Piedmont on Piedmont

Piedmont on Piedmont sits on Avenue B in downtown Opelika, a few blocks off the more heavily trafficked stretch of South Railroad Avenue, where owners John and Ash have built an Italian ristorante and wine bar around handmade pasta and a substantial wine list. The name nods to the Piemonte region of northern Italy, and the restaurant describes its own approach as a place where Italian soul meets Southern hospitality, an idea the owners extend into a simple guiding line: every glass poured and plate served is meant as an invitation to slow down, stay longer, and savor what really matters.

Pasta is made in house, and the kitchen builds its secondi around dishes like pollo piccata and bolognese, alongside starters such as bruschetta, steak entrees, and paninis, with tiramisu closing out the dessert list. A build-your-own pasta option lets diners choose their noodle shape, sauce, and protein, a more flexible route through the menu for anyone who wants something specific rather than a fixed plate.

The building holds more than one room worth knowing about. Beyond the main dining floor, an upstairs bar called Torino serves handcrafted cocktails, including a smoked old fashioned, while a separate wine cellar room, referred to as The Cellar, is set aside for private dinners and larger groups. An outdoor patio rounds out the seating options, and the overall design leans on natural light and an intimate, elegant Italian aesthetic suited to both a casual weeknight dinner and a special occasion. The restaurant keeps its own e-gift cards available for purchase online, and it maintains an active presence on Instagram and Facebook under the handle piedmont.on.piedmont, where the owners post updates on seasonal menu changes and upcoming wine events.

The wine list is a central part of the identity here, not an afterthought to the food. The restaurant describes its program as an extensive, curated selection built around small-batch Italian wines and rare vintages, with staff trained to make recommendations based on individual preference rather than simply pointing to a bottle. Piedmont on Piedmont operates as much as a wine bar as a restaurant, drawing attention from both regulars and visitors passing through Opelika for a weekend in nearby Auburn.

Beyond nightly dinner service, the restaurant hosts recurring events built around its wine program, including seasonal wine dinners, family-style dining experiences, and a summer garden party that draws a crowd from across Lee County. Private events can also be booked through the Torino Club, giving the restaurant a second business built alongside its regular dinner service, and the team can be reached directly for reservation questions at reservations@marshhospitality.com. Photography from those events, credited to Auburn-based photographer Henry Williford, documents a restaurant that treats hospitality as a performance worth investing in, not just a transactional dinner service.

Piedmont on Piedmont keeps a tighter schedule than many restaurants in downtown Opelika, opening only Thursday through Saturday for dinner, with Thursday running 5 to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday extending to 10 p.m., and staying closed Sunday through Wednesday. That limited window has not hurt demand; the restaurant has built a reputation as one of the more polished dinner options in the historic district since opening, drawing diners willing to plan a visit around its hours rather than walk in unannounced. The kitchen’s rotating dessert list, capped off by tiramisu, gives the dinner menu a traditional Italian close after a meal built mostly around handmade pasta and a Southern-inflected antipasti spread.

For a city with a growing but still compact restaurant scene, Piedmont on Piedmont fills a specific niche: a dedicated Italian kitchen with a serious wine program, run by an owner-operator team on a historic Opelika street just steps from the railroad corridor that anchors downtown.