Taverna del Postiglione

The charm of a portico — that of Torre dei Carrari — enclosing a cluster of architecturally sumptuous historic palaces. Recently, this area has become home to a congregation of venues devoted to enlivening the bien vivre of Bologna’s nightlife: a striking symbiosis between art and movida that revives the city’s most glorious eras.

Matteo Cristoni, a restaurateur under 30 and new to the trade, has recently taken over a highly important restaurant, one that, despite its many tourists, has always favored generations of Bolognese diners of every age at its tables.

He has shaped the project with great passion and equal determination, giving it both vision and direction.

Beyond the monumental beauty of the interiors, there is much more to perceive: a solid cuisine that makes flavor and opulence — in the most positive sense — the pedestal upon which future recipes are built. Guiding the kitchen is the experience of chef Postorino, who trained in the school of Gualtiero Marchesi before establishing himself abroad for many years.

Alongside the great Bolognese classics that have defined the menu in these rooms for years, there are now especially rich, creamy, indulgent dishes that heighten the flavors of the seasons. Such as the rustic Bolognese stricchetto pasta with sausage and morels, nettle risotto, chateaubriand with its sauce, beef Wellington fillet, as well as meats and pasta prepared with prized truffles during the finest seasons.

From the Agnoletto Bignami butcher shop comes a gigantic rib steak, double-breaded and fried to order, with exceptionally tender and succulent meat and remarkable theatrical presentation. Worth noting, in terms of freshness and à la minute preparation that is not always easy to achieve, are the renewed Bolognese fried specialties: the croquette filled with lasagna, recalling the crispiness of its edges; the tortello crescentina stuffed with mortadella and ricotta; the meatball filled with tortellini stuffing; and polenta served with friggione.

There is also a fine selection of cured meats, including culaccia refreshed with squacquerone cheese and figs for a bite that perfectly combines summer flavors with Emilian identity.

Exceptional and consistent results are found in the desserts as well: panna cotta and crème caramel executed flawlessly in both preparation and cooking; an extraordinary custard gelato served in a cup of pure egg yolk; and a squacquerone gelato drizzled with Massimo Bottura’s vinegar — opening the way to many other homemade creations favored by a staff devoted entirely to bread and pasta, desserts and cakes, also made for ceremonies and birthdays.

The cellar is equally rewarding, featuring vintage selections drawn directly from the owner’s private collection, bringing together fabulous producers and labels from Tuscany and Piedmont.

strichetti pasta hand made, spugnole mushrooms, sausage

De Simoni (gelateria), Flanella (abbigliamento), Allegra (pasticceria), Velluto (caffetteria e catering), Nonna Uta (B&B)