Italian€€€centro-storicoMon-Fri 12:00-22:00; Sat 12:00-23:00; Sun 12:00-14:30
Ristorante Donatello in Bologna from 1903 is the Fanciullacci-family Bolognese institution one street off Via Indipendenza, with the Liberty-style dining.
Signature: Tortellini, Tagliatelle al ragu, Lasagne al forno
Order: Tortellini, tagliatelle al ragu, lasagne al forno, the mortadella plate.
Tip: Book a week ahead by phone +39 051 235438; the kitchen runs lunch 12:00-14:30 and dinner 19:00-22:00, closed Tuesday.
Italian€€€mazziniMon 19:45-23:00; Tue-Sun 12:15-14:15, 19:45-23:00
Scaccomatto in Bologna's Mazzini is the Mario Ferrara fine-bistro running a sea-and-land carte that crosses Adriatic seafood with the Emilian land tradition.
Signature: Tasting menu, Risotto with raw seafood, Sea-bass with Lambrusco reduction
Order: The seasonal tasting carte, the carbonara di mare, the slow-cooked guancia.
Tip: Book a fortnight ahead online; the tasting carte is the value option at 75 euros and the wine pairings are a strength.
Italian€€centro-storicoMon-Sat 08:00-20:00; Sun 09:00-20:00
Sfoglia Rina in Bologna's Centro Storico is the 1963-founded sfoglina counter run by the Faccioli family, with hand-rolled pasta sold by weight.
Signature: Tagliatelle al ragu, Tortelloni di ricotta, Lasagne verdi
Order: Tagliatelle al ragu, tortelloni burro e salvia, the Wednesday-only lasagne verdi.
Tip: The dine-in room takes walk-ins until 14:00; for take-away pasta, the queue thins after 11:30.
Italian€universitaDaily 12:30-23:00
Osteria dell'Orsa in Bologna's University quarter is the canonical student trattoria operating since 1979, a no-reservations canteen for tagliatelle.
Signature: Tagliatelle al ragu, Crescentine, Sausage and friggione
Order: Tagliatelle al ragu, crescentine with the salumi board, sausage with friggione.
Tip: Walk-in only; arrive by 12:00 for lunch or after 21:30 for dinner to skip the line. Cash and card both fine.
Bolognese Trattoria€€saragozzaMon,Fri,Sat 12:30-14:30; Mon-Sat 19:30-22:00
Trattoria Bertozzi in Bologna's Saragozza is the neighbourhood family trattoria on Via Andrea Costa running the canonical Bolognese carte. Priced at €€.
Signature: Tagliatelle al ragu, Petroniana cotoletta, Tortelloni
Order: Tagliatelle al ragu, the petroniana cotoletta, the tortelloni di ricotta with sage butter.
Tip: Book by phone two days ahead; the dining room has 40 seats and the kitchen runs the same carte at lunch and dinner.
Bolognese Osteria€€mazziniDaily 12:00-14:30, 19:30-01:00
Osteria Broccaindosso in Bologna's Mazzini is the long-running neighbourhood osteria with a fixed-price set carte and pasta still hand-rolled daily on site.
Signature: Tortellini in brodo, Tagliatelle al ragu, Gnocco fritto
Order: The fixed-price set carte at 25 euros, tortellini in brodo, the salumi board.
Tip: Book by phone two days ahead; the 25-euro set carte runs at lunch only and is the value play.