Ristorante Quel Fantastico Giovedì
On a quiet backstreet near the cathedral, this unhurried trattoria has been serving honest Ferrarese cooking since 1979, and the menu reads like a regional history lesson — pasticcio di maccheroni, cappellacci di zucca al burro, and the legendary salama da sugo with mashed potato. The room is wood-panelled, the wine list is short and local, and nobody rushes you.
What to Order
Start with the pasticcio di maccheroni: a sweet shortcrust pastry shell filled with béchamel, ragù and pasta — a dish that dates to the Este court and is still served at Ferrara weddings. It sounds improbable; it tastes extraordinary.
For a primo, the cappellacci di zucca al burro e salvia are definitive — the pasta thin, the filling fragrant with nutmeg, the butter browned just past golden. Follow with salama da sugo if you want the full Ferrarese experience: rich, spiced and deeply savoury against the cool mashed potato.
The Atmosphere and Practicalities
The dining room holds perhaps 40 covers across two low-ceilinged rooms. Service is warm but unhurried in the Italian manner — this is not a place for a quick lunch. Budget 90 minutes minimum and consider it a cultural immersion as much as a meal.
The wine list leans on Emilia-Romagna: Sangiovese di Romagna, Albana, and the rare Bosco Eliceo Fortana grown on the Po Delta dunes. The house Lambrusco is served slightly chilled and pairs perfectly with the fatty richness of the salama.
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