The best restaurants Ferrara

Not far from the cathedral, this restaurant is a real institution. La Casa di Ferrara (Ca' d'Frara in dialect) offers dishes from the Ferrarese tradition, but also a creative land and sea menu, with inventive and colourful plates, mixing local products in a beautiful balance of flavours. Everything is prepared with finesse and served in a room with elegant lines. Among the specialties: homemade pasta, bollito misto, wood-fired meats and eel, to be drizzled with a good Italian wine. It's just delicious.

It is said to be the oldest hostel in the world (1435) and is even listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Here sat Ariosto, Mug, Carducci, Cellini, Titian and even Copernicus. The osteria provides a wine library service with more than 600 Italian wine labels. At any time, the wine can be accompanied by a pasticcio Estense, a gratin of macaroni in a salted sauce, toasts of salama di sugo and, on reservation, cappellacci alla zucca. Very lively address at aperitivo time and in the evenings at weekends.

This is a restaurant that never fails to fill up! Both locals and tourists are unanimous in their praise for the quality of Ferrara's cuisine. The family business started in 1958 when Noemi opened a restaurant in this 15th century building in the heart of the historic centre. Today it is his daughter Maria Cristina who has taken up the torch, assisted by her two sons and a friendly and welcoming team. On the menu, homemade pasta and desserts, platters of Emilia-Romagna cold meats and meat-based secondi. Nice selection of wines.

Here you will order not a panino, but a schiaccia, a kind of flat bread (schiacciare means "to crush") and stuffed with your favourite filling : cold cuts (zia ferrarese, Parma ham, porchetta), cheese (mozzarella, grana padano, scamorza), vegetables (grilled aubergines and courgettes, tomatoes, arugula), smoked salmon, truffle cream, herbs and fragrant oils, or pistachio or almond cream for the sweet version. Located near the cathedral, this is a good plan to fill a small gap between two visits.

A little out of the historic centre, in the Renaissance quarter of the city, crossed by elegant avenues, the restaurant has kept the same name as a century ago: it was then an osteria with a game of petanque and its owner was called Provvidenza. Since then, the establishment, which reopened in 1974, serves both local and contemporary cuisine. It boasts of having welcomed many celebrities who came to discover the traditional dishes revisited. Small, very pleasant garden. A little expensive, though.

On the edge of the ghetto, this historic Ferrara trattoria, whose foundation dates back to 1897, has been run for twenty years by two brothers: Michele, in the dining room, and Maurizio, in the kitchen. They were keen to give the establishment a simple and authentic family atmosphere in the Ferrarese culinary tradition. The Estense pasticcio and the hand-made squash cappellacci are, together with the salama da sugo, the specialties of the place. Besides the classics, the menu also changes with the seasons. Nice summer arbor.

An excellent restaurant of local cuisine revisited in a more modern and creative version, in the centre of Ferrara. The dishes stand out for their originality, starting with the starters with bluefin tuna tartar with mozzarella and black sesame wafers or sautéed octopus and squid with chickpea purée and tapenade. The second courses feature fish, but carnivores will also enjoy lamb chops with lemon and onions and stuffed rabbit. The menu is often renewed and varies according to the seasons.

First of all, we appreciate the setting, both modern and warm, with the lines of the benches matching those of the ceiling beams, with the cubic lampshades providing diffuse light. As for the cuisine, it juggles between Ferrarese tradition, Venetian digressions (baccalà mantecato served on polenta toast) and creative notes. Try for example the gnocchi with smoked swordfish, almond cream and coffee jelly. The restaurant, which is popular with local customers, also offers very good value for money.

Situated in the heart of the historic centre, a stone's throw from the cathedral, Osteria Degli Ulivi offers traditional local cuisine with some classics of Pugliese cuisine, the owner's native land. A warm and comfortable restaurant in a historic building, where the cuisine on view gives it a modern touch. The recipes speak about the city and its land. An authentic cuisine that highlights the quality of its products, accompanied by a rich wine list. A pleasant and friendly place to spend the evening.