Meltemi is a seafood fine-dining restaurant in Centro Storico, Parma.
Editorially verified August 27, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Must order: The raw selection: oysters, carpaccio and tartare with bubbles.
Tip: In a city this devoted to pork and Parmigiano, this is the reservation for the night off. The room is small, so book a few days out.
Address: Borgo del Carbone 3, 43121 Parma
Antica Corte Pallavicina, Massimo Spigaroli's castle farm on the Po near Parma, has held a Michelin star since 2011 and ages culatello in its cellars.
Order: The culatello vertical, sliced across several ageings from the cellars below.
Tip: Come early and book the cellar visit: the culatello ageing rooms under the dining room are the point of the trip, 40 minutes from Parma.
Al Vedel in Colorno near Parma pairs an elegant dining room with the Podere Cadassa cellars, where the family ages its own culatello below the inn.
Order: Culatello di Zibello in three ages, then anolini in brodo.
Tip: The restaurant dates its hospitality to 1780 and the culatello cellars can be visited before lunch if you ask when booking. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
Palazzo Utini fills a restored palazzo in Noceto, twenty minutes from Parma, with quiet luxury: a Michelin Guide dining room built around tasting menus.
Order: The seasonal tasting menu with the sommelier's pairings.
Tip: The palazzo doubles as a small luxury hotel, so this is the one to book when the plan is dinner without driving back to Parma afterwards.
Ristorante Romani brings white-tablecloth calm to the plain north of Parma at Vicomero: a Michelin Guide address for anolini, roasts and serious service.
Order: Anolini in brodo, then the day's roast from the trolley.
Tip: Ten minutes by car from the city, it earns the drive on Sunday when Parma families book it out for long lunches; reserve the early sitting.
Locanda Stella d'Oro anchors Soragna, the Bassa town near Parma that keeps the Parmigiano museum, with a Michelin Guide kitchen of culatello and anolini.
Order: Culatello with torta fritta, then anolini in the house broth.
Tip: Pair it with the Parmigiano Reggiano museum across town and Soragna's Rocca; the locanda also keeps rooms if the lunch turns into an afternoon.
Inkiostro holds Parma's Michelin star in 2026: Calabrian chef Salvatore Morello threads global technique through food-valley produce on Via San Leonardo.
Order: The long tasting menu, with a serious cellar in support.
Tip: It sits out by the trade-fair district rather than the centre, a short taxi ride, which is why locals keep tables easier to get than the star suggests.
