Vicolo Colombina

Vicolo Colombina is a true hidden gem just steps away from Piazza Maggiore. The atmosphere is elegant yet welcoming — the perfect mix of refinement and authentic Bolognese charm. We had no reservation, but they kindly found us a spot on the terrace, which made the evening even more special. The food was simply outstanding. The menu offers a wide variety of traditional dishes with a creative twist. Everything was beautifully presented and full of flavor — you can really taste the quality and freshness of the ingredients. The pasta was perfection: silky, al dente, and bursting with authentic flavor. Their wine selection is also impressive, with many excellent local choices. The service was warm, attentive, and genuinely friendly. It’s a bit more upscale than your average trattoria, but absolutely worth it. If you’re looking for an unforgettable meal in Bologna, Vicolo Colombina is the place to go — perfect food, great wines, and true Italian hospitality.

Truly one of the best meals I've ever had. We each started out with tortellini, one with broth and one with parmesan sauce, which was immaculate. The parmesan sauce was velvety and the rich amount of rich and the broth was like a warm hug. Then we had beef cheeks and beef sirloin, both of which were each melt in your mouth tender. The cauliflower mash side rivaled the creamiest mashed potatoes I've had. We ended with panna al forno and the torta with mascapone which were deliciously heavenly. The restaurant itself has a quaint romantic ambience and friendly waitstaff. I can't recommend this restaurant enough to those traveling through Bologna. Reserve in advance!

Recommend making a reservation! Every dish was satisfying and the service was very attentive and on-time. The prices were comparable to many other restaurants in the area which was a nice surprise! The lasagna was so rich and exactly what I was looking for. I’m surprised that others have not mentioned it.

If you don't stop here for dinner while in Bologna, well then, you missed out. Elevated and well executed preparations of the Bolognese classics. For us, Vicolo Colombina hit all the marks for food, service, wine list and an extensive Amaro selection. Bravo!!! Grazie Mille!!!

One of the best meals we had in Bologna, though I recommend making a reservation even in low seasons. Excellent gluten free tortellini in broth (tagliatelle also available for other pastas) and the staff were very aware of coeliac requirements. They even gave me a selection of four gluten free breads.

An excellent restaurant with delicious food and very friendly and helpful staff. The ambiance is perfect. The baked onion and the ragu were outstanding, as was all the other food we had! Finished off the meal with a salted caramel digestive which was the highlight of the meal! We are looking froward to coming back next year when we return to Bologna. You need to book in advance.

We reserved early and were pleased to dine here. The food was excellent. We shared the mortadella and potato soufflé and the tortellini with Parmesan cream sauce. Both delicious. My wife had the eggplant Parmesan, a lighter, grilled version of the classic and I had the cutlet with prosciutto and cheese. Lovely service and delicious food. Make reservations. We saw them turn away many, even in September.

Fantastic food, no notes. I thought I had made a reservation but turns out it was for a wrong date and the host gave us a table anyway since he had just gotten a cancellation, sweet of him and lucky us!

Food? Absolutely delicious. Service? Next level friendly. Location? Ideal (for us). Especially appreciated the extra attention and explanation we received regarding a nut allergy in our party. Every single one of us enjoyed our meal (we had to refrain from licking the plates) and felt very well taken care of.

Vicolo Colombina was the best dinner I had in Italy. The location is right in the historic centre and near the Piazza Maggiore and market. The service was really educated and gave a great Barolo recommendation. The bolognese was by far the best I've ever had. The tortellini was so creamy without being overly heavy. My only wish is that I found this place earlier in time in Bologna because I would have went back again.

Solid meal in Bologna. The best tagliatelle bolognese I had while in town along with excellent, attentive service. Indoor and outdoor dining available, cannot go wrong with either choice.

Don't waste your time or money if you're expecting a Michelin experience. My recent dining experience had me waiting over an hour for my main course. Apparently, the oven broke. We were left waiting without anyone checking in. We had to "flag" service for more wine, more water several times and at no point did anyone offer an explanation or reparations while we were waiting. Upon requesting our check after almost 3 hours, we were told about the issues in the kitchen and offered an apology, NOTHING ELSE. Not the customer experience I have come to expect from a Michelin rated establishment. Also, please note there is a cover charge of €3pp which includes bread and a "linen napkin". This was a 1st for me.

Not American friendly. From the moment we walked in, the staff was rude and rushed us through the meal, which was our first in Italy. Meanwhile, they laughed it up with the tables of Italian diners. If the food had been amazing, we maybe could have brushed it off... but the food was just "eh" and overpriced. There are definitely better options in Bologna.

Tucked into a little dead-end alley, this place is easy to miss. It is, however, _excellent_. The food runs the gamut of bolognese classics (the tortellini in brodo is *stellar*), but there is also a healthy dose of modern interpretations of the self-same classics. Don't let that keep you from the classics though :-) The desserts are things of beauty, and taste as good as the originals, the wine list has a good selection of emilia-romagna originals, the staff is, as with most places in Bologna, exceptionally friendly - whats not to like?

I agree with the other reviews; if you are American don't bother. We had our menus for less than 10 minutes and when we weren't ready to order the host stomped off in a huff. The other server was polite but in a dismissive manner. Food was ok but nothing special. There are many better choices in Bologna.

Beautiful ambience, a beautiful meal, with the best wine we've had in Italy yet, recommended by the owner. Every bite was to be savored. Off the beaten path and a local favorite I can see why. It made such a special evening.

I wouldn't have gone based on the reviews here, but glad I didn't check yelp first. Our meal was delicious, and the Tagliatelle Bolognese was the best I've had in Bologna. I had it on our first night at another trattoria and wasn't sure what all the fuss was about, but the version served here was wonderfully rich and flavourful and the pasta was perfect. Deserts and appetizers were also amazing.

Serious attitude problem here. Don't bother going to this restaurant if you are a foreigner. They treat your reservation as disposable if they are busy. Save yourself the trouble and go elsewhere.

If you are going to maintain the reputation of a Michelin star, especially in a foodie city like Bologna, you need to care. We were really excited for our dinner at this highly touted restaurant last night, but they lost us at "ciao,"-more fo the point, at the beginning of the meal when the waitor displayed impatience and such attitude that at any other place we probably would have just left. The "great" selection of artison salame & parmesian was just that-a giant plate of charcuterie with zero imagination. We could have gotten it anywhere in this incredible city. The tagliatelle ragu was admittedly really good, but not at all distinctive, and by then we just wanted to leave. We skipped additional courses and recommend you skip this place altogether. To the staff: your customers are actually intelligent and international, with sophisticated palates and critical thinking skills. Try & care. You're NOT all that.

Lovely First meal in Bologna... Had a perfect tagliatelle Bolognese and my friend had a simple garden salad also excellent. We also had an indescribable onion which as I said I cannot describe. Also the house wine was also very good. The service couldn't have been more friendly and welcoming and the chef came out later to explain how he cooked the dishes. A perfect introduction to eating in Italy!

Incredible food. I had the tortelli and the eggplant parm. Lovely staff and great restaurant. When their cc machine went down, they let me got to an atm to get cash without a single hesitation. .

We saw this restaurant down a small alleyway but decided on another restaurant on our first trip to Bologna, so we decided to definitely try it on our second trip. And we were not wrong! The Gramigna was so light and delicious and the Tagliatelle w/Ragu was outstanding. The service is excellent, wine list substantial and the pana cotta - without equal.

Viccolo Colombina is a €€€ restaurant down a little side street just off Piazza Maggiore. We enjoyed delicious pasta, beef filet with bolognese pesto, and roast guinea fowl in shallot sauce, along with great wine! Their website recommends making a reservation and that's probably a good idea. They were full by 8. Delicioso!

Our B&B recommended this restaurant. We asked for a recommendation for a local red. One of the staff came over with a local cab but did not offer up the price. I suppose we should have asked but I read earlier reviews on here that when this happened the wine was generally between 18-20 euros. I figured as long as it was under 30 that was fair (I would hope if you are suggesting a more expensive wine you would warn your guests). It was fine though with the wine costing 28euros. I had the tagliatelle and my husband had the sausage pasta. We enjoyed both pastas. Nothing spectacular but solid dishes. The. The filet crusted in lard, rosemary and Parmesan came. This was everything. Perfectly cooked, seasoning just right. This was something special. We did not have dessert. I've read several reviews about the staff being cold and I think this is just because they are a small staff and quite busy. But I think it's fair to say the service is not their strong suit. This was our first meal in Bologna so I don't have anything to compare it to. But we did enjoy our meal and I have no problem recommending this as a solid meal.

Terrible service. Waiter is extremely rude. Food is also bad. Rating it worst restaurant we ever had. One other table walked out after talking to the same waiter. Can't believe it's Michelin guide recommended..... We've been to Paris ,London, New York , Tokyo, HK ......Never been service and food this bad

Came highly recommended by a local. I did the tortellini en brodo. The dish needed more salt. The waitress was earnest. This is not the place where you want to go when you have one day in Bologna.