Trattoria Del Tribunale — Restaurant in Parma

Food? Absolutely delicious — Parma’s pride on a plate. Service? Let’s say it was… minimalist. After 30 minutes of interpretive waiting, someone finally approached to take my order. A bottle of water was placed on the table — unopened, naturally — gently suggesting I take matters into my own hands. For these prices, I expected at least a little attention. The Lambrusco? A solid 3/5 — drinkable, but nothing to write home about.

The risotto arrived 45 minutes later: a generous mound of rice topped with a single slice of Parmigiano, slowly melting in the center. Simple, tasty, and traditionally styled. But my wine glass sat empty for the rest of the meal — not a glance, not a question, just peaceful neglect.

And when I finally asked for the bill, I was invited to walk up and pay at the counter myself — a fitting finale to a fully self-guided dining experience.

If a restaurant expects you to spend €40+ without wine, one might quietly hope for a touch more hospitality to come included. Would I return? Perhaps. But next time, I’ll be looking for a place where the warmth isn’t limited to what’s on the plate. And if you’re coming here for a date… bring someone extremely patient — or just...

Disappointing trio of tortelli. Not one of the three stuffed pastas exceled-- the tortelli d'erbetta (cheese filling with beet greens) should have been zestier, the tortelli di carciofi (cheese filling with artichoke) had no artichoke flavor, and the tortelli di zucca were sickly sweet, more like pie filling than a vegetable.

The veal jowl (guanciale di vitello) was fall-apart tender, but the thick balsamic sauce, though delicious, smothered the dish. I would have preferred roasted potatoes instead of potato puree as a side for some textural balance and some lighter sweetness.

The osso buco (typically a Milanese dish) actually did excel-- and the risotto was nice, not overcooked-- impressive considering how soggy the tortelli were.

Fun place though. The service was above average, especially for such a busy place. They're so polite you'd think they trained abroad. Good outdoor tables for two in a little side street off a busy, bar-lined street, and not far from the town's busy...

This little gem of a restaurant is tucked down an alley but there are signs pointing to it from the Main Street. I would not have known about it had it not been for Yelp. The interior is seasoned and simple but the food steals the show. We were able to try a refreshing bottle of Malvasia, a white wine of the region. For lunch we ordered the fried bread I had been reading about - it is almost a cross between a cracker and a roll - it puffs in the middle and looks like it has been cut with a ravioli wheel. We shared the pumpkin flan (delicious - the flavor was amazing! It was not too eggy and was more dense than other flan I have had. For me, the texture was just right!) and artichoke ravioli (you could really taste the fresh artichoke used for the filling). Our other guest had a chicken, potato and eggplant/zucchini plate. The price point was very reasonable, especially for food clearly made from scratch: $42 Euro for 3 people (includes the...