Cocktail barCocktail bar, late night€€€
Freakout Club in Bologna's San Vitale is the late-night cocktail bar with the rotating DJs, the modern Italian cocktail carte and the standing crowd.
Signature drink: Modern Italian cocktails
Food: Snacks
Tip: Walk-in only; the bar runs 22:00-04:00 Friday and Saturday and 22:00-02:00 mid-week. Cash and card both fine.
Cocktail barCocktail bar€€€Tue-Sun 11:00-01:00; Mon closed
Le Stanze in Bologna's Centro Storico is the cocktail bar built into a 16th-century frescoed chapel near Via Indipendenza, with aperitivo from 18:00.
Signature drink: Negroni invecchiato, Aperol classico
Food: Aperitivo small plates
Tip: Walk-in works for the bar; book the dining room a week ahead for dinner. Aperitivo runs 18:00-21:00 with the small plates.
Cocktail barTiki, cocktail bar€€€Mon-Sat 15:00-02:30; Sun 15:00-02:30
Nu Lounge Bar in Bologna's Centro Storico is the city's pioneering tiki cocktail bar from Daniele Dalla Pola, with a daily-changing tiki carte and the long.
Signature drink: Mai Tai, Pisco Sour
Food: Snacks, tiki small plates
Tip: Walk-in works; the late-night standing crowd takes over after 22:30. The Mai Tai and the Bolognesi-edition tiki cocktails are the order.
Cocktail barCocktail bar, aperitivo€€€Daily 07:00-01:00
Caffe Rubik in Bologna's Centro Storico is the third-wave cafe-and-cocktail-bar with an aperitivo carte from 18:00, a daily small-plates board.
Signature drink: Negroni, spritz al Sangiovese
Food: Aperitivo, brunch
Tip: Walk-in only; the aperitivo crowd takes over after 18:30 and the weekend late-night cocktail crowd runs to 02:00.
Cocktail barWine bar, aperitivo€€€
Vino Vino in Bologna's University quarter is the long-running wine-bar with the Bolognese tagliere of mortadella, prosciutto and squacquerone.
Signature drink: Sangiovese, Lambrusco spritz
Food: Salumi tagliere, crostini
Tip: Walk-in only; the aperitivo crowd takes over after 18:30. The Lambrusco spritz is 6 euros and the tagliere is 12 euros.
Cocktail barSpeakeasy, cocktail bar€€€Tue-Sat 20:30-04:30; Sun 19:00-03:00; Mon closed
Donkey Speakeasy in Bologna's Centro Storico on the second floor of a dark alley near the Two Towers is the reservation-only speakeasy with the monthly.
Signature drink: Old Fashioned, seasonal signature carte
Food: Snacks, cocktail pairings
Tip: Book via WhatsApp +39 349 1384953; entry is by password supplied with the booking and the room runs late, Sundays open until 04:00.