We're about to start our very exciting trip to the South of France and Italy. We've eaten very well on previous trips in Italy, but I keep reading & hearing so much about the incredible food in Bologna. So, never ones to miss a great meal, we've decided to spend 3 nights there. Can anyone recommend restaurants/cafes that had terrific food? Local dishes or wines we shouldn't miss? Grazie!

Search LowCountryIslander for her T/Rbthat includes Bologna.

Here is a listing of Michelin rated restaurants in Bologna.

I spent close to a week in Modena, a short distance away.

I loved their squash ravioli. Had it again when I later went to Rome.

The Emilia–Romagna region has the best cuisine in all of Italy. Also try their battered squash blossom. So light and delicious.

You are not far from the famous ham town of Parma.

Here is a Mario Batali blurb.

http://www.mariobatali.com/exploreitalydtl.cfm?rid=6

Here's a link to my trip report with all the places we ate at and our mini-reviews. There were four of us and as I recall we each had a favorite restaurant, so lots of good eats!!

http://www.fromhometoroam.com/2012/08/bologna-2010/

Also, if you are interested we did a great food tour with Alessandro of Italian Days (http://www.italiandays.it/). We had a fabulous day with him, he is so passionate about food and the region. We visited a parmigiano reggiano factory, aceto balsamico tour, vineyard and a proscuitto de Modena factory.

Hi Maria,

Here are 2 very nice places where we ate when in Bologna last October.

http://www.alsangiovese.com/en/index.html

http://www.ristorantedanello.com/Home_Page_en.html

This one doesn't seem to have a website, so this attachment is from Trip Advisor. Very casual, inexpensive, fun, loud, great food.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...a_Romagna.html

Finally, here's a great seafood place, run by a Sicilian. Again, no website, so I linked the TA page. Some of the reviews are so-so, but we liked it very much.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...a_Romagna.html

Have fun, Bologna is beautiful.

ttt

I recommend two family owned restaurants that serve traditional Bolognese foods. Trattoria Gianni and Ristorante da Cesari. We ate at Da Cesari twice in fact. In both places we ordered the specials of the days. Da Ginni's tortellini with pesto ws delicious and we loved the tagliatelle with seasonable vegetables at Da Cesari.

Coioncidence--I ate at both those restaurants mentioned by HappyT, and agree that both are excellent. Here is my report from quite a few years ago:


http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...nd-bologna.cfm

Also the Italy board on chowhound. There are several posts on this topic.

I probably found out about these two wonderful restaurants from ekscruchy's trip report! Thanks Eks.

I second the recommendation to check Chowhound, where there are extensive discussions about whether Bologna really deserves its reputation as a food mecca for visitors. It is one thing to have your own kitchen and utilize Bologna's markets. It's another to wade your way through its restaurants.

Fresh pasta reaches a peak in the region of Emilia-Romagna, so if you are a fresh pasta lover, you do not want to miss the region, although you will probably find much better pasta in restaurants outside of the center of Bologna than you will inside it.

Also be aware that -- even if you love pasta -- the fresh pasta dishes of Bologna are not red sauce pastas. (For that, you go to fabulous Naples or Sicily.)

The fresh pasta dishes of Bologna that are fantastic are pastas stuffed with meat, cheeses or pumpkin, served in broth, or with butter, or with cheese sauces. Although Bologna's green lasagna is a crowd-pleaser (and hard to find reliably made well in Bologna's restaurants), the famed Bolognese meat sauce is actually too dry for most tastebuds.

If you have flexibility in your travels, and especially if you have access to a car, consider destination in Emilia-Romagna other than Bologna if food is what is drawing you there -- and check Chowhound for which ones.

If you don't have a car, consider basing yourself in Parma or Modena for better food.

Culturally, Bologna is a very rewarding destination for those interested in history and architecture (it also has terrific museum of painting). It also makes a great transportation base for visits to Ravenna and Parma, two tremendous art cities, and Florence too.

For culinary purposes, Bologna is less rewarding, if food and food alone is why you are spending so much money, time and effort to get to the Emilia-Romagna.

I noticed re-reading your post that you asked about wines that shouldn't be missed. Nowhere in Emilia-Romagna is a wine worth going out of your way to have.

Since you are going to be in the South of France, I highly recommend you consider going to Piemonte instead of Bologna if your quest is outstanding food and wine. The Piemonte region is the home of Italy's "Slow Food" movement, has outstanding restaurants and outstanding, world-class wines.

If getting a good meal is the point, consider going there.

Thanks so much to all for your quick and thorough responses.

We were fortunate enough last year to spend some time in Verona, and took the Parmagolosa tours through Parma & Reggio. We found the food in that area to be among the best we've ever had in Italy, so we're really looking forward to Bologna!