Where to eat in Bologna

Selection of Restaurants and Specialties

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Bologna is historically known as “La Grassa” (the Fat One) thanks to its extraordinary culinary tradition, renowned all over the world. This nickname celebrates the abundance of iconic dishes such as tortellini, lasagna, and mortadella, symbols of a rich and high-quality gastronomic culture.

Overview + Restaurants Table

• Al Cambio
• All’Osteria Bottega
• Caminetto d’Oro
• Diana
• Antica Trattoria dalla Gigina
• Trattoria di Via Serra
• Trattoria Serghei
• Da Cesari

FAQ

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Overview

On this page we present our selection of some of the most representative restaurants in Bologna (see Restaurants Table), along with an overview of their most appreciated specialties, praised by diners and reviewed by the leading food and wine guides.

From historic osterias such as Trattoria Serghei and Da Cesari, to high-end restaurants like Al Cambio and Da Bertino e Figli, you can discover true Bolognese cuisine through iconic dishes such as tortellini in broth, Bolognese and Petronian-style cutlet, tagliatelle with ragù, and the ever-present mixed roasts and boiled meats, ensuring an authentic and high-quality gastronomic experience.

Important notes:

In the following sections you will find some key references to help you better orient your choice among restaurants and their specialties, in particular:

📌 The number next to each restaurant and dish indicates how many gastronomic guides recognize its quality.

📌 The stars shown next to each dish are an internal Tourplan classification, developed based on reviews from major guides: ★★★ dish worth the trip, ★★ must-try dish, ★ dish to try.

📌 The indicative price is an indicative value calculated on a standard meal consisting of a starter + a first course, drinks excluded. See Legend 🔗

Restaurants Table

In the table below you will find a carefully curated list of selected restaurants, created by cross-referencing data from 10 of the most authoritative Italian and international food and wine guides. The selection is not based on proprietary scores or rankings, but on the number of guides that recognize the quality of each restaurant, offering a clear, transparent, and comparable criterion to help guide your choice.

🔎 The guides considered in this selection are: Michelin Guide, Gambero Rosso, l’Espresso Guide, Italian Academy of Cuisine, Slow Food Guide, Bibenda, Il Golosario, Identità Golose, Touring Club Italiano, and TripAdvisor.

• Scroll the table down and to the right to view all column data and quickly access the maps Google Maps ➡️
• To see the explanation of each data column, click on the column header itself (e.g. Org, Index, etc.) at the top of the table.

📌 This table is updated every 6–12 months.

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🍽️ Al Cambio

Type: Traditional restaurant / high-end Emilian cuisine
Area: Historic center
Indicative price: see Table
Accessibility: On foot (city center)

Al Cambio (7) is one of the most prestigious restaurants in Bologna, a true benchmark for high-level Emilian cuisine. Its gastronomic offering is based on a rigorous selection of top-quality ingredients, enhanced through traditional recipes executed with great technical precision and deep respect for the territory.

Among the signature dishes stand out the tortellini in double broth, a true icon of Emilian cuisine, and the Bolognese-style cutlet, prepared according to the most authentic tradition.

Another distinctive feature of the restaurant is its high-level wine cellar, featuring a carefully curated selection of local, Italian and international labels, designed to perfectly accompany every dish on the menu. Service is attentive and professional, set in an elegant and timeless atmosphere.

Starters

• Salt cod with fennel polenta
• Piedmontese Fassona beef tartare (1, ★)
• Caramelized onion tartlet (1, ★)
• Gratinated snails with chard
• Selection of cured meats and “Rosola” Parmigiano Reggiano (1, ★★)

Main courses

• Balanzoni pasta filled with ricotta and mortadella
• Lasagna alla Bolognese
• Dry passatelli with white farmyard ragù
• Risotto with Medicina red onion and goose liver (1, ★★)
• Spaghetti with friggione and Parmigiano Reggiano (1, ★)
• Tagliatelle with Bolognese ragù (2, ★★)
• Tortellini in double broth (6, ★★★)

Main dishes

• Roast Mora Romagnola pork ribs
• Bolognese-style cutlet (7, ★★★)
• Meatballs stuffed with tortellini
• Beef cut with Bolognese pesto and Sangiovese wine

Desserts

• Traditional “latte in piedi” dessert (1, ★★)
• Rice cake (torta degli addobbi)

Wines

• Selection of local and Emilian wines (7, ★★★)
• Top Italian and international labels (7, ★★★)

Al Cambio is the ideal choice for those seeking a high-end gastronomic experience in Bologna, perfect for lovers of traditional cuisine, outstanding raw ingredients and a reference wine cellar.

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🍽️ All’Osteria Bottega

Type: Traditional osteria / Bolognese cuisine
Area: Historic center (under the porticoes)
Indicative price: see Table
Accessibility: On foot (city center)

All’Osteria Bottega (5) is one of the most authentic and highly regarded osterias in Bologna, a true reference point for those who want to experience real Emilian cuisine, prepared with rigor, respect for tradition, and great attention to the quality of ingredients.

The osteria’s philosophy is based on an excellent selection of ingredients, with top-quality meats, cured meats, and cheeses, often connected to Slow Food presidia and artisanal local producers. The atmosphere is typically Bolognese: informal, welcoming, with intimate tables, including seating under the porticoes, perfect for a genuine and unfussy gastronomic experience.

Starters

• Braised cod (1, ★★)
• Selection of artisanal cheeses (1, ★★)
• Selection of traditional cured meats (1, ★★)

First Courses

• Gramigna pasta with sausage and cardoons ragù
• Lasagna alla Bolognese (1, ★)
• Strichetti with giblets (2, ★★)
• Tagliatelle with Culatello di Zibello (4, ★★★)
• Tagliatelle al ragù (5, ★★★)
• Tagliatelle with white onions from Medicina sauce (4, ★★★)
• Tortellini in capon broth (2, ★)
• Cream of artichoke soup (2, ★)
• Zuppa Imperiale in meat broth

Main Courses

• Traditional mixed boiled meats (4, ★★★)
• Cotechino sausage with mashed potatoes
• Cotoletta alla Petroniana (5, ★★★)
• Fassona veal cheek (1, ★)
• Roast pigeon (2, ★)
• Meatloaf
• Stuffed zucchini (4, ★★★)

Side Dishes

• Cardoons gratinated with milk
• Bolognese friggione (1, ★)
• Roasted potatoes (1, ★)
• Peperonata

Desserts

• Traditional ring cake (1, ★)
• Fiordilatte
• Bolognese pinza cake (1, ★)
• Rice cake (Torta degli Addobbi)
• Trifle (Zuppa Inglese) (2, ★★)

All’Osteria Bottega is the ideal place for those who want to experience the most authentic Bolognese gastronomic tradition, enjoying historic dishes prepared with outstanding ingredients in a typical, convivial setting deeply rooted in the local territory.

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🍽️ Caminetto d’Oro

Type: Traditional Bolognese restaurant
Area: Historic centre (under the porticoes)
Indicative price: see Table
Accessibility: On foot (city centre)

Caminetto d’Oro (5) is one of Bologna’s historic restaurants, highly regarded for its strong connection to Emilian tradition and for a solid, coherent and recognisable culinary approach. The menu highlights classic recipes and refined interpretations, with particular attention to selected Slow Food Presidia and local products.

The atmosphere reflects that of elegant traditional eateries in the historic centre, with the option to dine under the porticoes, while the service enhances the experience with professionalism and discretion.

Also worth noting is an excellent and well-structured wine cellar, featuring local, Italian and international labels, ideal for accompanying the entire dining experience.

Starters

• Chicken galantine with house-made Russian salad and pistachio crumble
• Liver pâté with thyme-salted butter and brioche bread (1, ★★)
• Selection of cured meats with homemade sweet-and-sour vegetables
• Selection of cheeses

First courses

• Ricotta ravioli with Altedo asparagus and house-aged ham
• Tagliatelle alla bolognese with traditional ragù and wild asparagus (2, ★★)
• Green nettle tagliolini with morels and black truffle
• Cheese and pear tortellacci (1, ★)
• Tortellini in broth (3, ★★)

Main courses

• Altedo asparagus with toasted bread, poached egg, purple potato cream and black truffle (2, ★★)
• Traditional mixed boiled meats with vegetables and sauces (2, ★)
• Charcoal-roasted rabbit with mustard oil and pea purée (3, ★★)
• Roast lamb leg with potatoes (1, ★)
• Fassona Florentine steak

Desserts

• Crème caramel with caramelised fruit
• Artisanal custard ice cream with balsamic vinegar

Caminetto d’Oro is recommended for those seeking authentic, well-executed Bolognese cuisine, deeply rooted in local tradition, to be enjoyed in the heart of the historic centre, among porticoes, classic dishes and a wine list worthy of the experience.

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🍽️ Ristorante Diana

Type: Historic Bolognese restaurant
Area: Historic centre
Indicative price: see Table
Accessibility: On foot (city centre)

Ristorante Diana (4) is one of Bologna’s great historic restaurants, and for decades has been a reference point for those wishing to enjoy the city’s iconic dishes in an elegant, solid and uncompromising setting.

Diana is especially famous for two true must-have dishes of Bolognese — and more broadly Emilian — tradition: the roast meats trolley and the mixed boiled meats trolley. Here, these preparations reach exceptional levels, becoming an unmissable gastronomic experience for anyone who truly wants to understand Emilia’s historic cuisine.

The menu consistently follows seasonality, offering excellent mushroom- and truffle-based dishes during the appropriate periods, especially among the first courses. The wine cellar is well curated, with a selection of local and Italian labels designed to perfectly accompany the great classics of traditional cuisine.

Starters

• Mortadella mousse
• Chicken galantine

First courses

• Lasagne alla bolognese (1, ★)
• Passatelli in broth
• Tagliatelle with meat ragù (1, ★)
• Tagliolini with black truffle
• Tortellini in broth (2, ★★)
• Baked tortelloni with porcini mushrooms

Main courses

• Mixed roast meats from the trolley (4, ★★★)
• Mixed boiled meats from the trolley (4, ★★★)
• Beef rib steak
• Cotoletta alla petroniana
• Calf’s liver with butter and sage
• Oven-roasted veal tip
• Sautéed calf’s kidney

Side dishes

• Stewed artichokes
• Mashed potatoes

Desserts

• Crème caramel
• Semifreddo with hot chocolate
• Rice cake (torta degli addobbi)

Ristorante Diana is the right choice for those seeking great Emilian tradition served at the table, with iconic dishes, historic trolleys and an atmosphere that tells the story of Bologna’s most authentic gastronomic heritage.

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🍽️ Antica Trattoria dalla Gigina

Type: Traditional Bolognese trattoria
Area: City of Bologna
Indicative price: see Table
Accessibility: On foot / by car

Antica Trattoria dalla Gigina (4) is a historic trattoria that interprets Bolognese cuisine with great consistency and character, maintaining a strong link to traditional recipes and offering a warm, welcoming, and authentic atmosphere. This is one of those places where tradition isn’t told, but served on the plate.

Some specialties here have become true absolute musts. Chief among them are the Tagliatelle al Ragù Bolognese, one of the most convincing references for anyone wanting to taste this great classic in full respect of tradition, and the Cotoletta alla Petroniana with truffle, intense, generous, and full of character. Don’t miss the Gramignone with sausage and the Deboned roasted Guinea fowl with wine, dishes that convey the full soul of Emiliano cuisine.

The menu highlights some Slow Food Presidia and follows seasonality, maintaining a strong territorial identity. The wine cellar offers a well-balanced selection of local and Italian labels, ideal to accompany structured and tradition-rich dishes. The restaurant offers a pleasant atmosphere, informal but well cared for, perfect for convivial lunches or relaxed dinners.

Starters

• Dozza lard with rosemary (1, ★)
• Pork loin in tuna sauce with acidic decorations (1, ★)
• Roast beef with cooking sauce (1, ★★)
• Selection of typical local cold cuts
• Mortadella mousse and balsamic jelly with pan brioche
• Hand-chopped bison tartare

First courses

• Potato-filled handkerchief pasta with pumpkin and cabbage (2, ★★)
• Gnocchi with Bolognese nettles in parmesan-truffle fondue
• Gramignone with sausage pie (3, ★★★)
• Lasagne Bolognese (1, ★★)
• Passatelli in broth (1, ★)
• Tagliatelle al Ragù Bolognese (4, ★★★)
• Tortellini in true Bolognese broth (1, ★★)

Main courses

• Mixed boiled meats (1, ★★)
• Roast rabbit
• Scottadito lamb chops (1, ★★)
• Cotoletta alla Petroniana with truffle (4, ★★★)
• Deboned roasted Guinea fowl with wine (3, ★★★)
• Grilled veal liver with laurel
• Pan-seared bison fillet with fresh spinach
• Boiled beef shank with Bolognese friggione and mashed potatoes (1, ★)

Desserts

• Fried and cold cream (1, ★★)
• Panna cotta with Marsala zabaione (1, ★)
• Nougat zuccotto with pistachio cream
• Italian trifle with vanilla sauce

Antica Trattoria dalla Gigina is perfect for those who want to experience a true Bolognese culinary journey, with iconic dishes, solid recipes, and an atmosphere that invites you to sit down, enjoy good food, and take your time.

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🍽️ Trattoria di Via Serra

Type: Traditional trattoria / Emilian cuisine
Area: Historic center
Indicative price: see Table
Accessibility: On foot (center)

Trattoria di Via Serra (3) is a cozy and informal restaurant where Emilian cuisine is served with authenticity and seasonal attention. The warm, family-like atmosphere immediately puts you at ease, while the dishes tell the story of Bolognese tradition in a simple yet refined way.

Some ingredients are part of Slow Food presidia, highlighting local typical products. Each dish conveys the flavors of traditional cuisine without compromising on elegance in presentation.

Starters

• Crescenti crostini with mixed mushrooms
• Liver pâté with Romagna flatbread
• Cheese selection (2, ★)
• Cold cuts selection (1, ★)
• Sheep kid wrapped in pancetta and baked (1, ★★)

First courses

• Gramigna al torchio with Montanara sausage (1, ★)
• Tortellini in capon broth (1, ★)
• Tortelloni with Modenese white cow ricotta (3, ★★★)

Main courses

• Rabbit bites wrapped in Grey Pig pancetta (2, ★★)
• Braised beef cheek (2, ★★)
• Beef knuckle with salt (1, ★)

Sides

• Roast potatoes

Desserts

• Bolognese Pinza (1, ★)
• Chocolate Tenerina with mascarpone cream
• Zuppa Inglese (2, ★)

Trattoria di Via Serra is perfect for those seeking authentic Emilian cuisine in a warm, family-friendly environment. The dish not to be missed is the Tortelloni with Modenese white cow ricotta, a symbol of local tradition.

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🍽️ Trattoria Serghei

Type: Traditional trattoria / Bolognese cuisine
Area: Historic center
Indicative price: see Table
Accessibility: On foot (center)

Trattoria Serghei (3) is considered by locals as a true gastronomic landmark. Here, traditional Bolognese cuisine is served with passion and respect for tradition, in a warm and family-friendly environment where every dish tells stories of authentic flavors.

Starters

• Mixed cold cuts and cheeses

First courses

• Gramigna with sausage ragù (1, ★★)
• Green lasagne Bolognese style (1, ★★)
• Pasta and chickpeas
• Tagliatelle with ragù (1, ★)
• Tortellini in broth (2, ★★)
• Tortelloni with butter and sage

Main courses

• Mixed boiled meats with green sauce (2, ★★)
• Hunter-style rabbit with polenta
• Pork ribs with polenta
• Veal ossobuco with mashed potatoes
• Stewed meatballs (1, ★★)
• Meatloaf (1, ★)
• Stuffed zucchini

Desserts

• Crème caramel

Trattoria Serghei is ideal for those who want to experience authentic Bolognese cuisine in an environment that is part of the city’s history. Don’t miss traditional dishes like tortellini in broth and green lasagne Bolognese style, true symbols of the local gastronomy.

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🍽️ Da Cesari

Type: Historic trattoria / Bolognese cuisine
Area: Historic center
Indicative price: see Table
Accessibility: On foot (city center)

Da Cesari (2) is a true institution for locals and lovers of traditional Emilian cuisine. The trattoria offers typical seasonal dishes, especially highlighting mushrooms and truffles when in season, in a welcoming and authentic atmosphere.

The wine cellar features local and Italian wines, carefully selected to pair perfectly with each course, enhancing the flavors of every dish.

Starters

• 24-month aged Mora Romagnola ham with Cervia sea salt
• Mixed cured meats
• Selection of cheeses
• Porcini mushroom flan with sautéed chanterelles
• Artichoke flan with Parmesan cream and small artichoke salad (1, ★★)

First courses

• Green gramigna pasta with sausage ragù (1, ★)
• Pumpkin ravioli with melted butter and Parmesan
• Green rabbit ravioli with melted butter and smoked goat ricotta (1, ★)
• Tagliatelle with Bolognese ragù
• Ricotta tortelloni with butter, Parmesan and summer black truffle

Main courses

• Bolognese-style cutlet
• Boneless guinea fowl Rossini-style (foie gras)
• Braised veal cheek in white wine (1, ★★)
• Meatballs filled with tortellini stuffing, tomato and peas
• Veal escalope with seasonal mushrooms (porcini or chanterelles) (1, ★★)
• Veal escalope Parmigiana-style with summer black truffle

Desserts

• Dark chocolate tenerina cake
• Crème caramel (1, ★)
• Zabaglione semifreddo with almond brittle (1, ★)
• Pumpkin sorbet with balsamic vinegar

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FAQ