Patio and second floor indoor dining by Piazzo Maggiore…read more Pluses 1. Good lasagna 2. April spritz good Areas to improve 1. Wine by glass - Sangiovese was not good 2. Ragu too salty Server disappeared and you pay inside at the register. Fun to people watch. Good value. Recommended!

We sat inside on the 2nd floor and had the Emilia platter and assorted Tortellini's and…read moreTortelloni's and a caprese salad. The place is also a deli and has very good food. Delicious in fact. It is a supreme way to avoid all of the suspect English only menu's at the door with strapping young Italians trying to draw you in to eat their generally inauthentic Italian fair. You will see locals in the know here. Our food tour guide directed us to go here and she was correct. The service was very efficient but the young lady serving us was deep into her Italian holiday serving tenure and not exuberant by any stretch of the imagination. Still she didn't make a single mistake. Still a little personality would have earned this place five stars! I'll have to give it four for that only.

You don't get much more classic lunch break than Vecchia Malga, one of many choices in the alleyway…read morestreet off of Bologna's main square, Piazza Maggiore. There are plates of thinly sliced meats with cheeses everywhere so it's hard to choose where to go, especially if you're a couple of vegetarians like us. We made a good choice here, ordering a cheese board for one and a mixed salad. The cheese board was so plentiful that we had to re-confirm that this was just a serving for one. It was. Really generous with 6 different local cheeses of various tastes and firmness, surrounding a cup of honey which sealed the deal for us. We loved this cheese board and left referring back to it as we had cheese in other places on our trip. The salad (I mean you have to occasionally eat vegetables...even in Italy) was basic, just arugula and tomatoes, but was super-fresh. Also they brought the region's famous bread in a paper bag. Well, I don't know if "famous" is the right word, but this is the only place in the world we'd experienced the bread brought in paper bags, so sign me up for its autograph. This was a great choice for a cheese plate among the many options on this street and in the area. The cheese board especially was our favorite cheese in the whole country.

Such an amazing experience for a couple of first time visitors to Italy. We enjoyed a sample board…read moreof meats and cheese, and while I thought the concept of lard as a condiment was strange, holy cow was that tasty! And I don't know why something as simple as tortellini in broth is so tasty, but it is the ultimate comfort food! The atmosphere was incredibly cozy on the cold and damp day we visited,. Our waiter took excellent care of us, and we enjoyed watching the butchers at work assisting customers. Tucked up in the loft with a glass of wine, and later a coffee, was a perfect afternoon!

Really cool shop. We were drawn in by how much stuff they had and there certainly is a lot to…read moreexplore on the shelves. We wanted some local representative wine so we went to the EXTENSIVE wine cellar and asked for help. The recommendations took us all over the cellar and were super thorough and nice. Great place if you're looking for either wine or a gift to bring back home (chocolate, candy, sauces, etc.).

This place is packed with chocolates and wines up to the ceiling! Various chocolates - so so many!…read moreSome quality-looking balsamic vinegar. I was really impressed with this place. They also had their own brand of honey. And different kinds of course. They looked really good. I wanted to buy more than just one bottle of wine but there would just be no way it would fit in my luggage.

My favorite cafe so far in Italy! The staff are so upbeat and helpful and their food and coffee is…read moregreat. I came on December 23rd, Tuesday morning and it was packed! A lot of people but the line moves pretty fast. They have Panettone boxes hanging from the ceiling and art work all over the walls. They roast their own coffee in house making really good cappuccino. Their pastries are great too. Since we're here around Christmas, they recommend us getting the Panettone. We got their apricot and chocolate Panettone and it's amazing! Best Panettone I've had so far. Their other savory pastries are great as well. Highly recommend this cafe I hear in Bologna.

Chocolate brioches and the bread are the highlights!! The coffee is also super high quality…read more Service is quick and ambiance is fun. Perfect for sitting at a cafe and doing work.

An outstanding, informative, and kind balsamic tasting and purchasing experience. We found our…read moreperfect match in one aged in mulberry wood!

We had a lovely balsamic tasting here and learned so much. We also went home with lovely…read moretraditional balsamic of Modena. The hosts were lovely!

I tried the zeppole, which was delicious. My biggest regret was that I had just eaten and I was…read morenot staying in a place with a kitchen so that I could buy lots of the pasta to cook. Next time, I am going to make sure I have a kitchen so that I can partake of these amazing offerings like the spinach and pork ravioli, the pumpkin and meat tortellini and their tagliatelle. Basically, give me some of everything here. The shop workers were very patient as I investigated every item in the store. It's very close to the main Piazza, so stumbling upon the shop was easy.

Walking through the streets in Bologna, there were so many specialty shops and confectioners…read more What struck me about Paolo Atti e Figli was the wonderful sweets they had on display at the store window. The old-fashioned beautiful display reminded me of the winter holidays and enticed me to go in and try something. I decided to buy some sweet rice cake which was charged by the weight. Forgot exactly what is was called " Torta di Riso" but was something di riso as it has rice baked in it and was simply rich and delicious. They also have the famous certosino. it's a traditional Bolognese cake, which is also sort of like a western fruit cake with honey, candied fruit, stewed fruit, jam, almonds, pine nuts, cocoa powder, dark chocolate and wine syrup. The cake was not cheap but was so delicious and memorable that I vow to return when I visit Bologna again.

I have been eating periodically at Trattoria da Gianni since 1958. Every time I come back I find it…read moremore delizioso than before. I was recently in Bologna with my son and his family and I brought them to Gianni since they had never experienced my favorite place to eat in Bologna. We were in Florence the week before where the food was good. However, my son was amazed by the Gianni experience. He raved about the meal we had and thought the food was the best he had ever enjoyed. I agree with him. The spuma di mortadella was out of this world. The vitello tonnato was delicious. Each one of the seven of us had a different first course and they were all excellent. The service was great. The ambience has changed over the years since I first came here. It is a homey place and well kept. If you are ever in Bologna Trattoria da Gianni is highly recommended.

Amazing gelato! I had the stracitella which was beautiful! Addition of eggs gave it a yellow colour…read morebut made the taste fantastic! 3 days in Bologna and we went twice!

Having lived in Bologna, I would say m that there are a bunch of other aperitif places that serve…read morehigh quality snacks and drinks so this wouldn't be my go to recommendations. However, I'd recommend this place for travelers as it does have a good variety and is definitely aesthetically pleasing!!

I couldn't walk past Gamberini without taking a look inside. The cakes and fruit tarts displayed in…read morethe window were gorgeous! Berries, nuts, seeds, cream beckon you to try them...having just eaten I managed to stave off the temptation by getting only a couple cookies. Only to realize I'm not really a fan of the texture of the traditional cookies, they taste kinda like shortbread (which aren't my fave) bit too sandy for my preference. The jelly was good, the taste of the pistachio in the pistachio cookie was kinda light compared to my expectation. If I'm in Bologna again I'd certainly stop by and try some other items. The staff was courteous and the other pastries, desserts and chocolates looked delicious. Seating consisted of several smaller tables on the right side of the shop, it was pretty full on a weekday afternoon, which tells me it's a popular spot.