Casa Rizzieri
Meat takes center stage at this restaurant located next to a historic butcher shop. Every dish reflects meticulous attention to technique and presentation (even when it comes to offal, such as smoked sweetbreads from young heifers with golden onion). The autumn menu features pumpkin in a variety of textures. The dining room itself offers a successful blend of old and new, featuring an open kitchen (and visible cured hams).
Cucina Bacilieri
With just ten tables, this fine-dining establishment elevates local ingredients to new heights through inspired pairings. Eel, for instance, features as the filling for cappelletti served in onion broth, while passatelli are paired with asparagus and monkfish tail ragù. The chef-owner’s signature reinterpretation of pigeon—featuring leg, breast, a "liver cherry," and sautéed greens—remains a standout dish.
Trattoria Il Sorpasso
Director Luchino Visconti filmed Ossessione here in 1943. Today, the historic bar preserves the tradition of honest, generous cooking in the hands of Saro Mantarro. The menu celebrates local specialties, such as the cream of Voghiera garlic—an iconic product of the plains south of Ferrara. Cappellacci are served two ways: with ragù or with butter and sage. It is a must-visit spot to taste salamina da sugo (a traditional spiced pork sausage).
Apelle
Glazed, smoked eel paired with imaginative cocktails. A city-center cocktail bar that embodies a youthful, forward-looking vision. The menu also features marinated anchovies from the Comacchio Lagoon, served with mostarda (Italian fruit preserve) and a corn crisp. Meticulously crafted dishes—featuring ingredients from beyond the province—can also be enjoyed at the distinctive bar counter beneath antique beams.
Take Eat Easy – Il Cappellaccio Matto
Max Veronesi is the quintessential outsider. Leaving the confines of a traditional kitchen behind, he launched a gourmet kiosk on Via Spadari in the city center, transforming great classics into enticing street food. The pasticcio di maccheroni (macaroni pie) croquettes are a must-try; pumpkin shines in the flan and the signature cappellacci pasta, but especially in the "059" sandwich featuring mostarda and cotechino sausage. Good craft beers. Easy, affordable, and decidedly smart.
La Chiocciola
The countryside takes center stage in the Portomaggiore district, with tradition at the heart of the experience; snails feature prominently, recalling their historic role in Ferrarese folk cuisine. Here, they are paired with pumpkin and porcini mushrooms with a creative flourish. This is just one lively touch in a menu that breaks away from classical rigidity—take, for instance, the boiled tongue served with a Parmesan zabaglione. A sense of culinary tradition also comes through in the frog risotto.
Lemoko
Fish is the star here, set against the backdrop of a 17th-century limonaia (lemon house) not far from the Estense Castle. Chef-owner Guido Mascellani’s dishes show a precise eye for color and creative interpretation, from the clean flavors of the tartares to the land-and-sea pairing of pumpkin gnocchi with a seafood sauce. A contemporary vision backed by a wine cellar with a distinctly European scope.
Pacifico (Comacchio)
Grilled eel is one of the signature dishes that define the restaurant's identity, yet it is seafood in its entirety—including a textbook-perfect mixed fry—that shapes the menu. Design, care and attention to detail define a restaurant that has stood the test of time since the 1980s, always maintaining a steady course toward the sea that supplies its ingredients. That sea lies just a few meters away, beyond the moorings where the fishermen dock.
La Zanzara
A classic casone di valle (traditional lagoon hut) situated on a small island surrounded by water. The dining room seats just twenty-four guests. The cuisine blends the traditions of the Po Delta and the Adriatic with a creative, colorful, and exploratory approach. Fish and shellfish take center stage, alongside expertly crafted fresh pasta and charcoal-grilled eel—a dish that alone makes the journey worthwhile.
La Capanna di Eraclio
Once a simple osteria, it is now an unmissable gastronomic destination. Yet tradition remains at the heart of its culinary approach. Genuine simplicity and precise technique work in harmony to bring out the flavors. Highlights include lagoon game risotto and fried moeche (soft-shell crabs). Maria Grazia Soncini leaves her distinctive mark on the arost in umad eel—first grilled, then finished in the oven.
This article was reviewed by an external translation partner