A place of other times .. a super simple and rustic trattoria proposing super delicious, home made local dishes .. the best tapulone in the area ... at prices of other times .. too bad time of such…

A place of other times .. a super simple and rustic trattoria proposing super delicious, home made local dishes .. the best tapulone in the area ... at prices of other times .. too bad time of such…

Elena Toscani

A historic restaurant in Borgomanero, good food and very reasonable prices. Perfect for a quick lunch. The place could use some updating...

1976 Roby

A terrible experience in my opinion! A table for four, and a paltry platter of cured meats arrived, perhaps enough for one, a Russian salad of dubious color, a portion for one, and a spoonful of goat's ricotta to share between four. Then we moved on to the second course. 🫣 polenta, a portion of tapulone and a portion of donkey stew, a slice of Zola. Measly portions, and when we asked for more polenta, the lady didn't seem happy to oblige. The dessert, which was advertised as fresh, was actually fresh from the fridge. I've always heard about it, but I don't think I'll go back! Also because the bartender at the counter was tipsy and made obscene gestures while he was talking. Granted, it was a festive evening, but obscene gestures, no. Would I recommend it!! Well, no... €25, disappointed

channel max

It's a classic traditional tavern. It has a 1970s-style appearance and is entered from the courtyard. There's an internal dining room and a large porch. Honest and genuine, the owners offer classic traditional recipes. The most typical is "Tapulon," made with minced meat (stewed) in red wine. It's a dish linked to the legend of the founding of Borgomanero. The "orthodox" recipe calls for donkey meat, but it can also be prepared with horse or veal (in our case, it was horse). Traditional.

Andrea Colli Vignarelli

It may seem incredible, but if you book a table for Saturday night in the province of Novara, it's not easy to find a table available at restaurants. For this reason, this weekend I settled on a restaurant I hadn't been to in at least 20 years: the Trattoria del Ciclista in Borgomanero. Frankly, I remembered it being more spacious and with thick, pub-style tables, but I think that's because I'm getting older, and when you're young, everything seems bigger! For those who've never eaten at Il Ciclista, it's a place out of time: the entrance is from a 1970s-style bar, and to access the trattoria, you have to cross a courtyard overlooked by the windows of the trattoria. The restaurant itself consists of a single room (with tables that can be combined to accommodate even large groups), with the bathrooms at the back. The owners, who are no longer young but are very friendly, provide the welcome and service, and list the dishes by heart. The latter changes only depending on the day of the week, but they've been the same for decades: hot and cold appetizers (cold cuts, horse and pork salami, cotechino, spring onions and olives, goat cheese, etc.), ravioli del plin, rice with red wine (no surprise: in Borgomanero, red wine is used for everything!), and vegetable tortelli for the first course, followed by veal stew and tapulone with polenta for the second course. I try the risotto and am not thrilled; besides, the owners hadn't planned on making paniscia novarese (a risotto made with vegetable broth, cabbage, pork rind, salami in fat, beans, and red wine) because they were expecting a large group of young people unfamiliar with this dish. I continue with tapulone (a dish made with stewed minced donkey meat and red wine) with polenta (again, I'm not thrilled with the use of whole-wheat polenta, and the tapulone is a bit too dry). I washed down my dinner with a bottle of Vespolina della Torraccia del Piantavigna, which was passable. For two, including just one packaged dessert and two coffees, we spent €70. It's not a lot, but it's not a small amount either for a place where many of the dishes are industrially prepared (like the ravioli, plin, and gelato) and the appetizers are certainly not homemade. I had better memories of this trattoria, but as I said, I was younger!

+2

Emilio Acerbi

In short... Dishes I can cook better than you. The "pear and chocolate cake" is a store-bought pear cake, with two stripes of chocolate sauce on top. Location 2, service 2 (for the lack of a menu, otherwise 3), food quality 3-4, speed 4, ambiance 2-3, variety 3, coffee 4, price 4 more than adequate for the rest.

Guanito Barbagelata

Despite the sign outside, I, who have lived in Borgomanero since I was born, am not sure which way to enter. Once inside, passing through a bar dating back to the last century, you finally come across the large covered restaurant, because it's immediately apparent that next door there is a summer room that is unused in the winter. As for us, both the bathrooms and the tables are tidy and clean. The staff is attentive and helpful to the bare minimum. I had a terrific boiled meat dish. The people at my table told me that the tapulone and polenta are equally delicious, indeed, dishes renowned not only at the provincial level but even regionally. Compliments to the chef. Excellent value for money. Worth a try, whether for work, a large table with old friends, or an intimate table, but more suitable for the evening.

Stefano Gobbo

Dinner for two at this old-fashioned trattoria. Reading the reviews, I imagined a "rustic" atmosphere, but not that much, and without giving too much importance to the place, I wanted to eat the old-fashioned way, good food and generous portions. None of this: the cured meats appetizer was sad and miserable, and for the main course, ten tortelli with butter and sage from a discount store. The price was absolutely exorbitant for the quality of the food. The service from the owners was friendly, perhaps too friendly.

Federico Abbate

Bad experience. It took half an hour to get there and then they told me they had no seats. I strongly advise against it. The place is dirty at the entrance and of questionable quality. I definitely won't be returning.

ILEANA FAZIO

After about twenty years, we returned to try this cuisine again... too bad, only fond memories remain... sometimes you need to know when it's time to let go...

Ada Miani

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