Top Rated Pizza Joints in Turin That Locals Swear By
Words by
Marco Ferrari
The Best Pizza in Turin Is Found Off the Beaten Path
Turin doesn't shout about its pizza the way Naples does. There is no tourist trail, no overcrowded piazza ovens photogenic enough for an Instagram post. But if you spend more than a few days here, eating where the after-work crowd eats, you quickly realize that the top rated pizza joints in Turin are a different breed altogether. They are quieter, cheaper, and often better than what you'd expect from a city more famous for chocolate, coffee, and slow-cooked carne cruda. Over the past decade, I have eaten my way across nearly every rione in Torino, and the places that follow are the ones I keep going back to, the ones I recommend without hesitation when someone new in town asks where to find real pizza.
What makes a local pizza spot in Torino special is not necessarily the pedigree of the dough or the oven's wood source, although those things matter. It is the consistency. It is the woman who has been shaping cornetti at the corner table every Saturday for fifteen years. It is the owner who remembers your face from three visits ago. Turin's best casual pizza spots thrive on repetition, on loyalty, on the kind of humble predictability that trendy Milan or Rome could never quite pull off. Let me walk you through my favorites, neighborhood by neighborhood.
1. Pizzeria Bocconcino, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II
You will find Bocconcino rooted in the heart of the Quadrilatero Romano, just steps from Piazza Castello, which makes it a convenient stop if you're already touring Turin's most elegant historic streets. But do not mistake this for a tourist trap. The place blocks that line up here on a weeknight are almost entirely made up of locals from the San Salvario and Vanchiglia neighborhoods who consider Bocconcino their reliable standby. The dough is made in house daily, using a long fermentation process that gives the crust a faintly sour tang and a satisfying chew that crackles when you fold it. The Margherita DOP, topped with San Marzano tomatoes and fior di latte mozzarella, is the benchmark order, but I always tell people to branch out to the pizza with gorgonzola, pear, and walnuts, which somehow captures a combination that feels native to Piedmont.
The best time to arrive is between 8:00 and 8:30 PM. Anything later than 9:30 PM and you will be waiting at the bar for at least twenty minutes, especially on weekends. The interior is tight and the tables are close together, so expect to overhear your neighbor's conversation about calcio or work drama. This is part of the charm. Bocconcino connects to Turin's identity as a city that respects craft without overcomplicating it, a place where an excellent pizza doesn't need a backstory, just good flour and a hot enough oven. One insider detail worth knowing: the small room in the back, past the open kitchen, is noticeably quieter and almost always has an open table, even when the front looks packed.
What to Order: Margherita DOP is essential; the gorgonzola and pear pizza is the sleeper hit that locals quietly adore.
Best Time: Tuesday or Wednesday evening, early, before 8:30 PM, to avoid the weekend crush.
The Vibe: Compact and energetic, with service that moves fast and zero pretension. The noise level can feel overwhelming if you are seated near the door.
2. Dante Pizza al Taglio, Via San Domenico
If you are looking for cheap pizza Turin style, al taglio is where the city eats without thinking about it. Dante, near the end of Via San Domenico just off Via Roma, is a narrow slice shop that serves rectangular trays of pizza with toppings that change based on the season and what the owner feels like making that morning. You point at the tray, you say how much you want, they cut it, they weigh it in grams, and you pay somewhere between three and five euros for a generous piece. This is how office workers in the centro storico eat lunch. I have watched lawyers, students, and retirees all go through the same quick, wordless transaction here.
The best slices rotate. Some days the pizza rossa with cherry tomatoes and basil is transcendent. Other days it is the one with potatoes and rosemary, or zucchini flowers in spring. Go when the trays are fresh, which means lunch between noon and 1:00 PM or dinner around 7:00 PM. By late afternoon, the morning batch loses its structural integrity and the crust turns soft and heavy. There is no seating to speak of, just a thin metal counter along the wall. You eat it on the sidewalk leaning against the building, which Dante has been doing for decades, following the classico tradition of the pizza al taglio that Rome and Turin share. Book a table? Not possible. Standing-room pizza is the whole point, and it is one of the cheapest good meals you will find in central Turin. One thing tourists almost never do: ask for the taglio with Nutella pizza in the late hours, when the oven opens again.
What to Order: Whatever the front tray looks freshest, plus ask for the zucchini flower slice in season (April through June).
Best Time: Noon sharp for the first batch out of the oven. Avoid mid-afternoon lulls when the slices have been sitting.
The Vibe: Fast, transactional, zero frills. You eat on the street. There is very little room to maneuver if there is a small queue.
3. Pizzeria Gennaro Esposito, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II
Gennaro Esposito occupies a stretch of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II that forms the spine of Turin's restaurant and nightlife strip. This Neapolitan import has earned its place among the local pizza spots in Turin through sheer consistency. The owner trained in Naples before relocating to Piedmont, and you can taste that lineage in the puffy, leopard-spotted cornicione that lines every pie. They use a blend of Italian and imported Caputo flour, and the dough goes through a 72-hour cold ferment, yielding a base that is light enough to fold cleanly in four without the center collapsing. That collapse problem is the telltale sign of a lesser pizza napoletana, and Gennaro has solved it.
Order the Salsiccia e Friarielli if it is on the menu. That combination of Neapolitan sausage and sauteed rapini over a San Marzano base is something I have never seen replicated at this quality outside of Naples or this very restaurant. The dining room is sleek but not sterile, with exposed brick and a long marble bar where solo diners can park themselves comfortably. Thursday through Saturday between 10:00 and 11:00 PM is when this place hits its stride, catching the post-dinner crowd that pours out of the wine bars on nearby Via Po. This reflects something important about Turin's dining culture: the late, deliberate, multi-course dinner followed by a late-night pizza is a rhythm that locals never tire of. A minor complaint is that the bill can add up quickly once you order drinks and dessert, and the front rows near the oven can feel a little intense on a cold night when the door keeps opening and closing.
What to Order: The Salsiccia e Friarielli pizza, if available, else the classic Diavola with spicy salami.
Best Time: After 10:00 PM on weekends, when the kitchen is in full stride and before the Neapolitan wood-fired oven closes.
The Vibe: Stylish but grounded, with a Neapolitan soul and a Turin pace. Reservations are strongly recommended on weekends since tables fill up fast.
4. Da Benito, Via dei Mille (Cit Turin neighborhood)
Cit Turin is the quiet triangle of streets north of Piazza Statuto and south of Corso Francia, a neighborhood most visitors hear about only when someone mentions the Sindone or the Porta Palatina. Da Benito sits on Via dei Mille, and it is the kind of neighborhood pizzeria that survives precisely because residents don't want it to change. The owner, who I have seen pulling the same white trays out of the same oven since at least 2015, makes a slightly thicker, breadier crust than the Neapolitan spots downtown. It is closer to the Roman al taglio style but served round and on a plate, and it works.
The signature is the pizza with anchovies, Gaeta olives, capers, and oregano. Salty, briny, and oddly refreshing, it pairs with a cold glass of local Arneis in summer or a glass of Barbera in winter. There is a small outdoor terrace that fits maybe six tables, and when the weather is good, which is often enough between April and October, the locals gather here for a leisurely one-to-two-hour meal that stretches into quiet conversation. Unlike the frenetic turnover at tourist-facing restaurants in the Quadrilatero Romano, Da Benito encourages you to sit, to order a second glass, to not rush. This is the heartbeat of Turin's residential center, and Da Benito is one of its most genuine expressions. I will note that the lighting inside is dim and almost cave-like, which some people love and others find a bit dated.
What to Order: The anchovy and olive pizza, without question. Also worth trying the suppli as a starter.
Best Time: Friday or Saturday evening after 8:30 PM, ideally on the terrace if the weather allows.
The Vibe: Warm, slow, and deeply neighborhood-focused. The interior lighting is quite low, and the decor has not been updated in many years.
5. Pizzeria Sorbillo, Via Po (in partnership with the grinder's franchise)
When Gino Sorbillo, perhaps the most famous pizzaiolo in Naples, opened a branch in Turin near Via Po, the city collectively shrugged and then quietly started queueing up. The Sorbillo name on a door is a powerful draw, and the location just off the elegant Via Po means it catches both the university crowd from nearby University of Turin and the evening strollers heading toward the Mole Antonelliana. The pizza here is textbook Neapolitan: soft center, inflated edge, minimal toppings that are fresh enough to taste like the morning they were prepared. The Marinara, just tomato, garlic, oregano, and olive oil with no cheese, is the order if you want to test the oven and the dough without distraction.
Go at lunch on a weekday if you can. The midday service, roughly noon to 2:00 PM, moves at a brisk pace and the kitchen is fully dialed in. Evening on weekends is busier and louder, though the quality never drops. The menu is small and focused, and the dessert section includes a ricotta and pistachio pizza that Turin has adopted with enthusiasm. This reflects the broader culinary influence that Piedmont has quietly absorbed from Campania in recent years, a cross-pollination that shows up in the olive oils, the tomatoes, and the mutual respect between the two regions' food cultures. One small drawback: the menu in Turin does not match the full depth of what the Naples mothership offers, so if you have eaten in Sorbillo's original locations on Via dei Tribunali, you may notice some gaps.
What to Order: The Marinara purist's choice; the Margherita for a safe first visit; the pistachio ricotta dessert pizza is a must.
Best Time: Weekday lunch, around 12:30 PM when the midday service is fresh and efficient.
The Vibe: Energetic and slightly chaotic in a way that feels Napoletan-influenced. The acoustics are poor when the room is full, so expect volume.
6. Spaccanapoli Franchise, Corso Francia Area
Multiple Spaccanapoli locations dot Turin, but the Corso Francia area branch near Piazza Bernini is the one I keep returning to. This chain, born in Naples and expanded across Italy and the world, delivers a reliable product at a reasonable price, and the Turin outposts have been calibrated to local tastes, which means slightly less aggressive char on the cornicione and a touch more cheese than you would get in the Bay of Naples. For tourists or newcomers to Turin who want a safe introduction to Neapolitan-style pizza without committing to a restaurant that has a chef's ego attached, Spaccanapoli is a solid entry point.
The Bufalina, with buffalo mozzarella flown in from Campania, is the bestseller, and it deserves its reputation. The pizza rounds arrive with a soft, creamy center that practically melts. Pair it with a Neapolitan-style craft beer or one of the rotating local taps, and you have a meal that rarely costs more than twelve euros per person with a drink included. Afternoons on weekday, say a Tuesday or Wednesday around 3:00 PM, are ideal if you want a quiet meal and the chance to see the kitchen at a relaxed pace before the dinner rush revs up. Turin's Spaccanapoli branches reflect the city's broader openness to Italian food traditions from every region, a generosity that sometimes surprises visitors who assume Piedmont is only about risotto and beef. One honest criticism: the industrial-scale dough production means you will never get that hand-shaped imperfection you find at an independent pizzeria, and the crust can feel slightly uniform from visit to visit.
What to Order: The Bufalina is the signature; the Vesuviana with spicy salami is a hearty second choice.
Best Time: Weekday afternoons around 3:00 PM for a quiet off-peak meal, or early dinner before 7:30 PM.
The Vibe: Reliable, chain-smart, and efficient without surprises. The corporate consistency means it lacks the character of a one-off local shop.
7. 100 Birre Pizzeria + Microbrewery, Via Moncalieri (San Donato)
A slightly longer walk from the historic center, but well worth it if you want pizza plus independent craft beer in a setting that feels like Turin's younger, more experimental side. 100 Birre on Via Moncalieri, in the San Donato district, has a rotating selection of house-brewed beers that range from light and citrusy to dark and roasty, and the kitchen matches that range with pizzas that lean toward the inventive. I have had a pizza here with taleggio cheese, caramelized onions, and a drizzle of aged balsamic that was one of the best things I ate in Turin in the last calendar year. They are not afraid to push the boundaries of what a pizza topping can be.
Thursday and Friday late afternoons, starting around 5:00 PM, are the best time to hit this place. You beat the dinner crowd, you get your pick of the seating, and the first beer of the evening tastes better when you are not fighting for a place at the bar. The San Donato neighborhood is one of Turin's most representative working-class districts, and 100 Birre fits right in by offering great food at prices that normal people can afford every week rather than treating a night out as an event. This is Piedmont's beer culture meeting Naples' pizza tradition, and the result is exciting. I should mention that the parking situation on Via Moncalieri is genuinely difficult in the evenings, and the tram stop is a ten-minute walk, so plan your route accordingly.
What to Order: Any house special pizza featuring local Piedmontese cheeses or charcuterie, plus whatever IPA is on tap.
Best Time: Thursday or Friday starting at 5:00 PM to catch the post-work crowd before it gets packed.
The Vibe: Young, lively, with a slightly industrial craft feel. Tight parking nearby is a real issue for anyone arriving by car.
8. Rossopomodoro, Via Garibaldi
Rossopomodoro is another Neapolitan chain that has put roots down in Turin, and its Via Garibaldi location, right in the thick of the Quadrilatero Romano nightlife zone, is the busiest of its Turin branches. This means it is the one most likely to be recommended by someone working in a hotel or tourist office, but the quality genuinely holds up. The dough is made with a mix of five different flours, including whole grain, which gives the crust a nuttier, more complex flavor than the standard white-flour Neapolitan crust. The result is a pizza that has weight to it, substance that survives a thirty-minute wine-with-friends break without going limp.
The Calzone Rossopomodoro, stuffed with ricotta, salami, and mozzarella and sealed tightly at the edges, is their flagship and a proper meal in one dish. Weekday lunches, between noon and 1:30 PM, are ideal. The lunch deal, when available, includes a pizza and a drink for under ten euros, which is hard to find in the expensive Quadrilatero Romano. Via Garibaldi on a Saturday night is a zoo, and the tables outside are more about people-watching than comfortable dining. This is part of Turin's identity: the street itself is the show. Rossopomodomo benefits from being embedded in that energy, but if you want a peaceful meal, avoid the weekend evening hours entirely. The acoustics in the main dining room are unforgiving, and once the room is full, across from you becomes a shouting match.
What to Order: The Calzone Rossopomodoro is their classic; the five-flour Margherita is the best way to taste their dough.
Best Time: Weekday lunch before 1:30 PM for the best value and the calmest atmosphere.
The Vibe: Lively and tourist-aware but well-managed. Noise levels on weekend evenings are extremely high.
A Word on Pizza al Padellino and Turin's Own Style
Before you fixate entirely on the Neapolitan wave that has swept Turin's dining scene, it is worth knowing that the city has its own pizza tradition. Pizza al padellino (also called pizza al tegamino) is a thicker, pan-baked style that was the default in Turin long before anyone imported a wood-fired oven from Naples. It has a focaccia-like base that is crispy on the bottom and pillowy on top, and it is usually topped simply: tomato, mozzarella, maybe anchovies or olives. You can still find this style at traditional trattorie and old-school pizzerias in the San Donato and Aurora neighborhoods, particularly off Via Milano and near the Borgo Dora market area. If you visit Turin and only eat Neapolitan-style pizza, you are missing the local chapter of the story. Look for the words "pizza al tegamino" on a menu, and when you find it, order it, eat it standing at the counter or at a small Formica table, and know that you are eating something Turin invented for itself long before the Neapolitan chefs arrived.
When to Go and What to Know
Turin's pizzeria culture runs on Italian time, which means lunch service typically starts around 12:30 PM and ends by 2:30 PM, and dinner service begins no earlier than 7:30 PM and often closer to 8:00 PM to 8:30 PM. Showing up at 6:00 PM on a Saturday will get you a closed door or a very confused host. Cash is increasingly accepted everywhere, but credit and debit cards work at all the places listed above, and contactless tap-to-pay is common. Tipping is not mandatory or expected in Turin, but rounding up the bill by one to two euros, or leaving five to ten percent at a full-service restaurant, is always appreciated. Reservations are advisable for dinner on weekends at Bocconcino, Gennaro Esposito, Sorbillo, and Rossopomodoro. For the slice shops and smaller neighborhood places, reservations are not taken, you simply show up.
Parking in central Turin is a nightmare, especially around the Quadrilatero Romano and Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, so use the tram or bus network wherever possible. The nearest metro stops for most of these venues are Porta Nuova, Castello, or XVIII Dicembre, all within reasonable walking distance. If you are traveling in summer, outdoor terraces at Da Benito and 100 Birre fill up fast, and midday heat in July and August can make sidewalk seating uncomfortable by 2:00 PM, so plan your pizzeria visit for early evening. Turin also has a lingering cultural habit of the aperitivo hour between 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM, and several of these pizzerias serve light snacks or pizza slices during that window at reduced prices, which is a fantastic way to sample the kitchen before committing to a full meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Turin expensive to visit? Give a realistic daily budget breakdown for mid-tier travelers.
Turin is significantly cheaper than Milan or Rome. A mid-tier traveler can expect to spend roughly 80 to 120 euros per day, covering a three-course lunch or dinner at a casual restaurant (20 to 30 euros), a coffee and pastry breakfast (5 to 7 euros), public transit (6 euros for a day pass), and a mid-range hotel or Airbnb (70 to 100 euros per night). Pizza meals specifically range from 8 to 15 euros per person at local spots, which is notably more affordable than dining in Florence or Venice.
How easy is it to find pure vegetarian, vegan, or plant-based dining options in Turin?
Turin has become increasingly accommodating for vegetarian and vegan diets over the past five years. Most pizzerias, including every venue listed in this guide, offer at least two to three vegetarian pizzas on the menu, and vegan options (dairy-free cheese or vegetable-only toppings) are now common at Neapolitan-style spots. Dedicated vegan restaurants number around fifteen to twenty across the city, concentrated in the San Salvario and Vanchiglia neighborhoods. The Eataly branch at the Lingotto complex also has a fully vegetarian counters. It is not difficult to eat well as a plant-based traveler in Turin, though rural Piedmontese cuisine can still be heavily meat-focused.
Are there any specific dress codes or cultural etiquettes to keep in mind when visiting local spots in Turin?
There is no formal dress code at pizzerias or casual trattorie in Turin. Smart casual suffices, and locals tend toward understated, dark-toned clothing rather than bright tourist attire. One cultural note: ordering a cappuccino after a meal, especially after 11:00 AM, is considered unusual by Italian standards and may raise a slight eyebrow among older waitstaff, though nobody will refuse the order. Also, asking for parmesan cheese on seafood pasta or pizza is a well-known faux pas. Tipping is optional, and splitting checks among large groups is handled without fuss.
Is the tap water in Turin in Turin safe to drink, or should travelers strictly rely on filtered water options?
Tap water in Turin is perfectly safe to drink and is in fact sourced from Alpine springs, which makes it notably clean and fresh by Italian standards. The city's water utility, SMAT, regularly tests the supply and publishes results. Locals routinely drink from household taps and from public fountains scattered across the city, many of which still flow with the historic aqueduct system. Travelers do not need to rely on filtered or bottled water unless they simply prefer the taste, though ordering water in a restaurant will typically arrive as a paid bottled option (acqua frizzante or acqua naturale) unless you specifically ask for "acqua del rubinetto" (tap water).
What is the one must-try local specialty food or drink that Turin is famous for?
Bicerin is Turin's signature drink, a layered combination of espresso, dark chocolate, and cream served in a small glass at Caffae al Bicerin on Piazza della Consolata, where it was invented in the 1760s. For food, the must-try is vitello tonnato, a cold sliced veal covered in a creamy tuna and caper sauce, which originated in Piedmont and appears on nearly every traditional restaurant menu between October and March. Pizza aside, these two offerings are what locals most associate with Turin's identity and the ones most likely to linger in your memory after you leave.
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