The best 10 restaurants in Emilia Romagna

Restaurants in Emilia Romagna

Restaurants in Emilia Romagna, a region known for its kilometer beaches crowded with tourists, but also important for its local cuisine, at the forefront of national gastronomy for the variety and goodness of tasty and generously seasoned dishes.

The strong point of the local cuisine is egg pasta. We find the tagliatelle, often seasoned with Bolognese meat and tomato sauce, baked lasagna, and among the most important are the tortellini, traditionally served in meat broth or with cream. There are also tortelloni stuffed with sausage products such as mortadella or prosciutto, together with eggs, Parmigiano Reggiano and nutmeg or with ricotta and spinach.

Restaurants in Emilia Romagna

Among the main courses we rediscover the “Bolognese cutlet”, the “Falda Vicentina”, prepared with horse meat and the “stewed beef”, flavored with spices, prepared with horse meat and donkey. Along the Po, however, the consumption   is very widespread, with which the soup is prepared: typical dish of Comacchio, where eels are cooked with onion, celery, carrot, tomatoes, grated lemon rind and vinegar. No oil is added because the fish, in cooking, releases its fat.

Restaurants in Emilia Romagna

Restaurants in Emilia Romagna. Emilia Romagna is one of the largest producers of cured meats. Among the best known are the “mortadella dii Bologna”, the “mortadella di Modena”, the “culatello”, the “shoulder of San Secondo”, the “zamponi” and the “cotechini” of Modena.

Defined as the “King of Cheeses”, Parmigiano Reggiano is known throughout the world and used in the dishes of various Italian regions, as well as that of Emilia. In the province of Vicenza are produced the Grana Padano and the Provolone Val Padana. Less famous are: the squacquerone, cream cheese often used in the Piadina seasoning, casatella and caciotta di Castel San Pietro Terme.

Restaurants in Emilia Romagna

The Romagna Piadina is a must, a primordial food that dates back to the Italic populations, prepared with wheat flour, lard and olive oil, yeast, salt and water, cooked on a terracotta dish, called “Teglia”, but today more commonly prepared metal plates or refractory stone slabs. It can be eaten as a substitute for bread. Very often it is folded in two and stuffed in various ways, both sweet and salty.


The Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, registered as a DOP brand since 2000, is a traditional condiment of Emilian cuisine, produced with cooked grape have been  fermented, acetified and then aged for at least twelve years.

Restaurants in Emilia Romagna

Restaurants in Emilia Romagna

Among the desserts, rich in almonds, honey and spices, the most important are: the Certosino, the Bologna rice cake, the Barozzi cake, the frappe, the castagnole, the donuts and the Reggiano biscione.

Ferrarese bread is very well known, with a characteristic shape formed by two strands of twisted dough. With chestnut flour, on the other hand, the “mistochine” are prepared both in the sweet version with raisins and as an accompaniment base.

Among the best restaurants where you can taste the typical dishes of the Romagna tradition, we have selected 10, among which we find:

The “Magnolia” of Cesenatico with two Michelin stars, led by Alberto Faccani. A place where tradition meets creativity and cuisine meets art.


The “San Domenico” of Imola, founded in 1970 by Matre Morini and the Director Marcatilli. With Chef Valentino Marcatilli, today he is famous for the “65 ° Egg in ravioli San Domenico”, prepared with malga butter, sweet Parmigiano and white truffle.
The “Marconi” restaurant, led by the Mazzucchelli brothers, aims to satisfy those who want to taste  and its excellence. The kitchen is simple, made of what  the courtyard, the vegetable garden, the henhouse, the fields and the woods offer.

Restaurants in Emilia Romagna
The “Zanzara” of Ferrara, a place where you can taste fish and game, with a lot of attention to raw materials and cooking techniques.
The “Capanna di Eraclio”, located between the mists of the lower Ferrarese area, near the sea. Historical place grown around the Sorcini family’s passion.
The restaurant “Strada Facendo” in Modena has Chef Emilio Barbieri, who tries to convey the aromas and aromas of his adolescence in a modern way.

Restaurants in Emilia Romagna

The “Erba del Re” of Modena, with menus created by the Chef Luca Marchini, who experiences a vision of personal and profound cuisine.
In Parma we find the “Parizzi” Restaurant with a history of 70 years, led by Chef Marco Parizzi, has a Michelin star since 1980.
The “Antica Corte Pallavicina”, located in a large historic Parma farm, with a dairy and wine and salami cellars dating back to the 14th century.
At the “Gastronomic Clinic”, the cuisine is linked to the Emilian tradition. Rich with carts that celebrate the triumph of appetizers divided between meats and vegetables. Wide range of homemade pasta and a wide selection of meats for main courses.


You just have to take a trip to this wonderful land to discover and taste all its excellent flavors.

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