Felicin Monforte d'Alba: A Charming Barolo Culinary Gem

Located in the Barolo Monforte region

A restaurant where the food and hospitality are equally impressive

Felicin

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Hello everyone!

Today, I'm excited to share my review of

Felicin, a fantastic spot I visited during my Barolo trip.

It seems quite a few people are

traveling to the Barolo area for the

White Truffle Festival!

If you're heading to the Alba region, definitely consider Monforte d'Alba!

Felicin is a gem located in the Monforte d'Alba area of Barolo,

offering delicious food and exceptional wine.

From its fairytale-like exterior to its incredible food,

and truly heartwarming service, it's a place that left a lasting impression.

Location

📍Felicin

Via D.Vallada, 18, 12065 Monforte d'Alba CN, Italy

Operating Hours

Dinner service begins at 8 PM.

It seems the opening time is a bit later here,

as is common in Italy, where dinner typically starts after sunset.

Saturdays offer both lunch and dinner.

Sundays are for lunch only.

How to Reserve

You can make reservations through The Fork.

Monforte Village & Felicin's Exterior

Monforte d'Alba: A Charming and Pretty Village

Felicin: Beautiful and Quaint

Interior

Passing through the beautiful garden,

you'll find a lovely terrace inside.

There were also many charming seating areas inside.

We arrived earlier than dinner time,

so the restaurant was empty at first.

But as dinner service began,

reserved guests started arriving one by one,

and the place quickly filled up.

We chose a spot on the terrace,

and it was truly wonderful to enjoy our meal as the sun slowly set and the air cooled,

all while surrounded by such beautiful scenery.

What a breathtaking view!

The Menu

Felicin even gives you the menu to take home,

presented like a beautiful letter.

The image on the 'stamp' was actually

a drawing of Felicin's entrance!

The wine list is available on a tablet.

It was incredibly extensive, featuring countless vintages.

We were at table number 10.

Terrace Seating & Aperitivo

We didn't make a reservation, so we arrived a bit early,

around 7:30 PM.

Even though it was before opening hours,

they kindly let us order an aperitivo

and wait.

Aperitif

With 450 million glasses sold a year, 14 glasses every second,

the Aperol Spritz

was what they served us.

Served in a beautiful glass,

it was a delightful drink!

The terrace seats are quite popular,

and sitting there, I realized why dinner starts at 8 PM.

At 7 PM, it's still too hot.

By around 8 PM, it cools down perfectly, making the terrace

ideal for dining.

In the evening, there were a few mosquitoes,

and when I started to itch,

the kind lady at the next table

lent me her mosquito repellent.

So sweet...

📌 Barolo Travel Essentials

Bring mosquito repellent!

While there aren't *a lot* of mosquitoes,

it is a rural vineyard area, after all! Haha.

Our Order​

- Seared white and black rice €20

- Seared cod fillet €25

- Langhe Bianco Bottle €27

Total: €73

In Barolo,

it feels like you just *have* to enjoy a bottle with every meal.

Since we had already enjoyed a substantial lunch,

for dinner, we decided to each order just one dish

and try a lighter white wine.

Amuse-bouche

Onion jam & bread

For the amuse-bouche, we were served a delicious onion jam.

A little dollop on the bread for a perfect bite!

Seared white and black rice

with sausage, mushrooms and timut pepper

My husband ordered the seared white and black rice,

and when it arrived, it turned out to be sausage fried rice!

It was pretty funny, haha.

It came 'with mushrooms',

and thankfully, the mushrooms included some truffle mushrooms!

Not overly strong or

greasy,

this sausage and mushroom fried rice...

had a surprisingly familiar taste, I thought.

There were so many mushrooms piled on top,

I just kept saying 'oh wow...' as I ate.

I think I made the better menu choice this time, wouldn't you say? Haha.

​

Seared cod fillet

served with sun-dried tomatoes, Taggiasca olives and capers with a side of zucchini and green beans

​

This is the cod fillet I ordered.

The fish was cooked *perfectly* evenly.

The rich flavor of the sun-dried tomatoes blended seamlessly,

creating a fantastic harmony.

Langhe Bianca

Podere Ruggeri Corsini

For our evening wine, we asked for a recommendation for a white wine

from the Barolo region.

After all the tastings and

drinking rich red wines all day,

we told them we wanted something a bit lighter

and asked for their recommendations.

When we mentioned our preferred price range and style,

the sommelier personally

recommended about two options.

After listening to us, they brought the wines

and explained the characteristics of each in detail once more,

which was really impressive.

I truly felt how incredibly kind they were.

📌 Tip for Getting Wine Recommendations?!

Price range

Mention any wines you've enjoyed before

Dry/Sweet preference

If you provide these details,

it's much easier to get a wine recommendation that truly suits your taste.

The person in the background of the photo is the sommelier,

and they are *so* incredibly kind!

For us,

they recommended the Langhe Bianca.

It was in the ~$15-~$22 range, so the price was very reasonable, and

Not too sweet,

they recommended it as a great white wine.

And they chilled it perfectly for us right away.

Once we tasted it, it paired incredibly well with the food,

and it was absolutely delightful! 😊

​

The food and wine complemented each other so beautifully that

we simply had to finish the whole bottle before we left.

But then, Felicin had yet another wonderful surprise in store for us...

As we were getting ready to pay,

they mentioned we had arrived early and waited,

and offered the two Aperol Spritzes we had as an aperitif

as a complimentary service!

I've truly never experienced such incredible service before!

We were already incredibly satisfied, but this...

...we walked out thinking, 'Wow, this place is absolutely phenomenal!'

It was truly a wonderfully delicious meal – an unforgettable experience.

A meal in Barolo that felt like a true gift – simply magical!

If you ever find yourself in Monforte, I absolutely recommend stopping by Felicin!

And with that, I'll wrap up today's post right here.

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to keep getting amazing travel tips and inspiration! 😊

​Here's my review of the amazing accommodation I stayed at in Barolo 👇👇

Booking link 👇