Bologna’s restaurant scene is booming. While meticulous attention is paid to the famous local cuisine, including in contemporary and street food interpretations, seafood restaurants are also becoming increasingly popular. The focus is on quality produce throughout and food miles are short, and plant-based dishes and wines from the nearby hills are finally on the menu.
The rich local cuisine – especially the deep yellow fresh egg pasta – is still central. Official recipes for more than 30 typical dishes (including favorites tortellini and tagliatelle) are registered with the Chamber of Commerce. No restaurant in Bologna worth its salt would serve pasta that wasn’t made in-house.
For more Bologna inspiration, check out our guides to the city’s best hotels, bars and things to do.
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City center
Da Cesari
One of Bologna’s most attractive trattorias with an attractive interior with wood paneling and traditional printed tablecloths. Come for a warm welcome and a menu with typical dishes such as tortellini in broth or meatballs with tomato and peas, but also for tempting alternatives such as green ravioli filled with rabbits and smoked goat ricotta. The restaurant first opened over a century ago and the Cesari family has been at the helm for some 70 years; The wine list includes a range of labels from the family’s winery just outside Bologna. A curious fact: local artist Giorgio Morandi got bottles here for his famous still lifes.
Contact: da-cesari.it
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: ££-£££
E’Cucina Leopardi
The unusual urban design and lively atmosphere of the market reflect the seemingly chaotic mind of the genius chef Cesare Marretti, while his dishes are culinary masterpieces. He believes in (and delivers) high quality at low prices and the available dishes vary daily. At lunch, choose a pasta or main course with seafood, meat or vegetarian and enjoy a free starter and dessert. For a delicious evening meal, try the tasting menu. A man of many talents, Marretti is an avid potter and his tableware is for sale, while several ingredients, including the olive oil and flour, are of his own production.
Contact: 00 39 051 27 50 069; facebook.com/È-cucina-Leopardi
Opening hours: 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM, 8:00 PM – 12:00 AM (closed in August)
Reservations: Recommended for dinner; Walk-in during lunch
Prices: £-££
Serghei
It’s certainly to places like this little trattoria – run by brother and sister team Saverio and Diana – that Bologna owes its fame as Italy’s culinary capital. Over the past half century, the Pasotti family has treated a regular clientele to authentic Bolognese cuisine in the cozy wood-paneled interior; today there are also a few tables under the portico. Menu classics are stuffed zucchini with meatballs and homemade pasta such as tortellini in broth. More attention is paid to vegetarian dishes than most traditional Bolognese restaurants, with sublime delicacies such as ricotta-filled green tortelloni with gorgonzola, pasta with chickpeas and garlic-fried vegetables.
Address: Via Piella 12
Contact: 00 39 051 23 35 33; facebook.com/trattoriaserghei
Opening hours: Mon-Fri, 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM, 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM; Sat, 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: ££-£££
Mercato delle Erbe
While the cramped Quadrilatero market in the narrow alleys off Piazza Maggiore attracts tourists, this is the locals’ favorite for market food, with dining rooms hidden in the wings either side of the main area where the produce stalls are located. Do you opt for table service and a menu with traditional specialties at Altro? or, for fresh seafood, choose Banco 32, opposite the fish stall; There is a daily lunch menu and tapas are served in the evening. Sfogliamo is the place to enjoy traditional street food style pasta and at Sfarinà (sfarina.it) you will find delicious piadina flatbread with excellent fillings.
Contact: mercatodelleerbe.eu
Reservations: Mostly walk-ins only; book for Banco 32 and Altro
Prices: £
Botany Lab
A small, stylish interior with whitewashed brick walls and wooden floorboards, marble-topped bistro tables and mismatched quality crockery sets the scene for exceptional and imaginative vegan cuisine. The seasonal menus include dishes such as beet gnocchi with a cashew nut and artichoke sauce; homemade pasta filled with herbs; vegetarian burgers and pumpkin-leek soup. Watch the chefs at work through the window to the kitchen, or sit back, order a bottle of natural or organic wine and prepare to pamper your taste buds.
Contact: botanischab.com
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: ££
Osteria Bartolini
Entering through the gate to this relaxed seafood restaurant is like being transported the 65 miles to Cesenatico on the Adriatic coast, where the Bartolini family originates; all seafood is still produced there, while their other restaurants include Michelin-starred La Buca. Here in Bologna, two floors, decorated in a sober maritime style with gray-blue tones, natural wood and rope, plus a beautiful courtyard dominated by a huge plane tree on the wide elevated terrace provide the context for delicious fried fish, waffles -thin chips with skin and seafood risottos. Leave room for an orange and caramel or pistachio ice cream.
Contact: osteriabartolinibologna.com
Reservations: Recommended, online
Prices: ££
Officina degli Apuli
Take time out from Bologna’s rich cuisine with a meal in the Mediterranean; Owners Lino and Gino are both from Puglia, just like their dishes. You will find many intriguing fish specialties, such as octopus with broad beans and chicory puree and black spaghetti with mussels, swordfish and zucchini flowers; vegetarian recipes include the Puglia classic orecchiette (ear-shaped pasta) with turnip greens and a wood-burning oven produces pizzas with optional kamut flour. Although large, the tiled-floored interiors are divided into several distinct areas; there is an open-air courtyard garden and a table for two in the wine cellar.
Contact: officinedegliapuli.com
Reservations: Indispensable for the wine cellar table; recommended for the courtyard
Prices: ££
Pratello-Saragozza
Il Rovescio
Il Rovescio is picturesquely spread over three small adjoining buildings (restaurant, pizzeria and La Stanza for extra tables) with a cool, country interior. It is just off the bar-lined Via del Pratello, which buzzes in the evenings. Ingredients come from organic or biodynamic micro-producers for a small monthly menu of dishes such as whole wheat mushroom risotto with mushrooms, spinach and hazelnut, organic braised beef or cabbage roulade and traditional favorites including tagliatelle (homemade from ancient grain flour) with ragù. Old grain flour is also used for sourdough pizzas (evenings only) with seasonal toppings and lots of local vegetables.
Contact: rovescio.it
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: ££
All’Osteria Bottega
Genuine Bolognese dishes – like nonna used to make – and a warm, cheerful welcome from host Daniele Minarelli and wife Valeria are what inspire guests to return here again and again. The intimate interior is simple (wooden tables and chairs, country-style lamps), while the table settings include ultra-fine glassware, cloth napkins and traditional butcher paper placemats. Order a local Sangiovese or fresh white Pignoletto and enjoy fragrant cold cuts (Daniele is especially maniacal when it comes to the best); continue with homemade tortellini followed by cotoletta alla petroniana (breaded veal cutlet with cheese and ham) and finish with torta di riso (rice cake), which is sticky yet refreshing.
Contact: osteriabottega.com
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: ££-£££
Bologna
Trattoria di Via Serra
It’s well worth taking a detour from central Bologna past the station (reserved in advance) for delectable perfection in tranquil surroundings at this trattoria, which adheres to Slow Food and works with first-class small-scale suppliers. A compact set menu of local favorites, such as tagliatelle with ragù and tortelloni filled with ricotta, is complemented by seasonal daily specials, such as walnut spaghetti with fresh mushrooms or chickpea fritters with ricotta and mint. The pasta is homemade, just like the desserts – think tempting treats such as ricotta and caramel cake, melon sorbet or ice cream with saba (cooked grape must).
Contact: trattoriadiviaserra.it
Reservations: Essential
Prices: ££-£££
