A hundred shades of cooking: the 5 best restaurants in Imola, led by the stars of San Domenico

It happens almost every evening, here at the farm. A guest comes back from dinner in town, stops for a moment in the courtyard and tells us what they have eaten. Maybe a raviolo, or a glass of wine they had never heard of. You can read it on their face: Imola has stayed with them at the table too.

We love these stories, and they confirm something we have always believed: Imola and good cooking belong together, and the food you find in the restaurants in Imola is remarkably good. That is why we have gathered here the five addresses we recommend most often to the guests who sleep at our place. We start with the restaurant the whole world knows, San Domenico, and end with the osterie of the old town, the family-run eating houses where Romagna cooks for itself.

The five addresses in this guide:

• San Domenico, Italy’s longest-standing two-Michelin-star restaurant
• Osteria del Vicolo Nuovo, Romagna tradition in a seventeenth-century palace
• Osteria del Teatro, a cellar with more than 2,500 wines
• Popeye, fresh fish, outdoors as well
• Osteria Callegherie, creative cooking in an elegant dining room

San Domenico, the two-Michelin-star restaurant that made the name of Imola

This journey through taste begins at Ristorante San Domenico, the pride of our town and a name known all over the world. It opened in 1970 in via Sacchi, in the old town, at the wish of Gianluigi Morini, who brought into the kitchen Nino Bergese, “the cook of kings”. The signature dish is the legendary Uovo in raviolo, a single large raviolo with a soft egg yolk inside, served with alpine butter, sweet Parmesan and truffle: Bergese created it in 1974 together with a very young Valentino Marcattilii, and it has never left the menu since. Today the kitchen is led by Massimiliano Mascia and his uncle Valentino Marcattilii.

Read the best-known food writers and two dishes come up again and again: the Risotto mantecato con cipolla tostata, risotto with toasted onion and a reduction of roasting juices, and the refined Mattonella di fegato d’oca al tartufo, a slab of goose liver with truffle. Both belong to the “Radici” tasting menu, the one devoted to the icons of the house. Kitchen and dining room work at the same level: the first Michelin star came in 1975, the second in 1977, and San Domenico is now the oldest of the Italian two-star restaurants still in business. The cellar holds more than 2,000 wines, with historic vintages and great names from every corner of the world.

The nineteen-eighties interior is a touch of class that warms the rooms and creates an atmosphere from another time. Over the years actors, artists, racing drivers and food lovers passing through from every part of the world have eaten here, and the place is a piece of the history of Imola.

Osteria del Vicolo Nuovo, Romagna cooking in a seventeenth-century palace

At Osteria del Vicolo Nuovo the cooking is simpler and just as careful. Since 1983 the place has occupied an old seventeenth-century palace in via Codronchi, in the centre of Imola, and in summer you eat outside, in the lane, by candlelight. For anyone after real Romagna home cooking this is an institution: the sfoglia, the egg pasta sheet, is still rolled by hand with a wooden pin, the menu follows the seasons and the wine list favours small growers working organically. The bond with Slow Food goes back a long way, as the osteria has been listed in the Osteria d’Italia guide since its very first edition. At lunchtime, from Tuesday to Friday, there is also “I Colori del Mezzogiorno”, a single-course lunch that changes every day, with meat, fish, vegetarian or vegan versions.

Osteria del Teatro, more than 2,500 wines in the cellars of Palazzo Toschi

We stay in the centre. Since 1991 Osteria del Teatro has occupied the old cellars of Palazzo Toschi, a noble residence a few steps from the town theatre. Its strength is the cellar, with more than 2,500 wines, some of them collector’s bottles. The menu draws on the tradition of Emilia-Romagna, and the specialities with black truffle and formaggio di fossa, the cheese aged in pits dug in the tufa, stand out: the francescane pancakes come with a fondue of pit-aged cheese and black truffle. Among the dishes that made the name of the house there are also cappellacci al brasato, filled pasta with braised beef and a Sangiovese reduction, and the entrecôte alla Robespierre with a savoury green-pepper zabaione.

Popeye, the fish restaurant of Imola

If you love fish, Ristorante Popeye, in via Quaini, is a small gem in town. Inside there are two intimate rooms, designed for a hushed and elegant mood; outside there is a heated and air-conditioned terrace, so you can eat in the open air in any season. The kitchen is built on fresh raw materials, with a short supply chain and small local producers, and the menu is deliberately short so that it can follow the seasons. You will find first courses such as the Risotto Gli Aironi with king prawns, peas and Alta Langa goat’s cheese, or the Perle di ricotta, ricotta pearls with langoustines and broad beans, with a wine list that keeps evolving. The restaurant sits at the edge of the old town, close to the racing circuit, with parking right outside.

Osteria Callegherie, elegance and creative cooking in the old town

We close the five with Osteria Callegherie. In the historic centre of Imola, the place takes its name from the street that once housed the workshops of the leather dressers (callegarius, in Latin). Behind the sign you find an elegant and exclusive dining room, with terracotta statues from Florence and soft lighting, where attention to detail turns an evening into a memory: Leonardo welcomes you at the door while Maurizio, in the kitchen, works on creative dishes that stay tied to the land around. The cellar is well kept, with every Italian region represented and a fine list of spirits. From the menu, the Tortelli di faraona, guinea fowl tortelli with stewed cabbage and a reduction of roasting juices, and the Tagliata di filetto di manzo, sliced beef fillet with celeriac cream, purple potato crisps and a pink-pepper gel.

Sleep at Podere Zampiera Vecchia and discover Imola at the table with Chiara’s advice

Would you like to travel through the food of Imola and not know where to begin? If you are looking for an agriturismo near Imola, here at Podere Zampiera Vecchia you can switch off and spend a few days surrounded by the countryside, a short drive from the town and from the motorway exit. When you arrive Chiara will be glad to share her own advice on the restaurants and the osterie worth trying, in town and around it, and tailor your food journey to your taste.

Have a look at our rooms and write to us about availability. If you are after more ideas on what to do nearby, you will find them on the Local Activities page.

Frequently asked questions about restaurants in Imola

Which restaurant in Imola has a Michelin star?

San Domenico, at via Sacchi 1, in the old town. It has held its first Michelin star since 1975 and the second since 1977. Its signature dish is the Uovo in raviolo with alpine butter, sweet Parmesan and truffle.

Where can I eat fish in Imola?

At Ristorante Popeye, via Quaini 43: a short, seasonal menu, first courses such as the risotto with king prawns, peas and Alta Langa goat’s cheese, and a heated, air-conditioned terrace for eating outdoors all year round.

Where should I stay in Imola to visit the restaurants in the centre?

At Podere Zampiera Vecchia, an organic agriturismo in Cantalupo, a few minutes’ drive from the old town and close to the motorway exit. Five rooms with their own entrance, organic breakfast and Chiara’s advice on where to go for dinner.

Read also: our agriturismo near Imola for nature and relaxation, what to see in Bologna in one day, the painted village of Dozza and all the events in Imola in 2026.

Photo credits: the pictures of Imola and of the plate of tagliatelle come from Wikimedia Commons. Piazza Matteotti and its arcades, two photographs by Bultro (CC BY-SA 4.0); tagliatelle al ragù, photograph by Alex Sirac (CC BY 4.0). The images have been resized. The photograph of the tagliatelle is a stock image and does not portray the dishes of the restaurants described here.