betty spinoglio

An enchanting place, refined with respect for Piedmontese culture. Excellent food, locally sourced ingredients, sophisticated presentation with clean lines and style. Professional and human courtesy are textbook.

+3

marco nuzzo

A restaurant with a relaxing atmosphere, offering a set menu: appetizers, a choice of two first courses, and three second courses, including three options for a trio. Three desserts are also available. The waiters are extremely courteous. We'll definitely be back.

Roberto Altera

After a 34-degree workday on the plains, finding ourselves outside in the garden of the historic Universo restaurant, enjoying a refined yet light dinner in a decidedly different climate, was truly refreshing. And if you love nature and the landscape, take a look at the photos I posted to get an idea...

+8

Pedro Mascarenhas

Typical Italian Ristorante in family friendly setting. Great to eat regional classics like the gnocchi.

Eugenio Sartirana

Christmas with your family... and the next day at the Universo restaurant. I booked a table for my family, and the menu included: 5 hot appetizers, 2 first courses, a meat cart (3 types), and a dessert cart (4 types). The restaurant is classically furnished, with two rooms featuring a marble fireplace and windows overlooking the snow-capped mountains. As soon as we sat down, we were greeted with a skewer of shrimp with sage leaves, both coated in a thin batter of fried breadcrumbs, warm and delicious. This was followed by a seemingly traditional plate of cured meats, but the culatello was accompanied by a bold and original almond pate, a pleasantly sweet and savory combination, a little surprise. The raw meat dish with oil and lemon that arrived next, a typical Piedmontese dish, was also surprising for its balanced flavors: not too much oil, too strong, overpowering, and not too much lemon, which took away the flavor from the meat. It may seem simple, but it's not. Next up is a savory leek tart with a very thin, barely perceptible shortcrust pastry that melts in your mouth. The warm and delicate cardoon flan rounds out the appetizers. Pumpkin risotto is perfectly cooked and creamed. Homemade agnolotti are uncovered by any overpowering sauces. The Chef appears in the dining room with a selection of roast meats: duck with sultanas, veal shank, and pork tenderloin with green peppercorns. To finish off in style, the desserts arrive, along with Piedmontese classics like bunet and panna cotta, a strawberry Bavarian cream, and a truly luscious tortonata. Price? €35 per person, including a San Pellegrino glass of water and a bottle of Barbera. The food is excellent and you'll impress your guests—what more could you ask for?

David James Pinato

Fantastic restaurant! Greatest quality of regional food and wine!

Suzie Lee

This amazing restaurant is located at the top of a hill in the tiny village of Vignale Monferrato. There's no menu & only one waiter. Once you are seated at your table the food starts arriving. In all there were 9 delicious courses. It was a memorable experience & really good value - our bill came to around €36 per person (not including wine).

bubblegum dandy

This is heaven on earth. Can life be better? Highly recomendable!!

Ben Sanchez

Been to Ristorante Universo a few times now. High quality local food and wine delivered in a excellent relaxed atmosphere. The restaurant is located at the top of Vignale Monferrato (hill) with great views over the nearby farms and vineyards. Don't be fooled by the unassuming and low key entrance. Like an old war vet with nothing to prove, this place doesn't need to to shout about its quality. There isn't a menu that I've ever seen, and I don't know if a vegetarian would be catered for. The food service follows a simple progression of simple servings of traditional seasonal food. Maybe totalling somewhere around 8 courses. Typically 2 or 3 cold meat courses, 2-3 anti-pastas, a main hot meat dish, desert and then coffee. As the food changes with the seasons there's little point of me talking about what I had in January because what you get will be dependant on what time of year you would go. However as I said before I've been there a few times now and have never been disappointed. As a food lover (aka gourmand) I can say that the standard is as good as many michelin star restaurants I've been too!! No joke. The only difference is here you sit wait and get what your given. This might not be the cheapest place in the area, but the bang for buck you wont be disapointed.

Ristorante di livello più che buono. Serve piatti della cucina del territorio ben curati. Buona scelta di vini di qualità prevalentemente regionali. Curato e cordiale il servizio; mise in place accurata . Eleganti i locali del palazzotto d'epoca che affaccia su bella vista delle colline. Prezzo sui 45 euro vino incluso. Molto carino il borgo con la sua piazza centrale che affaccia su splendido palazzo e belvedere

Matteo Collimedaglia

Since it was December 26th, many businesses were closed, so after wandering around the village, we stumbled upon this place. The atmosphere is very elegant, the service is prompt, and the food was high-quality. Since everything is expensive, unfortunately, you get used to it.

+3

Francesco Fiordelisi

A charming place where you can dine in a garden overlooking the valley and vineyards and enjoy the sunset until the last ray of sunlight. The cuisine is good, but the format and service could use some updating. There's no menu, not even a wine list, and no one explains that there's a fixed menu (the mixed appetizer is the same for everyone, while you can choose between two first courses, two second courses, and three desserts). You never know how much you'll spend until you go and pay the bill to the very kind owner. A little clarity on these aspects and this place could aspire to be the best option in Vignale and the surrounding area.

il cibo non è molto buono e gustoso, invece il servizio è scortese con i più piccoli, l'ambiente è carino a parte le bottiglie che invecchiano davanti a tutto il locale

Aarón Sosa

This place used to be in the Osterie d’Italia guide until 2024. I perfectly understand why it was removed from the 2025 edition. Food is ok, but service was very deficient. No explanation about what to eat, they just assumed we wanted the full menu and started bringing food. It took us almost three hours to have dinner, there was a very long interval between dishes. They did not offer any drinks or wine. Place was almost empty, except for an extremely noisy group of foreigners. The fact that no Italian was eating in the place on Thursday night should have been a dead giveaway, but we thought it was because we were there at 8. Will never come here again. One good point: an unforgettable eggplant carpaccio.

Non più quello di una volta. Molto turistico , senza prezzi … piatti niente di che. Di positivo il panorama fuori ristorante ,cameriere gentile!

Ambiente luminoso ma affollato, piatti tipici ma nella media, nulla di eccezionale paragonabile al prezzo che si è pagato. Antipasti base, affettato 1 fetta di salame 1 di pancetta, tortino di porri, insalatina di galletto un cucchiaio. Primo a scelta tra risotto ai funghi e agnolotti, nonostante fosse a scelta quantità da assaggio. I secondi sempre a scelta tra agnello, coniglio e brasato, di cui il brasato era più un arrostino con salsa. La qualità c'era ma il prezzo no! I dolci da tralasciare. E cmq 1 dolce 7€ anche troppo! Non ci tornerò mai. Credo che debbano avere un po' i piedi per terra non sono eccellenza. Cmq fuori nel piazzale tutti si lamentavano...non lascia un buon ricordo

Struttura antica, menù fisso con poca scelta (2 scelte), risotto ai funghi porcini (porcini prodotto tipico) riso scotto e funghi scadenti. Agnolotti abbastanza buoni. Cosce di agnello troppo grasse e brasato troppo asciutto, scelta dei vini scarsa. I dolci erano davvero scadenti e quasi mangiabili, personale a volte scortese. Il prezzo non ne parliamo, elevatissimo anche senza paragonarlo a ciò che abbiamo mangiato…

Silvia Ceriani

June 25: A beautiful summer evening, 30 degrees Celsius, and the wonderful garden was closed, so we had to eat in the dining room. We were there for the fourth time, and this was our last! The ambiance? What kind? Zero! No wine list. Long waits between courses, even though there was only one menu for the entire restaurant and only nine tables were occupied.

Marco Ciavaglioli

Elegant atmosphere with a beautiful terrace overlooking the hills. The food was average, nothing exceptional, and the portions were quite meager. No menu, no wine list, nothing displayed, and nothing offered by the waiter. Nothing to say about the place, but the price was truly excessive for the amount consumed. The quality/price ratio was absolutely unsatisfactory, and all legal requirements were completely ignored. Transparency is the name of the game!