Ristorante Diana — Restaurant in Bologna

We chose very traditional dishes.... now we don't know what traditional is meant to be like nor do we know if this was good for traditional food or not. But for us traditional means that it's basic farmers type food, not fine dining. So this review is based on that expectation.

Service We are English speaking so they had the English speaking waiter take our order and then our actual waiter took over from there. The first waiter explained the menu and answered our questions, which is why we decided on traditional style. Our actual waiter was friendly and attentive. Didn't speak a lick of English but gave us great service.

Food We had the bolognese set menu for EUR47 They allowed us to switch out something and put in other things of the same price. One of the dishes we added was lasagna and it was excellent. My preference is for more bechamel and a crusty top and although this didn't meet my preference it was great eating anyway. The pasta sheets were delicate and the ragu was tasty. We also added in the Grande Bollito Diana something something. So that's a very traditional and seems like poor man's food. They brought out 5 different broiled meat and we were able to choose what we wanted to eat. It's very basic but well cooked, tender without being dry. I would prefer a gravy but that's my way of eating what is essentially a roast meat although in water. The gelato was also excellent.

I wouldn't do that choice again but I would highly recommend the restaurant for service, ...

#throwback2014

Not just a restaurant, it’s Bologna on a silver platter. Ristorante Diana is where tortellini in brodo gets the red-carpet treatment, wheeled to your table in a steaming tureen like it’s royalty. Since 1909, this culinary time capsule has been serving up serious Emilian soul food under the watchful gaze of waiters who probably invented table etiquette.

Once a cafe, now a monument to meat and pasta..legends like Fellini, Mastroianni, and even the King of Belgium have dined here, probably getting lost in the velvet richness of their ragù. The decor? 1950s elegance preserved in aspic..all mirrors, white tablecloths, and the ghost of a clock that’s seen more power lunches than a Roman senate.

Must-try dish? Tortellini in brodo, hands down. Or the bollito misto cart, a steamy parade of boiled meats that feels like grandma’s hug with a diplomatic passport.

Come for the heritage, stay for the sauce. This isn’t just eating, it’s...

We ate here for lunch on a Sunday while on vacation in Bologna. I found it through an Eater article of essential Bologna restaurants. They were able to seat the four of us without a reservation even though the restaurant was hopping. The scene was mostly locals and the staff did not speak much english but it was very easy to order. The service was slower that what we are used to in the US but I didn't get the impression that we were being treated differently because we were American just that the pace is more relaxed here. We ordered the lasagna verde, tagliatelle alla bolognese, tagliatelle verdi al funghi porcini and a tortellini en brodo for the table. All of the pastas were perfectly al dente and amazingly delicious. The mushroom pasta was only soso, it was still good but not on the level of the other 3 that we tried. Pretty sure you cannot go wrong here....