5 live music in Bologna, editor-picked by TableJourney. All Bologna nightlife.
Estragon Club ★ 4.5
Bolognina · Via Stalingrado 83, 40128 Bologna
Estragon Club has run a Parco Nord concert hall on Via Stalingrado for more than thirty years, programming indie, electronic, reggae, ska and rap touring acts across a calendar that books from September well into the following autumn.
Tip: The Parco Nord site sits north of the ring road; bus 11 from Centrale or a cab is the route in. The hall is standing-only and the headline runs around 22:00.
Cantina Bentivoglio ★ 4.6
Universita · Via Mascarella 4/b, 40126 Bologna
Cantina Bentivoglio runs the Via Mascarella jazz cellar in a 16th-century palazzo basement, programming live jazz six nights a week, an Emilian kitchen and a list of more than 500 wines on the cluster of music venues by the Belle Arti.
Tip: Sets start around 22:00 so book a dinner table for 20:30 if you want one near the band. The cellar can run slow on busy nights; order the tortellini in brodo to anchor the table.
Bravo Caffe ★ 4.4
Universita · Via Mascarella 1, 40126 Bologna
Bravo Caffe runs the busy corner of Via Mascarella, pairing a small live room with a restaurant kitchen and programming jazz, soul and songwriter sets on a nightly bill that brings touring names through the university quarter.
Tip: Reserve a dinner table for 20:30 to hold a sightline of the stage. In summer the music spills onto Via Mascarella as part of the Salotto del Jazz street programme.
Camera a Sud ★ 4.3
Universita · Via Valdonica 5, 40126 Bologna
Camera a Sud sits on Via Valdonica in the old Jewish ghetto, run by sommelier owners Roberta and Lorenzo with an armchair-and-bookshelf room, a wine list weighted to Italian regional producers and a soundtrack that swings from jazz to occasional acoustic sets.
Tip: Aperitivo from 18:30 with a vegetarian and meat plate buffet. Reserve an inside table for live nights; the room is small and seats book up by 21:00.
Macondo ★ 4.2
Pratello · Via del Pratello 22c, 40122 Bologna
Macondo runs a Pratello cocktail bar with a tiny stage that programmes around 250 live nights a year, anchoring Via del Pratello's bohemian strip with Italian songwriters, indie sets, folk acts and the occasional jazz quintet from 21:30.
Tip: The room fills by the second song so arrive by 21:00 for a bar stool. Cash and card both work and the cocktail list runs cheaper than the centre.