Osteria del Vicolo Nuovo
Tucked into a narrow vicolo just off Piazza Matteotti, this intimate osteria has been feeding Imolesi with rigorous, unfussy Emilian cooking for decades — the kind of place where the menu changes with what arrived at the market that morning and the tagliatelle al ragù is made to the Bolognese Academy's exact recipe. Reserve ahead or you will not get a table.
What to Order
Start with a board of local affettati — thinly sliced prosciutto di Parma, coppa and salame rosa — served with tigelle, the small round flatbreads that are the Apennine alternative to bread. Follow with tagliatelle al ragù, made with a 12-hour slow-cooked meat sauce that bears no resemblance to anything called 'Bolognese' outside Italy.
For a second course, the gramigna con salsiccia (short curly pasta with crumbled pork sausage and cream) is a regional classic rarely found outside Emilia, and the braised beef cheek with polenta changes the way you think about winter food.
The Wine & the Vibe
The short wine list leans heavily on Romagna Sangiovese DOC — the local red grape that is lighter and more food-friendly than Tuscan Sangiovese — alongside Pignoletto frizzante, the sparkling white that locals drink with everything from aperitivo to dessert.
The room seats about 30, with exposed brick walls, mismatched wooden chairs and no background music — conversation and the sound of pasta hitting plates is the soundtrack. It is convivial, loud and entirely unpretentious.
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