It may not surprise you to hear that we have had more guests since moving to Italy than we’ve ever had in our entire lives… People seem to want to come to Italy. Go figure! One of the most frequent questions I get from visitors is, “Do you have any restaurant recommendations?” As a consequence, I have written many an email with a list of my favorite spots. I thought I would make my life easier and hopefully yours, by writing about some of the eateries that stand out to me. Today I’m going to talk about the Antica Trattoria della Gigina, a restaurant recommendation in Bologna, Italy.
Bologna, La Grassa
When thinking about eating in Bologna, the first thing that comes to mind are decadent pork products such as Mortadella and Salame Rosa (a local cured meat) and, of course, fresh, silky egg pasta! If you want to sample some glorious, handmade pasta on your visit to the city, you should book a spot at the Antica Trattoria della Gigina. I just ate there for the second time this past weekend, and I thought I’d write about it while my impressions were fresh.
This trattoria, open since 1956 had been on my radar for a while but my husband and I only got there for the first time this past March. I’d read about it in the Slow Food and Mangiarozzo guides and in many other trusted Italian sources. (Take a look at my post on dining out to get more specifics on guides.) It’s a bit outside of the city center though (about 3 miles away from Bologna’s iconic Two Towers), so we just never got there until this year. As soon as we did, we kicked ourselves for not going sooner. They served us some of the best Bolognese food we’d had yet.
First things first, let’s talk about what to expect. Although called a trattoria, I would categorize Gigina as an Italian ristorante, meaning that it’s more formal and well suited to special occasions. Over time, many Italian eateries change from informal places to more elegant restaurants. It can lead to surprises if you base your expectations on Italian restaurant categories like enoteca or trattoria. Those classifications are blurring nowadays. Thankfully, this didn’t translate to higher prices than other Bolognese restaurants.
Now, on to why I’m recommending the Antica Trattoria della Gigina – the pasta! The fresh pasta is glorious. It’s handmade, well prepared, flavorful, and luscious. The menu contains all of the Bolognese classics, such as – Tagliatelle al Ragù, Tortellini in Brodo and Lasagne Verde alla Bolognese, and more. Also on offer are pasta dishes with seasonal vegetables and cured meats of very high quality. In other words, it’s pasta heaven.
On my two visits, I sampled six different pasta dishes. All of them were incredibly prepared. In addition to the three dishes mentioned above, we also tried pasta with fresh porcini mushrooms, potato-filled pasta with a sauce of zucchini and its flowers, and another potato filled pasta with a Savoy cabbage sauce. The fresh pasta is clearly rolled out with a rolling pin, because it has that glorious texture and mouthfeel, with the sauce magically adhering to each noodle. They achieve a delicate pasta that still has a nice spring to it, and all of the sauces are well seasoned. Their renditions of the local dishes are, in my opinion, stellar.
If you are only here for a quick visit, don’t you want to eat proper Bolognese food?! (You can eat salad when you get home…) Places like this, that stick to more labor-intensive methods and techniques are dying out. Bologna and the entire Emilia-Romagna region may be famous for hand rolled pasta but, unfortunately, not all of it is nowadays. Machines and shortcuts are taking over. In my travels, I’ve even seen pasta machines with wooden cylinders vs. metal, in order to mimic the texture of the wooden rolling pin. It’s not the same thing! At least here you can still enjoy pasta made in the traditional way.
At Gigina, you can expect to see waiters dressed in black and white, eat classic dishes, and admire stylish guests. It’s kind of nice every once in a while to have a meal in a place like this. It’s a good place for a birthday, anniversary, or a night out on your vacation!
To Start
To begin your meal, you could start with their house appetizer, Sapori della Gigina in Antepasto. This is a platter that includes four different preparations – house roast beef, beef tartare with artichoke on top, Spuma di mortadella with Balsamic gelatin and lastly, Lonza in Salsa Tonnata. If not, maybe sample some local cured meats and enjoy their lovely assortment of bread. Their wine list is also extensive with over 300 bottles to choose from.
As far as main courses go, I’ve only tried one meat preparation – Tagliate di Angus con Crema di Parmigiano e Balsamico, which was beef with Parmigiano cream and Balsamic. It had wonderful flavor, was cooked perfectly rare, and was delightful. Unfortunately though, it had many gristle-y bits that were un-chewable. They get points off there for sure, but one strike isn’t enough for me to rule them out. Also, one entrée isn’t enough for an informed decision on their second courses. Personally, I would stick to pasta either way. It’s my favorite!
To end your meal, there are many dessert options, including a nice selection of dessert wines. We tried two – Crema Fritta and Budino Fioredilatte con Scorza di Arance al Caramello. Crema Fritta is a pastry cream that is cooled, cubed, battered, then fried. It was served with ice cream. You know, something light. You begin to see why Bologna has the nickname of La Grassa (The Fat). The Budino is a custard with orange zest and caramel. They were both fresh and good, although lacked chocolate…
If you want to visit this iconic Bolognese restaurant, I would definitely book in advance. They are conveniently open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner.
Note – the restaurant texted me after my meal to thank me for coming. I thought that was a nice touch!
If you are a person that craves to sample the traditional, local cuisine on your travels, then the Antica Trattoria della Gigina is a good restaurant recommendation for you in Bologna, Italy.
Via Stendhal 1
40128 Bologna
tel. 051322300
fax 051 4189865
trattoriagigina@gmail.com
For another Bologna recommendation, please take a look at my post on the Ristorante Osteria La Traviata. Also, please make sure to follow me on Instagram to be kept up to date on my recipes, travels, and culinary musings.
