra-virgin olive oil and rosemary and is really popular in Piedmont and Liguria.
Wine selection
Here is the nice part. Together with a good selections of Italian wines, you will find labels coming from their farmhouse based in the Langhe area. So, instead of drinking the normal wine house, a nice way to say “the cheapest wine we have”, you will find great red wines coming from the Barolo region, a Unesco World Heritage.
By the way, you can also book a room in their farmhouse directly from the restaurant (thus avoiding paying commissions to hotel booking platform. In this way you can add some days on the Langhe hills.
Prices
Absolutely value for money. You can eat with some 20 euros for pizza, wine and coffee. Of course the check arises if you add appetizers, several dishes, wine and desserts. The owner is really lovely, though, and I bet he will offer you the liquor while you get at the counter to pay! Totally recommended.
Tested in May 2021
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