Places to eat in Bologna

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We have been to Caffe Vittorio Emanuele a few times, and it is one of my favourite things to do in Bologna - ok, the café isn't the best ever, but the location is. It is located on Piazza Maggiore, Bologna's main square, which makes it one of those expensive cafes that you just have to visit regardless of cost, as they make such fabulous places for people watching!

The seats on the piazza are of course the place to sit. If the weather is miserable, try to at least get a table on the steps under the arches. There is inside seating as well if you prefer.

Service was fairly efficient though a little abrupt, and they will ask you to pay as soon as they bring you your order.

Favorite Dish: The café seems to be open for most of the day and at least early evening. On our first visit we stopped off during the day for a coffee and a couple of scoops of creamy gelato.

Other visits have been in the early evening for a pre-dinner drink and some (complimentary snacks).

We ended our last trip with a sunset drink watching the changing light on the Basilica di San Petronio - magical!

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I had read about a very special place to have some gelato - apparently locals travelled from the other side of town just to sample a creamy scoop or two.

Sorbetteria Castiglione was its name, and it was worth our walk in the rain. This gelateria/pasticceria/bar was thankfully open on a Sunday afternoon. I was pleased as I got to see evidence of locals pulling up in their cars and not only buying a couple of scoops to eat then, but also some takeaway tubs to eat later.

Favorite Dish: The staff were smiley and friendly, and patient while we scanned the various flavours. Alex opted for the chocolate and coffee flavours, while I had the coffee and coconut. The ice cream was lovely - nice and creamy.

Go there!

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We dined one night at Il Ristorante da Carlo on our first visit to Bologna in Sep 2002 (I checked in Sep 2006 and it is still there). The restaurant is located close to Piazza Maggiore, along a quiet street. It is a charming looking place, with many of the tables situated in a porticoed courtyard, with additional seating inside.

Our enjoyable evening was spent under the porticos. We dined fairly early in the evening which was lucky as we didn't have a reservation and many of the tables were reserved.

Favorite Dish: To start we had a mixed antipasti, and for main course we both had the Tagliatelle alla bolognese - it was delicious! We washed it all down with a litre of house wine.

Da Carlo had a good atmosphere and the food was fresh and tasty. We would have dined there again in 2006 but it was closed (twas a Sunday).

On our first visit to Bologna we sampled the ice cream from Gelateria delle Moline. This small gelateria is located close to the 'University district' and is therefore popular with students, as evidenced on our visit there. It is also nice and cheap which is of course another plus for students.

Favorite Dish: There is a decent selection of flavours here, including some good fruity ones. If you need something savoury before your sweet treat they also sell a range of flatbread sandwiches. They also sell intriguing sounding gelato sandwiches.

We stuck to stock standard ice cream - two scoops each in a small cup. I had the hazelnut and coconut and Alex had the chocolate and pistachio. Mmmmm.....good!

Vito is a tipical 'emilana' trattoria born in the '50: the atmosphere is old style with a Bar to the entrance, the dining room is encircled from aluminium windows framed of sheets.
This osteria/trattoria is well-known in Bologna because is the meeting point of Guccini, a famous song writer that live near there and all the friends came there to eat a pasta with a glass of wine, so in the evening u can meet singer, palyer, actor and so on.but is a very informal place.
But the most important thing is the cuisine:it is great, bologna plates are perfect, like lasagne, gramigna with sausage ragù ( the true name of meet sauce in Bo), spezzatino with potatoes and beans. the antipasto is stange: a salted croissant with a carpaccio, salumis and some type of cheese.
It's like a big family, there no privacy between the tables, the waiters are a little bit eccentric but they are a part of the trattoria!
There is a beautifull italian page with the history of this trattoria....try it!
http://www.silviamontevecchi.it/storiebolognesi/vitotrattoria.htm

Favorite Dish: Lasagne
Gramigna con salsiccia
Stinco
Bollito misto
Vino rosso

Typical Bologna restaurant, where the tables of wood still of the 60' are prepared with the whitetablecloth more traditional, the menù is much traditional one: tortellini, passatelli, lasagne, beyond to tortelloni and the others first homemade ones... se there are the tortellini is also the bubbled one, that is the meat with which has been prepared the brodo, optimal served with the green sauce, good traditional cake ( zuppa inglese, panna cotta) and wine choice... and then a good choice of plates of fish (the spaghetti to the scoglio are the best)... the cook is from Bologna even if the likeable manager is of the Lazio. The trattoria is pretty, simple as if you are at home, the ignited, but not annoying telvisore, the table neighbor that often is a customer accustoms them is for sure aa old man of the quarter. I often go there for take care of me without waste money.

Opened everyday all the year
from 12.00-15.00 e 19.00-23.30

Favorite Dish: Spaghetti allo Scoglio ( seafood spaghetti)
Tortellini Lasagne
Crescentina ( u have to taste, i cannot describe, wow)
Passatelli ( with a buillon)
Stinco di maiale
Cotoletta alla Bolognese
Bollito misto Zucchine ripiene
Crema e verdure fritte
Friggione ( made with red, yellow and green pepperoni)
Asparagi
fiordilatte,panna cotta, zuppa inglese

this is a fashion pizzeria in the heart of Bologna, in very up date now but....the service and the quality is the worst....
I was there for an anniversary dining....we reserved a table but they put us outside and it was cold ( May 2005 was cold).
The pizza was normal, but expensive...a Margherita for 9 Euros ( avarege between 5 and 6)...the beer was normal beer put in big cristal glass ...for red wine!!!!
They want to give u a chic restaurant but the service is under the stundad, expensive and they woulden't serve us the cake we have bought for our frinds....a question of health....so after a 1/2 hour waiting the bill we took the cake and we ate it onthe stair of Piazza Maggiore.

Favorite Dish: Nothing

The quality odf the food is perfect, the right bolongese plate, made like my granmother did...the restaurant have is old/home atmosphere, but the weiters are right, they speak english.
During the summer u can eat outside, in the winter is better to have a reservation!

Favorite Dish: Passatelli ( special Emilia buillon) - great!
Tortellini In brodo e alla panna
Bollito misto - (to make the bouillon we boil some good meat and after we serve it with green souce
Cotechino with purè ( pork sausage boild)
Zampone
Cream Caramel ( bolognese type)
Zuppa Inglese