Trattoria Da Gianni

One of the very best restaurants in a city known for its great food, Da Gianni has excellent service, a cozy atmosphere, and, best of all, very, very good food. The menu is traditional Bolognese, all the favorites and a plenty of choices. We had a memorable bottle of Amarone with our meal and a glass of Grappa after. The charming waiter did not bring the bill until we asked. There is no rush.
The restaurant is at the center of Bologna, between the famous Basilica and the two towers. A reservation is important. We saw several couples turned away because all the tables were already reserved. We seemed to be the only Americans. The Bolognese come here for business, romance, celebration, and a fabulous meal.

As a first timer in Bologna with only one night to spend in the city, my coworkers brought me to Trattoria Da Gianni to enjoy an authentic «bolognese» dinner. I am not a particularly harsh critic given that I have been fascinated by everything and anything since I landed in this country, but here is my honest review:
We started with a delicious antipasti platter which was perfect to share between 5 people. The ricotta and mortedella mousses were scrumptious. We shared a bottle of «Fermavento» sangiovese from the Romagna wine region. The details of this wine meant nothing to me going into the dinner, but trust me — it was perfect with our main course of pasta.
Of course, I ordered the tagliatelle (ragu) bolognese because I just couldn’t resist. Let’s just say I will NEVER be going back to Olive Garden again (sorry OG, I still love your unlimited bread sticks). It was one of the best pasta dishes I have ever had and I finished every last morsel.
We finished the night with a mascarpone, which according to wikipedia is «an Italian cheese made from cream, coagulated by the addition of certain acidic substances, such as lemon juice, vinegar, citric acid or acetic acid». Don’t let the description fool you — it is quite good — but I was already stuffed and don’t have much of a sweet tooth so I could have done without.
Overall, I had a great experience. Be warned, if you are looking for a quick in and out restaurant experience, this is not the right choice. Also, make sure to make a reservation ahead of time as they were booked the entire day straight (Thursday) and were not taking any walk-​ins at all. Enjoy!

We had a great lunch here. We were looking for a place that would serve traditional bolognese sauce. We also tried the cantaloupe and vinegar appetizer and it was fantastic.

Da Gianni is a typical Bolognese trattoria. There was one other table of tourists here otherwise, everyone else was Italian. They did try to sell us on the «typical bolognese» fare for us to share but we ordered what we wanted.
We did try a «sample» antipasti platter with various different meats and cheeses. The mortedella mousse not only is fascinating, but delicious! The tortellini en brodo was quite good! Better than what we had previously. This is the one meal I did 3 courses because I was dying to try to cotechino. Excellent! Cooked perfectly with a salsa verde to die for!
Sure you’ll get more tourists at a joint thats in a guidebook, but that doesnt mean it still cant be good!

Decided to have lunch at Trattoria Da Gianni after visiting San Dominico Bascilica.
Tried the following three dishes. The portions were small and very pricey. It seems to cater to business lunch crowds.
* Tagatelle Bolongese
* Tortellini en Brodo
* Sausage and potatoes
Da Cesari was by far much better.

Kleines Kellerrestaurant in einer kleinen Seitenstraße.
Sehr gute regionale Küche, die Mitarbeiter waren sehr bemüht und freundlich.
Pasta Gerichte 10−13EUR, kalte und warme Fleisch-​Hauptgerichte 12−16EUR
Kleine regionale Weinauswahl zu 16EUR/​Flasche.

Found this place on the last night in Bologna by searching the Lonely Planet recommendations. Bad idea. Remember: if it’s in a guide book, it’s no longer «quiet,» «undiscovered,» or «a local’s place.» No one in there aside from the staff was Italian. Germans and Americans. The food was alright to disappointing and pricey — especially considering how much better and cheaper food we’ve had in this city. Tourist trap.

excellente cuisine régionale dans un cadre agréable mais il est difficile de manger mal à Bologne, capitale gastronomique reconnue !