My fav food spots in Bologna

Where u can find real traditional food

Hi everyone!!

Today I will bring u to discover my fav food’s spot in Bologna.

When we talk about Bologna we often say: “la dotta, la grassa e la rossa” that means “the learned, the fat and the red”, the learned because of the oldest university founded in 1088, the red because of the red roofs and the fat because… well you know, if you eat badly in Bologna it means you went to the wrong places.

Here u can find the best comfort food ever: lasagne, friggione, tagliatelle, tortellini, boiled meat, mortadella, zuppa inglese and so on.

And believe me here u eat so well that coming back home will be so hard.

The Food Markets in Bologna
Quadrilatero

In Via Drapperie in this street and in the nearest streets u will find a lot of veggie shops, bakery, salumerie (the shops that sell only cheese, cured meat, preserved food), butchers, fish shop etc.

I love this part of Bologna it’s one of my fav markets it’s so colourful and u really can find everything.

There are so many shop where u can really buy the perfect presents, like Atti that pack tortellini in travel box so u can go back home with fresh tortellini for dinner, or u can go to Gilberto to buy a bottle of Mandorla Amara (Bitter Almond) it’s a type of spirits that we use for our typical cake of Addobbi (rice cake), u can go to Simoni to buy a piece of Mortadella at every corner u will find something that will catch your attentions and will fill your suitcase in a flash 😂😂

Mercato Ritrovato

Via Azzo Gardino, 65

It’s opening only on Saturday and Sunday there are only farmers, I love and hate this because I LOVE that I can buy fresh food from farmers sometimes they also organise events etc and find this in the middle of the city center of Bologna it’s pretty cool. But the farmers don’t help to respect the line (yeah I know I’m Italian I should be ready to this) like in other places u have to pick the number so u know when is ur turn, but people pick the number they go around and when they come back isn’t anymore their turn and the farmers serve them anyway, even if they pass in front of all those who have been waiting their turn, this things make me mad.

Where to have a coffee?

Sebastiano

Via Manzoni, 2

It’s located in Via Manzoni it’s a pasty shop really good where u can have breakfast. My fav brioche here is the the bicolour with chantilly cream and raspberry or with chantilly cream and chocolate, this brioche was definited by my store manager and all the team: “like an orgasm”, I tried also other type and are all so delicious.

If u prefer a salty breakfast I suggest u their veggie sandwich it’s delicious or the calzone this is one of my fav salty breakfast when I want treat me well.

Of course they are known to serve a good espresso.

Gamberini

Via Ugo Bassi, 12r

One of the most historical pastry shops in Bologna their style is more traditional.

My fav brioche here is the one with chocolate pastry cream, normally u can find in other bar brioche with chocolate like Nutella or similar and belive me or not I don’t like it, for me the best is always chocolate pastry cream.

The coffee is almost always good, of course if u think that Espresso is too strong cappuccino is the best choice.

There are two in Bologna one is at the railway station and the most historical is in via Ugo Bassi.

Zanarini

Piazza Galvani, 1

Once this bar was an institution of Bologna inaugurated in 1930, but the first owner sold the bar yrs ago to a famaly of pastry chef the Antoniazzi.

They aren’t from Bologna so initially or people from here was a little bit upset by the change, u know how an Italian have a strong connection to food and we have even a stronger connetion with the tradition, and Zanarini was a big part of our traditions.

Luckily the Family Antoniazzi is full of great pastrychef that everyday treat u with wonderful brioche, pastries, cake etc. my fav selection here is the Pistacchio’s Croissant my suggestion it to eat this helped by a tea spoon because is so full of cream that seems near to explode at the first bite.

Starbucks

Via D’Azeglio, 34

Believe or not but it opened only few months ago why I suggest u this place?

Because the internal room it is simply awesome I think this is one of the best locations in the world all the walls and the ceiling are covered of beautiful frescos.

So u order a coffee and u can stay inside how many time u want plus u see this masterpiece.

Terzi

Via Oberdan, 10d

How u can see I haven’t talk a lot about caffè because we are all so different: espresso, espresso in a glass cup, espresso macchiato with almond milk, cappuccino, cappuccino with less foam (why?what’s ur problem?), latte macchiato, coffee with spirits etc.

I someone of u worked in a bar know exactly what I mean.

So if u have particular taste u have to go to Terzi, they have a big quantity of different blend ask to the staff and they will explain to u all the differences and they will find ur future fav espresso.

During the yr u can find also seasonal caffè like the one I had once was an espresso with eggnog, cream and cinnamon on top, the perfect caffè in a cold day of winter.

Where to eat:

There is one thing to say before there are only two way for a people from Bologna to eat tortellini with cappone (a type of chicken) broth or with cream all the other way for us are completely insane.

But u will find even in some historical restaurants tortellini with ragù 😭 😭 😭 😭 only “thanks” to tripadvisor etc. because the owner of the restaurants were tired to receive bad reviews, so they started serve tortellini in all the way to make tourists happy.
In Bologna we don’t eat tortellini in other ways because add to many things or strong flavours like ragù ruin the balance of flavours.

Tortellini are very delicate taste so it’s really easy ruin it.

We are open to other version in fact once a yr in Bologna chefs organise an event when they cook different types of tortellini even with fish but they have to respect the flavours.

And remember that the real spaghetti alla Bolognese are made with tuna sauce, in case u missed it I add here the link of the original recipe of Spaghetti alla Bolognese.

Spaghetti alla Bolognese exist?

Street Food

Mortadella Lab

Via de’ Monari, 1/C

If u prefer having a sandwich this is the right place, they filled a Rosetta bread (it a typical bread here) with mortadella and everything is in ur mind zucchini, parmigiano, burrata, truffle etc they have so many combinations that u could lose ur mind.
With one of their rosette u will full for the rest of the day, they put inside I think almost 100-200 gr of mortadella 😍😍😍.

Buca Manzoni

Via Manzoni, 6G

I love this place if u go there go in the room inside, what to eat here?

Almost everything except the tortellini al ragù 😂 😂 .

I love the green lasagne alla Bolognese and the cotoletta alla petroniana/Bolognese but is impossible finishing both if u go with someone the ideal is split the dishes.

If u want to see two Bolognesi (people from Bologna) arguing u have to ask them: “How u make Cotoletta alla Bolognese?” for us this dish is really everything, but what it is?And why it’s so special?

Cotoletta alla Bolognese is what the angels eat in Paradise, it’s a slice of breaded and fried veal rump on the top have a slice of raw ham and parmigiano (this is another of the recipes on schedule because deserve a dedicated topic), it’s seems an easy recipe right? And partially this is true it’s easy to do but everyone have their own idea about how u should do it, if u have to make a parmigiano sauce if have to be dry, with bone or without? Even if the Original Recipe if deposited at the Italian Academy of Cuisine everyone think that their recipe is the most authentic.
Like dessert with mascarpone u never go wrong, if u like alchermes zuppa inglese is really good and it’s typical dessert of Emilia Romagna actually the story behind zuppa inglese it’s really interesting I will write about it in the future.

Diana ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
This is one of the most historical restaurants in Bologna it’s very fancy I never went here but u can’t say Bologna without talking about the restaurant Diana. I have to say that the price aren’t so high compared to other restaurants for example: 17€for a dish or tortellini is still a good price. This is one of the few restaurants where u can find the “fritto alla bolognese” it’s a dish of the tradition until 90’ u could find this dish almost everywhere but now is extremely rare. Plus at Diana is also one of the few restaurants that have the cart for the boiled beef, so if u choose the boiled beef another of the traditional dish in Bologna they will arrive at the table with the cart and u could select the different types of meat cut.

Antony Bourdain ate here but no one in Bologna had idea about who he was, except me, and the home where I grew up was only 1,3km from there.
So when he posted of FB that he had great tortellini at Diana my first thought was now I will go to the restaurant with his book, than I thought that wasn’t polite waiting him after dinner that could be late to disturb someone that for sure he would prefer going to the room in hotel etc. so I stayed at home hoping to see him casually the day after. Never happened unluckily it wasn’t destiny.
I told u this story became he removed the pics yrs later and now is impossible finding the pics but I remember he tagged Erik Ripert, so the only track of this is unluckily only in my mind.

And unluckily I think that the ep. On Emilia Romagna was one of the worst, they haven’t catched the best of my Region.

In that ep. they went on a restaurant near Bologna that for sure is good, I have no idea, I never went there, what they order?

A T-Bone that is typical in Tuscany not in Emilia Romagna, plus in the ep. u can see Bologna for more or less 20sec when he drink a negroni. Belive me they really could have done a better ep.

Osteria del Sole

Vicolo Ranocchi, 1/D

It’s the oldest restaurant in Bologna, how old? The historian Alessandro Molinari Pradelli has recovered the first documents and the plan of the restaurant and they date back to 1465 and since that moment the planimetry of the restaurant never changed.

How many cities could say to have a restaurant so historical?

In the past people could bring their own food to taverns to eat it there and they bought only to drink. Yeah it’s strange thinking about it today, but at Sole they keep doing this.

The location is perfect because is exactly only two feet from one of the best food market in Bologna the Quadrilatero, so before going inside remember to take the lunch with u. They have a big selection of great wine to accompany your lunch u can ask to the staff the perfect match for ur food.

Always in the past was also normal bring to the bakery shop the food to cook because a lot of people hadn’t the oven, so the baker had to cook his products plus the food of the customers. Even if I’m a huge fun of technology I think I would love living in those period.

I know that for a lot of people sounds strange thinking about a restaurant without food??

But really u want to miss the occasion to eat in a restaurant opened in 1465 where u can bring ur own food? It’s an experience that happens only once in the life, except if u live in Bologna we are so lucky and we can go here everytime we want😁😁.

Osteria dei Grifoni

Via De Griffoni, 5/2a

If u go there be ready for everything 😂 😂 😂 the owner is a real character I think someone could use his way of being for a tv series. The menu is handwritten on a board but he came to your table and sit down with us to explain the menu.

The rule is: If u are in two u can select only one type of pasta and the same for the menù.
He is alone so he have to cook and serve to the tables sometimes there is someone helping him but for the most of the time he his alone.

I don’t suggest u this place if u go alone even in two could be a little bit “challenging”, why u will asking… the portion of food are so big it’s a situation like: “man vs food” only with the crostoni (bruschetta) are enough to have dinner when we went here we had choose it because how could we miss this? And carbonara it is one of his specialties.

Crostoni are really super size and extremely tasty our were one with pomodoro, mozzarella, tapende and hot salame the second with cheese, sausages and mushrooms I was already full after it how u can imagine.

I started to be a little bit worried when I saw the portion of carbonara, imagine a salad bowl full of almost 500gr of carbonara for 2, I can confirm that he is a really great chef, the carbonara* was perfect cremy the pasta was “al dente” one of the best carbonara I had.

Of course there wasn’t space for the dessert.

My husband comes here with his coworkers and he suggested the “piatto dell’oste” is a dish for a lot of people with a big selection of cheese, cured meat, veggies, jam and tartare.

Da Bertino

Via delle Lame, 55

This is an historical restaurant of Bologna born in 1957, it’s one of those place that transport u in the past as soon as you enter.

They are famous like the restaurant Diana for the cart of boiled meat, it’s an experience to do once in the life in particular if u are in Bologna it’s a must to do.

Here I tasted their wonderful tris of pasta: tortelloni with ricotta cheese and spinach, tagliatelle alla Bolognese with ragù (tagliatelle not spaghetti 😜) and gramigna with sausages sauce; what can I say? One better than the other, all the pasta is handmade by sfogline* they roll out the dough with a rolling pin.

Obviously all accompanied by an excellent red San Giovese wine typical of the area.

For dessert I tasted one of our typical dessert Zuppa Inglese the story of this dessert how I said it’s incredibly interesting, I can’t wait to share it with u.

Zuppa Inglese is also the most famous and requested dessert of the house, perfectly balanced the flavour of the chocolate and pastry cream divided only by a thin layer of ladyfingers soaked in alchermes, what could u want more?

Like always I want to say THANK U to my subscriber U ARE AWESOME!

I would like to know which one will be you fav, if u ever visit Bologna, if u liked don’t forget to leave a ❤️ and feel free to repost it.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Laura

* How u know carbonara isn’t typical of Bologna even if…one of the stories about this delicious dish says that was made the first time in 1944 by a chef from Bologna Renato Gualandi for a dinner held in Riccione on 22 September 44 at Hotel Vienna, to celebrate the liberation of Romagna.

At the dinner there were the Anglo-American allied troops stationed in Riccione met thanks to the initiative of the commander of the Canadian troops, General Eedson Burns, who hosted illustrious guests such as Minister Harold MacMillan, Generals Harold Alexander and Sir Oliver Leese at the General Headquarters of the Hotel Vienna.

Chef Gualandi created spaghetti carbonara using bacon cooked in a little butter, cream and melted cheese, egg yolk powder, spaghetti sprinkled with a handful of freshly ground pepper. The dish was then accompanied by pieces of bread with parsley to fully enjoy the rather liquid carbonara sauce.

How u can imagine the dish was a complete success, the military asked to taste to have the same dish even in Bologna, quickly this become one of most famous dish in Italy.

About Carbonara there are a lot of story I have no idea which one is the real one, part of me hope that this isn’t the real one, because I can't think that Bologna has lost the chance to be the home of carbonara, imagine Bologna with lasagne, tortellini, balanzoni and... carbonara we could have conquered the world..😍😂