Ranked by TableJourney editorial score.
Tortellini in brodo is Bologna's Christmas-and-Sunday pasta: tiny egg-yolk parcels stuffed with mortadella, prosciutto di Parma, pork loin and Parmigiano Reggiano, served floating in a clear capon and beef brodo.
The tortellino reached its modern form in the 16th-century kitchens of the Emilian nobility, with Bologna and Modena both claiming origin. The legend places it at a Castelfranco Emilia tavern, where an innkeeper modelled the pasta on a noblewoman's navel. The Confraternita del Tortellino deposited the legal recipe with the Camera di Commercio of Bologna on 7 December 1974: pork loin, prosciutto di Parma, mortadella, Parmigiano Reggiano, egg and nutmeg, hand-folded into 5g parcels and served only in capon brodo. Trattoria Anna Maria, Diana and Tamburini serve the canonical version.
4 editor picks for Tortellini in brodo in Bologna, ranked by editorial score. All Bologna signature dishes · Tortellini in brodo across every city.
Also in: Modena.
All'Osteria Bottega in Bologna's Saragozza is the Daniele Minarelli and Valeria Tonelli room, a tiny dining hall running the canonical Emilian carte.
OrderTortellini in brodo, tagliatelle al ragu, the salumi board of Bonfatti mortadella.
TipBook three weeks ahead by phone; the room seats 28 and the lunch service has the easiest tables.
Trattoria Anna Maria in Bologna near Via Zamboni is the city's most-photographed sfoglia trattoria, run by Anna Maria Monari since 1985 with hand-rolled.
OrderTagliatelle al ragu, tortellini in brodo, lasagne verdi, gnocco fritto.
TipBook a week ahead for dinner. Lunch is calmer and the sfogline still hand-roll pasta in the window between services.
Tamburini in Bologna's Quadrilatero is the 1932-founded salumeria-and-self-service operating from Via Caprarie, with cured-meat counters, a daily-changing.
OrderThe mortadella tagliere, the daily pasta plate, a tigella with squacquerone.
TipThe self-service runs 11:00-22:00 daily; the salumi counter closes at 19:30 and the aperitivo crowd takes over after 18:00.
Trattoria Meloncello in Bologna sits at the foot of the 666-arch portico up to San Luca, a family room running the classic Bolognese Sunday-lunch carte.
OrderTortelloni di zucca, tagliatelle al ragu, the Sunday-only bollito misto.
TipBook a week ahead for Sunday lunch; the portico walk from Porta Saragozza takes 25 minutes and is the traditional pre-lunch passeggiata.
Tortellini in brodo makes more sense with someone from Bologna explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
Guided tour · 2.5 hours
Learn all about the symbol of Bologna: a guided walk through the historic old town, a tasting of traditional tortellini, and a workshop to create your own tortellini t...
4 hours
Discover the secrets of tagliatelle, ragu and tortellini in Lucia's kitchen, amid traditional techniques, conviviality and authentic Bolognese flavors.
Guided tour · 2.5 hours
Dive into Bologna's soul: explore medieval markets, taste Mortadella & Parmigiano, watch a master "sfoglina" at work in a Sfoglia Show, and fold your own Tortellini be...
