Restaurant suggestions in Bologna

Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 09:35 AM
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dac
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Restaurant suggestions in Bologna

We will be in Bologna for 4 days. Have ever been and overwhelmed by restaurants. Does anyone have favorites they could recommend?
Thank you!
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 09:37 AM
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Sorry should read we have never been to Bologna, and I am overwhelmed by the restaurant choices.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 09:43 AM
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When are you going? I will have time on Monday to look in my somewhat disorganized folder from 2014.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 10:23 AM
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People can probably help you more if you say a little bit more about your trip & yourself -- like, where in Bologna are you staying? What time of year? Do you want to try to the local specialties in particular -- or do you have food intolerances or preferences that would make you want to avoid places focsed on gluten, meat, eggs & carbs? Are you hearty eaters or do you prefer light meals?

Unless you are in search of creative chef-driven cooking, it is usually an excellent strategy in Bologna to eat your neighborhood restaurant ever night. (You'll hardly eat your way through the menu).

Are you taking day trips, or will you eat all your meals in Bologna?

How much are you planning to spend per meal? Do you drink wine?
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 10:43 AM
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Thank you for your responses.
I apologize for not giving more information. We will be staying at Grand Majestic Hotel from 10/14-10/18.
We have no food intolerances. My husband enjoys fish and I love pasta.
Yes we drink wine! We are not interested in a very high end restaurant, but expect to spend maybe 120 euros total including wine a night. Of course less expensive meals are great also!!!!!
We will probably take a day trip to Ravenna or Ferrara. Any suggestions which is prettier town and atmosphere. I know mosaics in Ravenna but we don't have to see. One morning we are taking a tour of the Lamborghini factory and museum tour. So I think we will need 4 places to eat dinner. Sine it is weekend, I am thinking I might need to have reservations in place?
Again, thank you Gailscout and massimop for your help!
DAC
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 11:57 AM
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Teresina is an easy walk from your hotel & does very nice fish dishes as well as classic Bolognese pasta dishes. It's a lovely tranquil setting

Caminetto d'Oro is also going to offer you lovely fish options but also a truly classic version of tagliatelle al ragu, if that it a must for you while in Bologna.

Right around the corner from your hotel is da Nello, which I only recommend if you are in the mood for mushroom dishes, which in October will be at heir peak. The decor is .... eccentric.

For the best of the lesser priced meals, Serghei the best and not far from your hotel. It's busy, it's small, it bustles & husltes (granny is in the kitchen, and it's all an experience). Not someplace to go for quiet ambience, by terrific local cuisine (no fish). Turkey is a good option there.

For something quite inexpensive, try Il Tinello, not far from Teresina, for simple pastas (try the passatelli), house wine, no fish -- in fact, I would probably get grilled vegetables for a main course.

The restaurant of your hotel serves international hotel cuisine & some Bolognese dishes, but tricked up a bit. However, it has a famous frescoed ceiling which you should take a look at before dining elsewhere.

Hands down Ravenna is the prettier -- I would say more handsome -- town than Ferrara. You can also get lovely fish dishes & pastas there -- I'm recking my brain for a recommendation. I'll post one if I think of it. But I strongly urge you to see the mosaics. They are -- along with the Alhambra in Spain and other stunning unique creations -- one of the crown jewels of Europe. I cannot think of a single person who has ever regretted seeing the mosaics of Ravenna. Do not miss the small mausoleum of Galia Placida as well as the great basilicas (the mausoleum is a few steps adjacent in separate structure).

Modena is a pretty town. Do you need a place to eat lunch there? I would recommend Franceschetta 58, and ask your hotel to make a reservation.

October is a VERY busy month for trade fairs in Bologna & weekends it is always advisable to make reservations. Your hotel should do this for you. It's a first class hotel and I assume with a first class desk.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 12:04 PM
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By the way, your hotel is on the busy main thoroughfare of Bologna. If you what you like is pretty streets, be sure to walk down the via Farini, visit the piazza Santo Stefano and its surrounds, and take a walk down the via Farini. There is a nice super-friendly trattoria on the via Farina -- Giampi e Ciccio -- a bit far from your hotel for dinner but maybe a good lunch spot if you are out and about in Bologna for sightseeing.

Poking around the neighborhood of Teresina is also interesting. It's the old Jewish quarter. I believe Teresina and Il Tinello are both open for lunch.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 12:08 PM
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One more thought: If you like pumpkin, mushrooms, chestnuts, potatoes, and radiccho/treviso and other bitter cabbages, this is the time to eat them in that part of the world. Turkey (tacchino) is great and you might run into some black truffles (too early for white) but avoid truffle oil
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 12:23 PM
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Massimop, I cannot thank you enough for all of your detailed suggestions. I will have the hotel make dinner reservations at the restaurants you have suggested. I googled and they look great. I know it is a busy time, so I want to have reservations in place.
Thank you also for the walk and neighbor to see in Bologna.
Ravenna it is! We have already been to Modena so will not be going again.
If we want one other day trip from Bologna whaich town would you suggest?
Thank you so much. DAC
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 01:14 PM
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Depends on your interests & the weather, really. For art, I would suggest Parma. For history (especially medieval & Jewish/WW2), then Ferrara. For Fellini fans, Rimini, and for charm & food, Brisighella. But don't forget Florence is 35 minutes away, and Milan 50 minutes away.

If it is rainy, I would probably stay in Bologna, with all its covered streets, although seeing the sights of Parma is doable with an umbrella & a taxi ride from the station. But pay attention to when things are open.

Brisighella is the trickiest to reach, but if you take the 12.15 train that gets you there by 1.20, that gives you time to walk to Locanda La Cavallina for lunch (make a reservation). It has a lovely view of vineyards. If you order a la carte, not the formula lunch, they have nice seafood, pasta and meat dishes. Afterwards, walk up into Brisighella town center. You won't have time to climb up everything if you want to catch the 5.15 back to Bologna, the town is delightful. But there is nothing enjoyable about this if it is raining.

If cars in general, not just Ferraris, mean a lot to you, I have heard Monza has a lovely historic center once you get past the modern parts, and I think the track is open to visiors year round.. I've never been, and it sounds like you need good weather to enjoy it, but it's about 90 minutes from Bologna via train, and you can probably cut that by taking the fast train to Bologna & then a taxi the 20kms to Monza. But I've never done it. Never been. (Never been to Ferrari sites either)

http://www.italythisway.com/places/monza.php

https://www.italybeyondtheobvious.co...-town-of-monza

http://www.in-lombardia.com/tourism-.../tourism-monza





http://www.italythisway.com/places/monza.php
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 01:25 PM
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PS: If you want to take an earlier train to Brisighella to have time to sightsee the town at a more leisurely pace, there are many good restaurants in Brisighella in the town center which would be more convenient than Locanda La Cavallina for that timing. Try Osteria del Guercino, but I am not sure they offer seafood. You can still get vineyard views if you do some climbing around the clock tower, which you'll have time to do if you take an earlier train.

But all the choices are great, & Ferrara & Parma are very atmospheric & full of interest & beauty (simpler to reach)
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 01:59 PM
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Massimop, thanks once again for taking time to give all these great suggestions.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 07:19 PM
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Sure. When you go to Ravenna you might want to check out lunch at L'Acciuga, a fish place.

If you really like pasta, it's worthwhile to sample some of the great pastas of Bologna that are not tagliallle al ragu. If you like meat sauces, then gramigna alla salsiccia is a terrifically satisfying dish. If you prefer meatless, passatelli in brodo is sublime. In October, you will probably see pasta stuffed with pumpkin (zucca) which is fantastic, or long ribbons of pasta with porcini mushrooms, also terrific. It is often hard to find lasagna al verde on menus, but if it can be fantastic (or awful -- don't be afraid to ask the waiter when he/she recommends).

Tortellini and tortelloni (bigger tortellini) can be served in broth or with butter or in a really really rich cheese/butter sauces. But under no circumstances are tortellini or tortolloni to be eaten with tomato sauce!!!!! (If you tasted it, you'd know why - I hope!) It won't be offered in any good restaurant anyway in Emilia-Romagna -- but I've read about people thinking it might be a good idea. It's a horrible idea.

Tip for Ravenna: When you arrive by train, take a taxi to the Basilica San Vitale + the Galla Placidia and work your way back through town to Sant'Apollnare Nuovo, having lunch along the way. If you have time, the crypt under the altar of the Basilica of San Francesco is worth the short stop. You'l need coins to turn on the lights. You can probably find good walking itineraries online to see the best piazze, other sights.
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Old Sep 24th, 2017, 02:11 AM
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Hello Dec,

We leave in three weeks for Ravenna and other places in the region. Since you asked about Ravenna restaurants, may I hop on your thread and ask massimop his/her opinions about these Ravenna restaurants? I've read about them here on Fodor's and elsewhere. We are staying three nights because, in addition to slowly visiting the mosaics, we want to see the remains of the Roman walls, the Venetian fortress, and a few other things.

So here are the Ravenna restaurants which I've put down in my notes--anybody have opinions?

Osteria del Tempo Perso
Acciuga Osteria (I think this is the one massimop recommended above)
Osteria dei Battibecchi
La Gardela
Ca de Ven
Taberna Boaria
Trattoria Rustica
I Furfanti Osteria

Dec - I hope you can post your TR when you return (when is that), and before we leave so we can see how you liked Ravenna.
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Old Sep 24th, 2017, 03:08 AM
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Osteria dei Battibecchi is the osteria I was trying to think of, and I've had friends who ate there & enjoyed it. I ate at Osteria del Tempo Perso a very long time ago -- I actually wondered if they had just opened -- and at that time it was trying to be inventive, and I wasn't much taken with it (or the relentless hipsterism of the place) but again -- so long ago.

Seems like everybody on the planet has been to Ca' de Ven except me -- mainly because most people eat piadina there and I don't like piadina (just me)

I also stumbled into Al Gallo 1909, starving, not knowing where I was, and just before the close of the lunch hour and just loved the whole experience, and my skate fish with soy sauce -- I still remember it -- but I probably wouldn't recommend it (expensive for one thing) without going back myself and testing my memories.

I don't know the others you mention. A lot of my initial experiences of Ravenna came at a time when Ravenna was doing a lot of business with Japan, and restaurants like Osteria del Tempo Perso & Al Gallo 1909 were filled with Japanese businessmen, and menus experimented with soy sauce. Times change, or are lost, in Ravenna, so I'm not sure what I experienced is still going on. But if you are just there for lunch, spending days in Bologna, you might want to sample the local seafood dishes. They make there own brodetto in Ravenna that differs from the recipes others towns do (it's a lot of food, so be careful if you're curious). If you'll be in the area in November there are "peace azzuro" festivals, celebrating the oily fish of the region (you have to like fish like blue fish or anchovies). But just in general at that time of year, if you like oily fish, it's a good time to eat it around the Adriatic.

The port of Cesenatico is another nice-weather day trip from Bologna, as is the inland Bagnocavallo or Lugo (especially if you have an intense interest in aviation).
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Old Sep 24th, 2017, 03:14 AM
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Wanted to add that my impression is that Osteria dei Battibecchi is more meaty than fishy.
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Old Sep 24th, 2017, 04:44 AM
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https://caminettodoro.it/ristorante/?lang=en
This 90-year-old restaurant, an easy stroll from your hotel, honours tradition while keenly aware of modern tastes in ingredients and portions. I ate very well in Bologna but this restaurant took the big step up to the level of an event, with skilful rather than flashy service. It operates a smaller and more informal cantina next door. My meal was pushing towards $100 including enough wine to keep me happy. The neighbourhood is studded with enough restaurants to feed anyone for a week; this is the one I will come back to first. Reservations are needed.
The tourist bureau in Piazza Maggiore sells tickets to a range of tours. I spent a couple of hours being led around the distinctive skinny seige towers that distinguish the city core. Try to book a tour that includes entry to a tower. The view over the city is worth the arduous climb up narrow staircases.
http://www.bolognawelcome.com/en/
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Old Sep 24th, 2017, 04:55 AM
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I hope you like the Grand as much as we did. They made some excellent dinner suggestions for us and as someone has said, the hotel is within easy walking distance to a lot of sites and restaurants. And I fully agree with the suggestion for the cab ride in Ravenna so you can work your way back.
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Old Sep 24th, 2017, 05:26 AM
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Aperitif hour is widespread in Ravenna, with Aperol Spritz the drink of choice, accompanied by complimentary cocktail buffet type foods. It's worth allowing time to partake and enjoy the rhythms of life around the antique center.

Ca' de Ven is a lovely restaurant just off the main center; dining companions had excellent fish there, though as mentioned piadina is big on the menu. Reception can be a bit brusque,

It's been said about the mosaics: World Heritage worthy. At least see San Vitale and Galla Placidia. Even the street signs and bins in the center have mosaics, and some modern "space invader" mosaics have been added more recently.

You mentioned La Gardela -- it is quite convenient /in antique center and I've had several good meals there.

Ravenna has a particular type of pasta, the exact name of which escapes me at the moment -- capelli? capellito? Shaped like little hats (a nice hotel and restaurant in town is Il Capello--the hat). Served with a butter and sage sauce and also in broth.
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Old Sep 24th, 2017, 06:08 AM
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Thank you everyone for your detailed responses. I appreciate you taking time to help me. Dac
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