Borgo Hi-Fi ★ 4.5
$$Piazza MaggioreFri-Sun 18:00 to 02:00
Borgo Hi-Fi opened on Christmas Eve 2025 as Bologna's first listening bar, set inside the Borgo delle Erbe arcade of the Mercato delle Erbe with a vinyl-only DJ booth, a tuned Hi-Fi system and a short cocktail and wine list.
Tip: Saturday nights book up; reservations via prenotazioni.borgoerbe@gmail.com. Sunday tardeo runs from afternoon into evening with a softer playlist.
Lab 16 ★ 4.0
$$UniversitaTue-Sun 18:00 to 02:00, closed Mon
Lab 16 runs a cocktail room and kitchen under the porticoes of Via Zamboni a few doors from the Two Towers, pairing an aperitivo buffet, a small dinner menu and a vinyl-led listening programme that swings between indie, rock and pop.
Tip: Aperitivo from 18:00 includes a buffet with the drink; reserve a table inside if the live programme runs that night. Outside seats fill fast in summer.
Mascarella 22 ★ 4.0
$$UniversitaTue-Sun 18:00 to 02:00, closed Mon
Mascarella 22 anchors the south end of the Via Mascarella jazz strip with a small cocktail and gin counter, a vinyl-led soundtrack, an English-speaking bar team and an outdoor stretch that joins the Salotto del Jazz programme in summer.
Tip: The bar serves on the street from June to August during the Salotto del Jazz; book inside in winter. Margarita and spritz lists are the strong end.
Osteria del Sole ★ 4.6
$QuadrilateroMon-Sat 11:00 to 21:30, closed Sun
Osteria del Sole has run a bring-your-own-food wine room on Vicolo Ranocchi since 1465, run today by the third-generation Spolaore family, with three euro glasses of Pignoletto and Lambrusco poured at a long counter and wooden tables.
Tip: No kitchen of its own; pick up mortadella and bread at the Quadrilatero salumerias first then carry it in. Cash only at the counter.
Mutenye ★ 4.0
$PratelloDaily 17:00 to 03:00
Mutenye runs a craft and German beer bar on the Pratello strip, with a 30-tap pour, a deeper bottle fridge of Italian micros and German classics, a back room set up for football and an outdoor stretch that fills past midnight.
Tip: The pub is open until 03:00 every night so it picks up the Pratello late crowd after the osterias close. Cash and card both work.
Bar de' Marchi ★ 4.1
$PratelloDaily 07:00 to 03:00
Bar de' Marchi runs from a corner of Piazza San Francesco at the foot of the Pratello strip, with three euro amari, students and Pratello regulars in the late hours, and outdoor tables that hold the basilica view through the small hours.
Tip: Cash gets the cheapest pours; cards work too. The piazza in front fills past midnight with the Pratello spillover crowd.