Positioned in the Quadrilateral (the center of medieval Bologna), Trattoria Gianni offers traditional recipes of Old Bologna. The trattoria has three rooms with 50 seats. The decor is rustic with brick walls and warm colors giving the family run restaurant a welcoming atmosphere. The service is impeccable and the staff courteous and professional. A variety of fresh pasta dishes to start with. Well worth trying are tagliatelle al ragù, tomato tortelloni with ricotta and poppy seeds, tortellini and passatelli in broth. You could follow the pasta and bollito misto (mixed boiled meat) with various sauces, mixed grill, lamb cutlets or ossobuco with mashed potato. The sweets include forest fruit gelato and amaretto semifreddo with hot chocolate sauce. The wine list has 30 labels to offer, mostly local.
This original restaurant which is the epitome of courtesy, is located not far from Bolognas station offering excellent classical cuisine based on fish. The name of the restaurant is indicative of the type of decor you will find: columns that mimic imposing trees, ropes, knots and anything else tat helps to create a nautical atmosphere. Some of the dishes include sailing ship spaghetti, strozzapreti al radicchio (a kind of gnocchi with radicchio), mixed, grilled fish and filet of pork. For those who prefer it, there are excellent, large pizzas cooked in the wooden stove. The sailing ship pizza is particularly good.
The Bottega di Franco is situated in a lovely park close to the center of the city. It is easily reached and has its own carpark. Every year, the Bottega organizes a theatrical performance with Giorgio Comaschi which is given on Monday nights and which involves the diners. The decor of the restaurant is rustic but very refined. You can eat by candlelight and in summer there is a veranda in the garden. The menu offers a choice of special starters, homemade pasta dishes, fresh fish dishes, and Mediterranean delicacies based on vegetables, white meats, offal, fowl, horse meat and beef cooked in traditional manner. The homemade desserts are excellent.