My 7 best fish restaurants in Bologna
Bologna culinary tradition is mostly based on meat. But the mood is changing pretty fast.
Here’s a list of great fish and seafood restaurants in Bologna city centre that you should visit.
1. Scaccomatto Agli Orti
Gnocchi with artichoke, squid and periwinkle
Do you believe in love at first sight?
Enter this small restaurant in the beautiful Via Broccaindosso, watch the frames with vintage card games on the walls and enjoy Mario Ferrara's cuisine.
I recommend the fish menu (50€) with 5 different dishes because it's the best way to discover the different sides of Scacco Matto.
The chef is from the south of Italy (Basilicata) and arrived in Bologna 30 years ago after inspiring travels in Japan and Brazil.
This open mind is reflected in his dishes with the usage of unusual ingredients (like raphanus) and combinations (gnocchi with squid artichokes and periwinkle were amazing).
Gelato is made by Andrea Bandiera of Cremeria Scirocco, one of my best gelato in Bologna.
During summer, Scaccomatto moves inside a beautiful garden called Orti di Via della braina. Scaccomatto agli orti, this is the name of the event, offers a fixed menu that changes every night.
My favorite dish
Raw fish antipasto with squid, prawns and sardines
Info
Via Broccaindosso, 63, 40125 Bologna
Tel +39 051 263404
Price: 55€
Open every day but Monday lunch
www.ristorantescaccomatto.com
2. Osteria Bartolini
The popular fried fish at Osteria Bartolini
It's the newest on the list and already a reference.
The renovated Dondini Ghiselli palace hosts more than 200 people and in spring you can eat on a wonderful terrace in the shadow of an old plane tree.
The owner, Andrea Bartolini, already has a Michelin-star restaurant in Cesenatico (La Buca), but here the concept is different.
Simple dishes of maritime tradition with daily fresh fish only of Adriatico sea.
Their fried fish, absolutely with no lemon!, is a must-try.
If you'd like to eat pasta in Bologna, spaghetti alla chitarra with clams will do for you, or ask for passatelli if available.
Grilled sardines or shrimp are always on the menu. Or try daily dishes like rumble fish or sole, according to fishermen's catches.
The wines list is not wide, most of the selection comes from Emilia Romagna, like Pignoletto or Albana, but you can find a few Franciacorta brut or rosè.
My favorite dish
Cartoccio of Adriatico sea fried fish
Info
Piazza Malpighi, 16, 40123 Bologna
Tel. +39 051 262192
Price: 35€
Open Tuesday - Saturday 7:30 pm - 10:30 pm. Closed on Sunday, Monday
3. Banco 32
Scialatielli with palamita
Inside Mercato delle Erbe, one of the landmarks of our food tour in Bologna, stands this small Bistrot that reminds me of the mood of some stalls of Barcelona's Boqueria market.
The few tables are just in front of the market's fish stall where the chef chooses every day the best fish to cook.
The menu changes daily and has a short and selected list of fish dishes which usually includes salads, like octopus with potatoes and olives, a few pastas like scialatielli with palamita, confit tomatoes or fish lasagna and some secondi like rolled swordfish with aubergine.
The cuisine has different influences, from France to Sicily, and the use of spices and herbs is perfectly balanced.
When British chef Rick Stein was in Bologna, he followed my suggestions and fell deeply in love with this place and its stuffed squid with spinach and capers.
Arrive there early otherwise, you have to queue, especially on weekends.
My favorite dish
Hard to say, go with the daily pasta and you won't be wrong
Info
Via S. Gervasio, 3/A, 40121 Bologna
Tel. +39 051 269522
Price: 30€
Open Tuesday - Saturday 12:30 pm - 2:45 pm and 6:30 pm - 11 pm. Closed on Sunday, Monday
www.banco32.it
4. Ittico
Pappardelle with scallops and mint and basil pesto
Via San Felice, a street of old taverns and small clothes shops.
A small door opens the ocean.
You cannot start without raw French oysters and red Sicilian shrimp.
Then go straight to the Balik salmon tartare: smoked in the same way since the 1980s it's the top-notch of salmon.
If you like pasta, try their spaghetti with bottarga and sea urchins.
Apricot and cardamom sorbet for dessert, or just walk under the portico to get a great gelato in Piazza San Francesco.
My favorite dish
Salmon tartare with French butter
Info
Via S. Felice, 38/a, 40122 Bologna
Tel. +39 051 014 7075
Price: 60€
Open every day for dinner, Saturday and Sunday also for lunch
itticobologna.it
5. Pane e Panelle
Pasta con le sarde, a must of Pane e Panelle
Isabel opened Pane e Panelle in 2009. The formula has changed over the years, but not the quality.
Just in time to wear your napkin and a gentle waitress serves you panelle (fried chickpea cake) to warm your mouth.
A short and selected menu to choose from, based on fish and seasonal vegetables.
Start with raw seabream with orange and onion or fried sardines if you are in the mood.
Hard decision but you can't go wrong. Hidden fishes like palamita, ray, or shark are perfectly cooked by the Sicilian chef Luca Pappalardo.
Ask for a craft Bolognese beer, especially made for them by the local microbrewery Birra Cerqua (one of the best craft beer of Bologna). Or Sicilian wines like Grillo or Catarratto.
Don't leave the table without a cannolo.
My favorite dish
Pasta con le sarde (pasta with sardines, saffron, pine nuts, raisin, fennel)
Info
Via S. Vitale, 71, 40125 Bologna
Tel. +39 051 270440
Price: 35€
trattoriapaneepanelle.com
6. Pescheria San Gervasio
You're inside the district of food: just next to Bar Senza Nome, and a few steps from one of the best food markets in Bologna.
Pescheria San Gervasio, is there, under the portico.
The idea is simple. A blackboard with a short menu of well-selected dishes and a few daily dishes.
If you're lucky ask for the green oysters from Marennes Oleron. They're only available in winter win a unique color and flavor due to algae.
Then don't hesitate and order tagliolini cacio e pepe with shellfish, lime and pistachio. Yes, fish and cheese usually don't stay together. Here they do, trust me.
Their fried mix includes squid, shrimp, courgette and cod.
If not enough, end with mascarpone and remember that life is beautiful.
My favorite dish
Tagliolini cacio e pepe with shellfish, lime and pistachio
Info
Via Belvedere, 13d, 40121 Bologna
Tel. +39 051 262189
Price: 25€
Open Tuesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner, Sunday only for lunch
7. Acqua Pazza
Ok, this is for REAL fish lovers.
You don't go to Acqua Pazza by chance.
Francesco Carboni's kingdom has been a reference for quality and innovation in Bologna since 2008.
Don't even look at the menu, ask the kind waiter for the 8-course tasting menu (80€ in 2022).
Only choose to start with the raw shellfish and tartare or the 3 inspired starters.
Then stop for a second and think about your idea of tortellini.
Erase it.
It's time for something new and unexpected.
The shape is the classic, all the rest is pure joy, with ray and Cantabrian anchovies in the filling, butter, truffle and turnip gel all around.
With this dish, he even won the Tortellino Festival back in 2015.
You will spend some money, but life's one and fish and skills have a price to pay.
My favorite dish
Tortellini stuffed with ray and Cantabrian anchovies, creamed with butter, truffle and turnip gel
Info
Via Murri, 168c, 40137 Bologna
Tel. +39 051 443422
Price: 100€
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