Bologna · Where to eat

Best Restaurants in Bologna

Bologna eats best at the table of a trattoria. Start with Da Nello al Montegrappa or Da Cesari for tortellini in broth, both a few minutes from Piazza Maggiore. For handmade pasta and cotoletta alla bolognese, Trattoria dal Biassanot on Via Piella and Trattoria Nonna Gigia are the dinner picks; Ristorante Diana has served lasagne verdi since 1909. Osteria del Sole, pouring wine since at least 1465, lets you bring your own food from the Quadrilatero delis. Ahimè cooks a vegetable-led, farm-to-table menu, and Scacco Matto is the chef’s address for a special night. Every place has its own Holiplanet page with hours, contacts and the official website, so you can book direct.

9 places

Quadrilatero

1Osteria del Sole

Wine osteria since 1465: bring your own food (2 min to Piazza Maggiore). Ideal for an aperitivo.

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Piazza Maggiore

2Da Nello al Montegrappa

Handmade tortellini and tagliatelle in Bologna since 1948 (3 min to Piazza Maggiore). Ideal for a classic lunch.

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Old town

3Da Cesari

Family-run since 1955 near Piazza Maggiore: tortellini in broth (5 min to Piazza Maggiore). Ideal for tortellini in broth.

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Via dell'Indipendenza

4Ristorante Diana

Tortellini in brodo and lasagne verdi since 1909 (7 min to Piazza Maggiore). Ideal for a classic Bolognese dinner.

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Old town

5Ahimè

Vegetable-led farm-to-table menu with house-made bread (8 min to Piazza Maggiore). Ideal for vegetarians.

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Old town

6Trattoria Nonna Gigia

Handmade pasta, cotoletta and grilled meats off Via dell’Indipendenza (8 min to Piazza Maggiore · €25–50 per person). Ideal for handmade pasta.

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Via Piella

7Trattoria dal Biassanot

Pasta rolled by hand and grilled meats on Via Piella (9 min to Piazza Maggiore · €25–50 per person). Ideal for cotoletta alla bolognese.

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Old town

8Caminetto d'Oro

Family recipes and handmade pasta since 1980 (9 min to Piazza Maggiore · €25–50 per person). Ideal for a family dinner.

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Santo Stefano

9Scacco Matto

Mario Ferrara's Lucanian-rooted cooking in a 1600s convent (14 min to Piazza Maggiore). Ideal for a special dinner.

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Selected by Holiplanet editors from each place’s official website. Distances are straight-line from Piazza Maggiore (map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, tiles © Esri). No platform ratings: contact each place directly.

Best Restaurants in Bologna: questions and answers

What food is Bologna famous for?

Tortellini in brodo, tagliatelle al ragù, lasagne verdi, mortadella and cotoletta alla bolognese. Most trattorias on this page serve the classics, and every pasta is rolled by hand at Nonna Gigia and dal Biassanot.

Do I need to book restaurants in Bologna?

For dinner, yes: trattorias in the centre fill up, above all on Friday and Saturday. Several close one day a week (Da Nello closes on Mondays), so check the hours on each restaurant’s page.

How much does a meal cost in Bologna?

At a traditional trattoria expect about €25–50 per person without drinks; a plate of fresh pasta costs around €15–16. An aperitivo at Osteria del Sole is about €5–10.

Where do locals eat in the centre?

Around the Quadrilatero market lanes, on Via Piella and in the streets off Via dell’Indipendenza. The map on this page shows every restaurant with its walking time from Piazza Maggiore.

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