What to eat in Bologna: best traditional food to try

Being the heart of a wealthy area for centuries, of course the food in Bologna is full of strong flavours, meat and wine. Actually, it is so delicious that you will wish you had more meals in a day! You may end up planning your trip around meals… like I did 😉 (by the way, here is our itinerary for 2 days in Bologna! Efficient and spontaneous, as always).

Below, you will find all the advice and expertise on what to eat in Bologna, collected by me during the 2 years I lived there, and by my sister Laura, who lives there together with her local boyfriend Matteo. We are happy to share some tips on the best food in Bologna, as well as a few of the best restaurants we know. Everything has been personally tried by us! And often it was so inviting that sometimes we didn’t even stop to take pictures!

Interested in learning more about Italian traditions when it comes to meals? Check out this great guide on how to eat like a local in Italy 🙂

Typical pasta in Bologna

Tortellini

Tortellini is arguably the most famous food in Bologna. This stuffed pasta is made of a little square of flat dough, filled with a mixture of meat, and closed in a way that slightly resembles a ring. They are boiled in water until the meat filling is cooked, but the dough is not too soft.

Variations of the filling exist, such as cheese or vegetables, but be careful: some puritan Italians may get mad at you.

The way tortellini is served is also subject to great discussion. The traditional way of serving tortellini is in a meat broth (tortellini in brodo). It is very commonly served with cream, but if it’s not on the menu, don’t dare asking. You’ve been warned.

Bologna and Modena will fight until the end of time for the ownership of this famous delicacy. However, to be completely honest, each local family in the whole region probably has its own family recipe!

Buy it fresh or dry in the family-run shops between Via Caprarie and Via Clavature, for example at the Paolo Atti’s bakery (map), as a wonderful souvenir of your trip.

Order it in almost any restaurant in broth, with butter and sage, cream, or cream and sausage. We loved it at Capra e Cavoli (map), on Via del Pratello.

Hand-made pasta

You should try not only tortellini, but also larger tortelli and flat ravioli, long tagliatelle, and curly gramigna. The best place for hand-made pasta in Bologna is Pasta Fresca Naldi, a tiny workshop managed by three generations of women.

This is the type of deli where locals place the order of tortellini for Christmas in September. I have altered my travel plans to match their opening hours. They are that good.

They aren’t a proper restaurant: they cook in the workshop right behind the counter, add their ad-hoc hand-made sauce, and serve the dish in a tinfoil container. You eat it perched on high stools on a counter by the wall, in the most friendly and down-to-earth fashion.

Keep some space in your stomach for the mouth-watering pannacotta and creme caramel.

Tagliatelle al ragú (Bolognese Sauce)

Yes, it is a sauce made of minced meat, tomato sauce, vegetables and much more. No, it is not the bolognese sauce that you find abroad. Also not, it is not served on spaghetti. Most importantly, in Italian we call the sauce “ragú“.

Tagliatelle al ragú is one of the most typical dishes in Bologna. Tagliatelle is a wide strip of pasta, which is supposed to be prepared by hand. To be very precise, a real tagliatella from Bologna must be 8mm wide (7mm before cooking), which is the 12270th part of the height of the Asinelli Tower. Don’t forget the parmesan!

Lasagne

Even though lasagne is a typical Italian dish, traditional lasagne in Bologna is made with green dough: spinach is added to the mix, which provides an extra special touch. Still, this is definitely not a vegetarian dish! Ragú meat sauce is necessary to complete this local masterpiece. Laura recommends Osteria al 15 (map).

Typical food in Bologna

Cold cuts and cheese

Let’s get your vocabulary straight, first of all. In Italian, we say salumi to address cold cuts and cured meats (think ham and salami) made from beef and pork, but also wild game. You will also find the word affettato which literally means “sliced”. I’m not an expert, so I suggest reading this, if you’re very interested in the topic.

There are so many delicious Italian cold cuts in Bologna, it’s actually difficult to make choices. Don’t miss mortadella, a soft white-dotted ham, and ciccioli,  fried little bites of pork meat and everything of the pork that could not be used.

Among the great local cheese, the soft and fresh stracchino and squaquerone are a must-eat in Bologna; another Italian classic difficult to find abroad is mozzarella stracciatella, a super-fresh mozzarella cheese still dripping milk when you tear it open, absolutely divine.

Many restaurants will offer a “tagliere di salumi e formaggi”, literally a wooden cutting board with a selection of cold cuts, cheeses, and possibly pickled vegetables or mustards. An excellent starter for a traditional Italian meal!

Looking for the cheap version? Head to the supermarket with a counter, where a helpful human can cut slices from whatever you wish.

Tigelle e crescentine

These two special types of bread are served hot in a basket together with a selection of cold cuts, cheese to spread and pickled vegetables. Tigelle are flat, thick and baked in the oven, while crescentine are very thin and crispy, empty inside and fried.

A full meal of tigelle and crescentine is almost a ceremony: the table is covered dishes and bowls, you don’t know where to start with all the different types of cold cuts and cheeses, the bread is so hot that it’s steaming from the basket, and why are you suddenly attracted to pickled onions? Choosing what ingredients to match, between sips of wine, is one of the best experiences in Bologna.

We loved it at Il Circolino Trattoria Emiliana, which unfortunately seems closed now. Try 051 in Via Belvedere (map), recommended by Laura, or Chiosco ai Pini (slightly outside Bologna, see map).

Piadina

Piadina is a round, flat disc of bread, folded in half, filled with cold cuts, cheese and vegetables, and warmed up on a stove. Even though it looks like you should eat a couple of them for lunch, be patient while you eat it: it’s actually very filling, and will require an espresso to stay awake afterwards.

The classic, traditional piadina is filled with prosciutto crudo, rocket salad (rucola) and squaquerone cheese (very fresh and soft), for a fresh, salty and slightly bitter experience. Plenty of variations are available: different types of flour in the dough, different thickness of the piadina (this is related to the city where it’s prepared), endless types of cold cuts, soft and curated cheeses, fresh or grilled or pickled vegetables… Even Nutella!

Also, it is important to highlight that piadina is originally from Romagna, the area East of Bologna towards the Adriatic sea. Bologna is the capital of Emilia-Romagna region, but it is located in the Emilia part; piadina has expanded from Romagna to Emilia, like tortellini have expanded from Emilia to Romagna.

You won’t find piadina at restaurants: you eat it standing at a counter, in the street or on a bench outside. Our favourites are La Tua Piadina in Santo Stefano (map) and La Tua Piadina al Pratello (map).

What to drink in Bologna

Aperitivo

Aperitivo is an Italian institution. It starts from 5-6ish in the evening, when working hours are over, but it’s still early to go home for dinner: the perfect time to meet with friends for a drink. It can go from a happy-hour-style event with discounted drinks, to a full-on buffet dinner. When I lived in Bologna, during university, after hours in the library we would go very often at the buffet-style aperitivos!

At Caffé Zamboni (map), buy a drink (5-10 euros) and access the buffet for free! Pasta, meat, cold cuts and cheese, vegetables, couscous, desserts… It’s paradise! It’s quite common in Bologna, so keep your eyes open for other places.

Wine

The typical wine from Bologna area is Sangiovese, a red wine that matches perfectly meat and pasta. Obviously, the Italian selection available is huge. 

Our favourite bars are Camera A Sud (map), a mix-and-match of furniture and books in the heart of the Jewish district with very helpful staff; Vineria Favalli (map), large selection of uncommon wines and tasty bread-and-olives snacks before dinner; Bar Modo Infoshop (map) and Lortica (map), great to see the cool and hipster locals.

Coffee, pastries and ice cream

Italy is a paradise for espresso lovers! Without even mentioning the number of espressos and cappuccinos Italians drink on a daily basis, let me just tell you that when we rented an Airbnb last time we stayed in Bologna, we didn’t buy even breakfast at the supermarket. The first pleasure of the day is to order croissant (also called “cornetto”) and cappuccino at the counter of the nearest coffee place. Gosh, I miss it!

For breakfast or a pause during your wanderings, we recommend the unique setting over the secret canal of Bologna at the Opera Caffé e Tulipani (ask for the balcony!), and the delicious “pasticciotti” little custard cakes from Puglia (the heel of Italy) baked at I Sapori della Taranta (edit 2020: this place unfortunately closed!)

Warm weather? We had the best gelato at Cremeria Santo Stefano (map here). They use the highest-quality ingredients and unique Italian varieties for delicious, creamy, and fresh flavours: they received numerous awards! We recommend pistachios ice cream made with Bronte pistachios, typical from Sicily. Read more here if you are looking for the best gelato in Italy!

Best restaurants in Bologna

You know us: we are looking for local cuisine, unique atmosphere, down-to-earth, and affordable. This is our advice for no-frills restaurants:

Good atmosphere, friendly and affordable for local cuisine:
Osteria dell’Orsa,
Trattoria del Rosso,
Osteria Le Sette Chiese  – tiny place, must book ahead
Osteria del Sole – a true tavern, order wine or beer at the bar and you can bring your own food! Excellent match with the pizza slices of nearby Pizzeria Due Torri
Spaccanapoli – possibly the best pizza in Bologna

Looking for something unique? Head to the Bologna hills and enjoy dinner like the locals at Ca’ Shin (map here): local specialties and a magical atmosphere.

Was our advice useful during your trip? Did you eat something/somewhere else that you’ll never forget? Share it with us in the comments 🙂