Trattoria Corrieri
Opened in 1925 and still family-run, Trattoria Corrieri on Via Conservatorio is the kind of place that makes food writers go quiet and just eat. The menu changes with the season but the handmade tortelli d'erbetta — ricotta and chard parcels in burnt butter and sage — is a permanent fixture and arguably the definitive plate of Parma.
What to Order and Why
Start with a board of local salumi: culatello di Zibello, fiocco di prosciutto and a sliver of spalla cotta, the cooked shoulder ham that is Parma's less-famous but deeply satisfying cured meat. The house wines are short-listed with the same seriousness as the food — ask for a half-litre of Lambrusco Maestri, the local red that cuts through the fat beautifully.
For a main, the anolini in brodo — tiny meat-filled pasta in a clear, trembling capon broth — is the dish Parmigiani eat at Christmas and the one that tells you most about the city's culinary soul. Order it even if it is August.
The Room and the Ritual
The dining room is plain in the best way: white paper over linen tablecloths, framed old photographs of Parma, and a noise level that rises cheerfully as the evening progresses. Reservations are essential for Friday and Saturday evenings and strongly advised any other night.
Service is brisk and knowledgeable — your waiter will tell you firmly if you've ordered too much, which is a sign of a kitchen that takes its food seriously rather than its revenue.
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