Nu Lounge Bar runs a tiki room under the Quadrilatero porticoes on Via de' Musei, with a ceramic-mug back bar, fire-and-dry-ice drink presentations and a list that runs from canon tiki classics to house variations, drawing the World's 50 Best Bars discovery list.
Tip: Cocktails sit around 11 euros; book a counter seat to see the fire show. The kitchen sends hard-shell tacos and poke bowls if you want a base for a longer sit.
Address: Via de' Musei 6, 40124 Bologna
Link runs Bologna's main underground electronic floor from a converted warehouse on Via Fantoni, programming techno, drum and bass and experimental sets since the 1994 founding on Via Fioravanti.
Tip: The club is on the western edge of the centre and the last bus home runs well before close. Arci card required at the door, around eight euros.
Locomotiv Club has run a small but active concert room on Via Serlio since 2007, programming indie, electronic and alternative touring acts alongside its own record label and recording studio in the Bolognina backstreets.
Tip: Eight euro Arci card required at the door even with a paid ticket. The room holds around 500 and the late DJ floor opens once the headline set finishes.
Numa Club fills a warehouse near the Fiera with a large central dance floor and a multi-level layout, programming techno, house and hip hop nights through the weekend with both Italian residents and touring DJ names.
Tip: The Fiera district is north of the centre with no easy public transport after midnight; plan for a cab back. Drink prices climb on table service.
Kindergarten sits a couple of streets from the Fiera in a warehouse space, programming Italian electronic residents and visiting techno acts on a tight Friday and Saturday schedule that runs until dawn.
Tip: The club is small and the floor fills past 01:30; arrive earlier if you want a counter spot at the bar. Arci card at the door.
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 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.