Allegra — Restaurant in Bologna

Update 2025: went around 10am, super chilled atmosphere and staff, great outdoor area but inside is even nicer, lots of space, high ceiling, and obviously outstanding food and drinks. The croissant was definitely in the top 3 we had in Bologna, freshly baked, crunchy but soft inside, plenty of filling. Cappuccino was really good, and I love the cups they use. Filtered coffee also was very well brewed, perfect match. Congrats 👏🏽

Brand new coffee spot, with welcoming service, great indoor and outdoor seating, perfect espresso and macchiato with a very nice presentation touch with different types of cups, and fair prices. Only tried the coffee so far, but they are open the whole day, will definitely go back to eat and surely for more coffee. Recommended!

Update: went for a drink before going for dinner at a close by place and had an average experience. Entered to ask if we could sit, the waiter went out and in, but didn't salute us and it was unclear if he worked there. Waited out by a table and finally he came again, allowing us to take it but took almost 10 min to clean it (was so dirty we waited standing) and when I was about to sit the chairs also had crumbles of food everywhere. No information about the menu so we went back in to figure it out. Ordered some glasses of wine and a drink, that ranged in price between 6 and 9 euros, but were very good quality. Wouldn't expect an aperitivo style of food but a couple of chips or even peanuts would be nice, no napkins or anything also on the table. I knew the place from the breakfasts and brought three people in saying it was amazing but we were all a bit disappointed. This review is because I know you guys care and...

Extremely Disappointing Experience – Overcharged and Ignored

I visited this restaurant with two friends for lunch on the 23rd of May. We ordered 3 mains, 2 sides, 3 desserts, a glass of wine each, 2 bottles of water, and 2 coffees. When it came time to pay, the waiter simply stated the total was €205, without showing us a receipt. I wasn’t feeling well at the time after days of travel, so we paid and left without questioning it.

Later that evening, once I felt better, I contacted the restaurant to ask for a copy of the receipt. To their credit, someone (who I believe was the owner) responded and admitted there had been a mistake. According to them, the bill should have been around €142. However, they claimed they couldn’t retrieve the original receipt (which in itself is very suspicious), so they created a new one with fabricated items—some of which we never ordered—to justify a total of €130.50.

We agreed that the restaurant would refund me the difference via bank transfer. I sent over my bank details and waited for confirmation. Since then, over 3 weeks have passed, I’ve heard absolutely nothing. Despite multiple follow-up emails and phone calls, there has been no refund and no response.

This experience has been extremely disappointing. It’s not just about the money—it’s about the lack of professionalism, transparency, and respect for the customer. I would strongly caution others about dining here. As owner of a restaurant myself I know mistakes happen, but how a business handles them is what really matters—and in this case, they...

I’ve passed through here twice before. Once for a quick aperitivo with a handful of antipasti, and once for a quick breakfast. The aperitivo went well. The breakfast left a lot to be desired so I went back, to give it another chance, particularly due to the hype from my friends in the city and the F&B industry. Is the coffee good? Absolutely yes! It is the third wave style of coffee which is lightly roasted and done well. Is the breakfast good? That depends. Do you like a ginormous croissant that’s baked in a pound of butter with copious amounts of sugar that’ll leave you feeling full for 4 hours and like a hyperactive 5 year old on a glass of sugar syrup? Then it definitely is. I will not deny that the croissant, pain au chocolat and torta di rosa are baked to perfection. But the amount of butter and sugar are just not for me. The service however leaves a lot to be desired. Staff are more curt than a regular Italian restaurant/cafe. It takes 10 minutes to bring your breakfast which is readily visible as you walk in, and a further 10 to get your coffee. The staff have no uniform so you don’t know whom to call for any concerns. Perhaps if they improved the courteousness and the speed I’d give it another star. But that ship has sailed and I’m not going back for breakfast since the food is just not for me. The lunch/dinner though...