Ansitz Pillhof, South Tyrol

We were in South Tyrol for a wine tasting weekend in July and we wanted a special place to have dinner. Nothing Michelin-starred expensive but not the corner's pizzeria. So after some research we went for Ansitz Pillhof.

The place a beautiful 15th centrury manor between Bolzano and Eppan (Appiano). Besides being a restaurant with a very romantic atmosphere, this is also a wine bar with wines from the area's best wineries.
In the summer you can choose to sit outside in the romantic courtyard, or inside in the cozy area dominated by the impressive wine shelves.

Their menu changes every now and then, as a first course we had the risotto with dill and the ravioli with spinach foam. As main courses we went for a steak tartare with butter and meat with Pata Negra ham and polenta. Everything was delicious but the risotto and the meat were the highlights. The risotto was perfectly cooked and the dill was so aromatic it gave the dish the extra points. The meat was tender and the sauce was perfect for it.

The only negatives were the portions and the wines by the glass. With such an impressive wine display they have inside, and the dishes including local products, we were expecting more local wineries to be present in the wine glasses list - still, the wines they had available were good). As for the portions, don't come hungry, or if you do, be prepared to spend more than 50 euros per person, with starters and first courses ranging between 10 and 15 euros, main courses  up to 20, plus wine and dessert, be prepared for something like that, portions are not really hearty. Of course the ingredients are top quality and the place and atmosphere are amazing and make up for it.

The service was courteous enough, keeping in mind you are not in Sicily and waiters don't want to become your BFFs, we still felt a little forgotten (especially after waiting for the check for 20 minutes...).
Summing up, a beautiful place with excellent food, good wines (it's hard to miss this one in South Tyrol), relatively small portions and a bit anonymous service.

Ansitz Pillhof
via Bolzano. 48 - I-39010
Frangarto - Appiano (BZ)
Tel. +39 0471 633 100
Web: www.pillhof.com
info@vinothekpillhof.com
It's open from Monday to Friday for lunch and dinner and Saturdays for lunch only.

Booking a table (by phone) is almost compulsory.

(sorry for the quality of the photos, it felt wrong to take out the camera in such a cozy atmosphere)