The medieval market grid east of Piazza Maggiore, with Tamburini, Atti, Paolo Atti and the salumeria-and-sfoglina spine of Via Pescherie Vecchie and Via Drapperie.
Da Cesari in Bologna's Centro Storico is the four-generation Carati family trattoria, operating since 1955, a steady room for the canonical Bolognese carte.
Signature: Tagliatelle al ragu, Cotoletta alla bolognese, Tortellini in brodo
Order: Tagliatelle al ragu, cotoletta alla bolognese, friggione on the side.
Tip: Book a fortnight ahead by phone; the family carte does not change and the wine cellar is run by Massimiliano Carati personally.
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.
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.
I Conoscenti in Bologna's Centro Storico in a 14th-century palace is the cocktail-and-cucina restaurant from chef Salvatore Amato, with the contemporary.
Signature: Tortellini in crema di parmigiano, Tortellini al ginepro, Carpaccio
Order: Tortellini in crema di parmigiano, the seasonal carpaccio, the chef's tasting carte.
Tip: Book a fortnight ahead; the ground-floor restaurant runs dinner only and the cocktail bar takes over after 22:30. Phone +39 051 232071.
Ristorante Franco Rossi in Bologna's Centro Storico is the family fine-bistro running the Bolognese banking-class carte with a celebrated Sunday carrello dei.
Signature: Tortellini in brodo, Tagliatelle al ragu, Carrello dei bolliti
Order: Tortellini in brodo, the cotoletta alla bolognese, the Sunday carrello dei bolliti.
Tip: Book a week ahead; the Sunday carrello dei bolliti runs only at lunch and is the order to make.
Ristorante Da Vito in Bologna's San Donato is the family room blending the Bolognese pasta tradition with Adriatic-fish service, on a 40-seat dining room.
Signature: Tortelli with truffle, Sea bass in salt crust, Fritto misto
Order: The truffle tortelli in season, the fritto misto, the sea bass in salt crust.
Tip: Book a fortnight ahead; the Friday-night seafood carte is the most-booked seating and the cellar is heavy on Trebbiano di Romagna.
Vicolo Colombina in Bologna's Quadrilatero is the small-room trattoria one alley off Via Drapperie, with the Bolognese pasta canon and a strong local cellar.
Signature: Tagliatelle al ragu, Tortellini in brodo, Tartare of beef
Order: Tagliatelle al ragu, tortellini in brodo, the carpaccio of Chianina.
Tip: Book three days ahead online; the dining room is intimate and the Quadrilatero passeggiata is loud after 19:30.
Trattoria da Me in Bologna's San Felice is the Elisa Rusconi family room running the Bolognese pasta canon on a 35-seat porticoed dining hall.
Signature: Tagliatelle al ragu, Tortellini in brodo, Bollito misto
Order: Tagliatelle al ragu, tortellini in brodo, the Sunday bollito misto.
Tip: Book a week ahead by phone; the lunch service is the easier seating and the Sunday bollito sells out by 13:00.
Tamburini in Bologna's Quadrilatero is the 1932-founded salumeria-and-self-service operating from Via Caprarie, with cured-meat counters, a daily-changing.
Signature: Mortadella tagliere, Tortellini in brodo, Cotechino
Order: The mortadella tagliere, the daily pasta plate, a tigella with squacquerone.
Tip: The self-service runs 11:00-22:00 daily; the salumi counter closes at 19:30 and the aperitivo crowd takes over after 18:00.
Salumeria Simoni on Via Drapperie in Bologna's Quadrilatero is the 1960s-founded family salumeria with a dine-in tasting room behind the counter.
Signature: Mortadella platter, Tigelle, Tortellini in brodo
Order: The mortadella platter, the tigelle with squacquerone, the prosciutto di Parma 24-month.
Tip: The dine-in tasting room behind the counter takes walk-ins for the tagliere; the salumi counter is busiest at 11:00.
Antica Trattoria della Gigina in Bologna's Bolognina is the long-running family room with the canonical Sunday-lunch carte and the carrello dei bolliti.
Signature: Tagliatelle al ragu, Tortellini in brodo, Lasagne verdi
Order: Tortellini in brodo, tagliatelle al ragu, the Sunday bollito misto.
Tip: Book a fortnight ahead for Sunday lunch; the carrello dei bolliti is the order to make and sells out by 13:30.
Trattoria Fantoni on Via del Pratello in Bologna is the long-running neighbourhood trattoria with the porticoed pavement seating and the canonical Bolognese.
Signature: Tagliatelle al ragu, Cotoletta alla bolognese, Tortelloni
Order: Tagliatelle al ragu, the cotoletta alla bolognese, the tortelloni di ricotta.
Tip: Book a fortnight ahead by phone; the Pratello passeggiata is loud after 19:30 and the lunch service is the easier seating.
Trattoria Leonida in Bologna's Centro Storico is the long-running family trattoria one street back from Piazza Re Enzo, running the canonical Bolognese carte.
Signature: Tagliatelle al ragu, Cotoletta alla bolognese, Bollito
Order: Tagliatelle al ragu, the cotoletta alla bolognese, the Saturday bollito misto.
Tip: Book three days ahead by phone; the dining room runs only the canonical Bolognese carte and the lunch service is the most-booked.
Osteria dei Poeti in Bologna's Centro Storico is the 16th-century buca cellar with live music on Friday and Saturday evenings, running the canonical.
Signature: Tagliatelle al ragu, Tortellini, Tigelle
Order: Tagliatelle al ragu, the salumi tagliere, the live-music Friday-night dinner.
Tip: Book the music nights a fortnight ahead online; the kitchen runs only dinner and the live music starts at 21:00.
Trattoria da Pietro in Bologna's Centro Storico off Via Indipendenza is the long-running family-run trattoria with the meat-grill speciality.
Signature: Tagliatelle al ragu, Cotoletta alla bolognese, Tortelloni
Order: Tagliatelle al ragu, the cotoletta alla bolognese, the meat grill.
Tip: Book by phone on +39 051 6486240; lunch runs 12:00-14:30, dinner 19:00-23:00, closed Sunday.
Trattoria da Gianni in Bologna's Quadrilatero is the long-running family room on Via Clavature, running the canonical Bolognese carte and the Sunday carrello.
Signature: Tagliatelle al ragu, Bollito misto, Cotoletta
Order: Tagliatelle al ragu, the cotoletta alla bolognese, the Sunday carrello dei bolliti.
Tip: Book a fortnight ahead for Sunday lunch; the Quadrilatero is loud after 19:30 and the lunch service is the calmer seating.
Pizzeria Altero on Via dell'Indipendenza in Bologna is the 1957-founded pizza-al-taglio counter, an old-school Bolognese counter serving slabs of pizza rossa.
Signature: Pizza al taglio rossa, Crescentine fritte, Cotechino
Order: The pizza rossa al taglio, the crescentine fritte, the slab pizza with mortadella.
Tip: Cash and card both fine; the counter runs 11:00-22:00 daily and the queue thins after the lunch peak.
Ristorante Da Vito in Bologna's San Donato is the long-running family room blending the Bolognese pasta tradition with Adriatic-fish service.
Signature: Truffle tortelli, Fritto misto, Sea bass
Order: The truffle tortelli in season, the fritto misto, the sea bass in salt crust.
Tip: Book a fortnight ahead; the Friday-night seafood carte is the most-booked seating and the cellar is heavy on Trebbiano di Romagna.
Vicolo Colombina in Bologna's Quadrilatero is the small-room trattoria one alley off Via Drapperie, with the Bolognese pasta canon, a strong local cellar.
Signature: Tagliatelle al ragu, Tortellini, Tartare of beef
Order: Tagliatelle al ragu, tortellini in brodo, the carpaccio of Chianina.
Tip: Book three days ahead online; the dining room is intimate and the Quadrilatero passeggiata is loud after 19:30.
The Donkey hides a small cocktail room behind a medieval gate on Vicolo Broglio, pairing a no-oversized-drink rule with a compiled spirits back bar.
Tip: Reservations only via WhatsApp to 349 138 4953; the door does not take walk-ins. Cocktails sit around 14 euros, sized to the spirit-forward house style.
Osteria del Sole has run a bring-your-own-food wine room on Vicolo Ranocchi since 1465, run today by the third-generation Spolaore family, with three euro.
Tip: No kitchen of its own; pick up mortadella and bread at the Quadrilatero salumerias first then carry it in. Cash only at the counter.
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.
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.