10 Romantic restaurants to fall in love in Bologna

Named after the most important baroque painters of Bologna, this elegant restaurant inside the Grand Majestic Hotel is a place for special occasions.

Frescoed ceilings, long shiny tablecloths and a nouvelle-cuisine touch can be the ingredients of one of the most romantic dinners of your life. But don’t panic, you will find traditional dishes such as tagliatelle or passatelli, as well.
​After all, true love should make you feel at home.

I Carracci
Via Manzoni, 2, 40121 Bologna
Tel: +39 051 225445
www.grandhotelmajestic.duetorrihotels.com

Price: €€€€
Vibe: classic, frescoed, grand-hotel elegance
Good for: anniversaries, proposals, people who iron napkins

The only Michelin-starred restaurant in Bologna center is set in the only café chantant remaining in town. At the rise of the 19th century, people went there to listen to piano music and drink Champagne from a crystal cup.

Now the young chef Emanuele Petrosino welcomes you with his rich and complex cuisine.

His spaghetti with 5 tomatoes is better than a pearl necklace.

Ristorante I Portici
Via dell’Indipendenza, 69, 40121 Bologna
Tel: +39 051 4218562
www.iporticihotel.com/ristorante-i-portici

Price: €€€€
Vibe: Michelin modern, theatrical, Art Nouveau meets minimalism
Good for: fine-dining couples, big nights out, culinary show-offs

Another (former) Michelin star, this time on the romantic hills of Bologna.
This restaurant looks meant to be the setting of important happenings. Low lights, a wall of green leaves between you two and the rest of the world, and a surprising 9 courses menu focused on Pizza and bread.

Ordering aphrodisiac pizza with crustaceans could reveal your plans for the after-dinner, but you won’t regret it.

Casa Mazzucchelli
Via Porrettana 291, 40037 Sasso Marconi, Bologna
Tel: +39 051 846216
casamazzucchelli.com

Price: €€€
Vibe: green, intimate, quietly sophisticated
Good for: food nerds in love, pizza with personality, countryside escapes

You already know how much I love Scaccomatto, and Mario Ferrara's cuisine conquered even the heart of Rick Stein in Bologna.
This is one of the most intimate and romantic places you can dine in. Everywhere.

But it's not just about the location (a 7th-century vegetable garden), it's also the food that is mesmerizing.

Trust me, Scaccomatto would be the perfect place to propose or to celebrate your Bologna honeymoon.

Scaccomatto agli Orti
Via della Braina, 7, 40124 Bologna
Tel: +39 051 263404
www.ristorantescaccomatto.com
Open only on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights, during the summer.

Price: €€€
Vibe: romantic garden, bohemian, hidden gem
Good for: proposals, slow summer nights, vegetarians with taste

Legend says that the first tortellino was shaped in the vision of Venus, the goddess of love.
That should be why, when you have a bowl of tortellini together, it’s impossible not to fall in love.

Don’t go too far, though; you could have trouble recognizing who you love the most between the food and the person in front of you.

Osteria Bottega is a small and old-fashioned restaurant known to serve one of the best tortellini in Bologna.

In summer, you can sit and eat under the silent and charming portico of Via Santa Caterina.

Osteria Bottega
Via Santa Caterina, 51, 40123 Bologna
Tel: +39 051 585111

Price: €€€
Vibe: rustic, old-fashioned, effortlessly charming
Good for: first dates, tortellini lovers, couples who like simplicity done right

Out of the loud city center, under the winding porticoes of Via Cartoleria that come out directly from the Middle Ages, you find Sette Tavoli.
​As the name says, there are only 7 tables, for a very intimate location.

Sometimes, raising your head out of your spaghetti with shrimps, you could feel like you’re in a cozy and friendly home, with a great wine cellar.

Sette Tavoli
Via Cartoleria, 15/2, 40124 Bologna
Tel: +39 051 272900
www.settetavoli.it

Price: €€
Vibe: cozy, off-the-map, softly lit
Good for: introverts in love, quiet talks, small anniversaries

Let's make it short: one of the best traditional restaurants in Bologna is in one of the best locations in Bologna.

Trattoria Da Me opened in 2024 a second spot in town inside Torre dei Galluzzi, one of the 20 towers in Bologna still up.

Can you think of a more romantic location?
I can't.

Book online in advance and enjoy tagliatelle al ragù medieval style.

Trattoria Da Me nella Torre
Torre Galluzzi – Corte Galluzzi 5
40124, Bologna
Tel. (+39) 051 555486
trattoriadame.it

Price: €€
Vibe: modern tradition inside a medieval tower
Good for: locals-turned-tourists, tagliatelle romantics, dinner with a story

It'd be a mistake to miss the most hidden restaurant of Bologna, that's just under your nose.

Vicolo Colombina is only a few steps from Piazza Maggiore, in a tiny street with a view on San Petronio Basilica.

The location?
A love nest.

The food?
Traditional and impeccably prepared. Owned by the renowned Max Poggi, enough said.

The atmosphere?
Intimate. A few tables, not too busy.

The lasagna?
To fall in love with.

Vicolo Colombina
Vicolo Colombina, 5b, 40123 Bologna BO
Tel. +39 051 233919

vicolocolombina.it

Price: €€
Vibe: elegant, discreet, central but hidden
Good for: anniversaries, classic dates, foodies who hate crowds

Bologna may be all about tradition, but I Conoscenti proves it can flirt with cosmopolitan charm too.

Tucked inside a 14th-century palazzo a few steps from the Piazza Maggiore, it feels more Paris or New York than Emilia-Romagna — dim lights, velvet seats, and a bar that actually knows what balance tastes like.

Here, the idea of romance is precision: light, creative dishes and cocktails that make wine feel like an afterthought.

Perfect for dinner, even better for a romantic aperitivo in Bologna.

Try the crispy artichoke with cacio e pepe and mint or the bao with tuna ceviche — bold, clean, unforgettable.

It’s the kind of place where every detail whispers rather than shouts.

Price: €€
Vibe: sleek, low-lit, international flair
Good for: design lovers, cocktail romantics, couples who whisper more than talk

If walls could talk, Grassilli would purr in Italian with a French accent.

Hidden off Piazza Santo Stefano, this timeless spot has been serving love and butter since before your parents met.

Once owned by opera singer Francesco Grassilli, it still looks like a backstage dream — old photos, soft lights, and the kind of intimacy you can’t fake.

Expect Bolognese comfort with a French twist: tortellini in brodo that smells like home, tagliatelle al ragù with personality, and a cotoletta alla bolognese so good you’ll want to write it a love letter.

Dessert is non-negotiable: their Mont Blanc — chestnut cream, meringue, and whipped cream — is one of the best you’ll ever meet.

Elegant service, a sharp wine list, and the kind of charm that makes time slow down.

Price: €€
Vibe: candlelit, nostalgic, old-school elegance
Good for: anniversaries, slow dinners, old souls who still believe in romance