Tigelleria Emiliana in Bologna's Centro Storico runs the hot-griddled tigelle counter with the cunza lard-and-rosemary paste, the salumi board and the daily-changing weekday lunch carte.
Tip: The tigelle arrive hot from the cast-iron pans; eat within 5 minutes or they go leather-tough. The cunza is the killer detail.
Address: Via Marsala 18, 40126 Bologna BO
Piadineria da Bardo in Bologna's University quarter is the Romagnola piadina counter from Forli, with the rosemary-and-lard flatbread, the squacquerone-and-rocket filling and the late-night student crowd.
Try: Piadina Romagnola
Tip: Walk-in only; the piadine run 4 to 7 euros and the late-night counter runs to 22:00. Cash and card both fine.
Bottega Portici in Bologna's Centro Storico is the take-away counter for crescentine fritte and gnocco fritto, with the daily salumi tagliere and the after-aperitivo crowd.
Try: Crescentine, gnocco fritto
Tip: Take-away counter runs 11:00 to 23:00; the gnocco fritto is fried to order and best eaten within 5 minutes.
Kebab Mercato Zamboni in Bologna's University quarter is the late-night doner kebab counter on Via Zamboni, serving the lamb kebab in pita and the falafel wrap to the post-bar student crowd.
Try: Lamb kebab
Tip: Cash only; the counter runs 11:00 to 04:00 daily and the queue is steady after 23:00 with the student crowd.
La Mortadellina in Bologna's Quadrilatero on Via Pescherie Vecchie is the dedicated mortadella sandwich counter with the daily-sliced mortadella from Pasquini and the cunza tigella option.
Try: Mortadella sandwich
Tip: Walk-in only; the mortadella sandwich runs 6 euros and the cunza tigella 7 euros. The lunch peak is 12:30 to 13:30.
Tamburini in Bologna's Quadrilatero runs a take-away salumi counter with the mortadella sandwich, the tigella with squacquerone and the daily-changing pasta-by-weight tray for office lunch.
Try: Mortadella sandwich
Tip: The take-away counter runs 11:00 to 22:00; the lunch peak is 12:30 to 13:30 and the queue thins after 14:00.
Pizzeria Altero on Via dell'Indipendenza in Bologna is the 1957-founded pizza-al-taglio counter, an old-school Bolognese fixture serving slabs of pizza rossa, pizza bianca and crescentine fritte.
Try: Pizza al taglio
Tip: Take-away counter only; the pizza rossa is 3 euros per slab and the queue thins after the 13:00 lunch peak.
