Ristorante Da Cesarina — Restaurant in Bologna

We're vegetarians and were excited to eat at Cesarina as it had a number of vegetarian options and is one of the better reviewed restaurants in town. We were turned away the first time we tried as they were full so we made sure to make a reservation for the next day and when we showed up we were seated right away. So, tip 1: make a reservation if you want to eat here!

The bread basket was nice and varied (and a nice change to have bread served in a basket and not a paper bag.)

We ordered a Tortelloni dish, Asparagus Flan, Fried Pumpkin Flowers and "Thin Fried Potato Potatoes" to some mixed results.

The Fried Pumpkin Flowers were delicious though my wife thought they could have used a dipping sauce of some kind.

They accidentally brought us a tortellini with meat in it instead of the Tortelloni we had ordered. Unfortunately we both took a bite of it and had to reset our vegetarian clocks as a result. :/ We asked our server about this and he pointed out it was the wrong dish. Great!

The correct tortelloni was brought and it was good.

The Asparagus Flan was a unique dish...we hadn't had anything quite like this before...it could have used more of the sage and saffron sauce it was sitting on to balance it out better.

I'm a sucker for a potato dish so was excited to try the "Thin Fried Potatoes." Turns out this was potato chips...house made I guess which is a decent accomplishment, but not exactly what we wanted as a dinner side.

We had a second server helping us...the woman who seated us (and who happened to be the one who turned us away the first night.) We really enjoyed talking with her and she was fun, but we got the sense from our first server that night that he may have been a little offended that we seemed to have jumped server ships. So sorry, first server, we just had an existing relationship with her...it's about the people, you know!

Anyway this would have been 4 stars if they hadn't brought us a meat dish by mistake, and 5 if the potatoes were not potato chips. Everything was decent enough and it's off the beaten path from the nearby center of Bologna with vegetarian...

I honestly wanted to give 3 stars, until I realized that I ordered pasta with sausages and not Bolognese with meat they brought! I was too hungry at that moment to notice instantly. So, all the list of my unfortunate visit:

1. I chose the table among 20 empty tables and sat, the waiter told me it's taken and ran away. I asked which one is free? - He just said any, which any? Where in the world the waiter or administrator doesn't accompany the guest to the free table once some are reserved?..
2. When someone finally reached out, he tried to take away the 2nd glass and fork without even asking me! I said, I am waiting for a 2nd person!
3. I ordered white wine and he asked, red or white?)) Because he didn't even listen to me. Then he poured like 50 ml of wine to my glass and left, ok it saved my money but I would actually pay for the full glass))
4. Very confidently, he brought some chicken sticks to our table which we didn't order)))
5. Full ignore during all the visit although Italian guests were getting the maximum attention.
6. Another waiter suddenly threw the kids' chair to our table without even apologizing for the inconvenience.
7. Bread!!! Just several small pieces of some very old bread - I never saw such a thing in a restaurant. Maybe in Soviet-time hospitals only.
8. He tried to take away my son's half-FULL plate when we asked for a bill. What is wrong with you?..
9. So, my pasta (the wrong one): it was VERY much Aldante, let's say raw. And it was not written or said anywhere so I wasn't prepared to that. Raw pasta with over-salted meat (instead of sausages), even homemade is tastier so what is the point to eat out such a thing. 2 stars only for a location and nice suits, otherwise...

Google should have zero star really.

We had a very disappointing experience at De Cesarina in Bologna. We were excited to dine here, but unfortunately, the evening turned out to be one of the worst dining experiences we've had.

Firstly, the quality of the food was far below than our expectations. Ossobucco was overcooked with not tasty sauce. Artichoke salad was even worse. Not possible to chew. They should have used young artichokes. Shrimp crocet was very basic. Anyone who spent some time in the kitchen can do a better one.

Secondly, the manager's behavior was extremely rude and unprofessional. When we raised our concerns about the food, we were met with hostility instead of a willingness to address the issue. This kind of customer service is unacceptable. He tried to threaten me.

Lastly, we were shocked to find a 4€ service charge added for our 3-year-old child. This seemed unreasonable and left a bad impression. We have been traveling all over the world, first time had something like this.

Considering the high cost of the meal, we expected much better in terms of both food quality and service. I would not recommend Ristorante de Cesarina based on this experience. There are many other wonderful dining options in Bologna where the food and service are...