Kebab Mercato Zamboni in Bologna's University quarter is the late-night doner kebab counter on Via Zamboni, serving lamb kebab in pita and falafel wraps to the post-bar student crowd.
Tip: Cash only; the counter runs 11:00 to 04:00 daily and the queue is steady after 23:00 with the student crowd.
Address: Via Zamboni 27, 40126 Bologna BO
Pizzeria Altero on Via dell'Indipendenza in Bologna is the 1957-founded pizza-al-taglio counter, an old-school Bolognese counter serving slabs of pizza rossa, pizza bianca and crescentine.
Try: Pizza al taglio
Tip: Take-away counter runs 11:00 to 22:00; the pizza rossa is 3 euros per slab and the queue thins after the lunch peak.
Open Baladin Bologna on Via San Felice is the Italian craft beer bar with 50 taps, the burger carte to 01:00 and the long late-night standing crowd Friday and Saturday.
Try: Burgers, craft beer
Tip: Walk-in works; the 50-tap board rotates daily and the burger carte runs 12:00 to 01:00. Cash and card both fine.
Moonbow in Bologna's Centro Storico is the Antonio Lai speakeasy cocktail bar, with a 12-seat bar standing crowd, smoked-and-aged classics and a no-walk-in policy after 23:00.
Try: Cocktails, snacks
Tip: Book three days ahead online; the bar seats 12 and walk-ins are accepted only before 22:00.
Freakout Club in Bologna's San Vitale is the late-night cocktail bar with rotating DJs, modern Italian cocktails and the standing crowd from 23:00 to 04:00 Friday and Saturday.
Try: Cocktails, snacks
Tip: Walk-in only; the bar runs 22:00 to 04:00 Friday and Saturday and 22:00 to 02:00 mid-week.
Tamburini in Bologna's Quadrilatero runs the self-service food hall until 22:00 with salumi taglieri, the daily-changing pasta-by-weight tray and the aperitivo cocktail bar from 18:00.
Try: Salumi tagliere, daily pasta
Tip: Self-service runs 11:00 to 22:00; aperitivo starts at 18:00. The kitchen stops at 21:30.
Le Stanze in Bologna near Via Indipendenza is the cocktail bar built into a 16th-century chapel with the late-night cocktail carte to 02:00 Friday and Saturday and the small-plates kitchen.
Try: Cocktail carte, small plates
Tip: Walk-in works for the bar; the late-night cocktail crowd takes over after 23:00. The dining room closes at 23:30.
