Ristorante Zivieri

A farm-to-table gem in the heart of the porticos Bologna has no shortage of places claiming to do authentic Italian food. Zivieri actually delivers it. Tucked into the city centre with seating beneath Bologna's iconic porticos, this is a small, unhurried restaurant that takes its food seriously without taking itself too seriously. There's a handful of outdoor tables to grab one if you can and the setting alone is worth it. What sets Zivieri apart is the sourcing. Everything comes from their own farm, and you can taste the difference. The produce has that quality that's hard to fake and impossible to manufacture , it simply is what it is. The cheese selection was exceptional; the kind that makes you slow down and pay attention. Service was warm and genuinely attentive, but the highlight was when the chef came out himself to talk through the dishes — where each ingredient came from, how it was raised or grown, what made it special. It wasn't a performance. It felt like someone who genuinely cares about what lands on your plate sharing that with you. The wine list is exactly what it should be in Emilia-Romagna regional, honest, well-matched to the food. No gimmicks, no theatre, just exceptional ingredients treated with respect and served with pride. If you're in Bologna and want to understand why Italian food has the reputation it does, eat here. Highly recommended.

The staff here were warm and welcoming even though we did not have a booking. The decor was calm and beautiful. There was a very picturesque courtyard. Most importantly, the food was delicious. Fresh and flavourful with interesting layers of tastes. I had the deer. I highly recommend this lovely restaurant.

I came to this restaurant because it's connected to the butchery next door and they share the same name. I thought I'd be able to select what I wanted from the butchery and eat it in the restaurant, but this is not the case. The menu is a la carte. I told the waiter I eat low carb and asked if he could recommend something. I went with chicken medallions and rump steak. I asked how many grams the steak was and he said 300. I asked again to be sure, and he confirmed. They were out of leeks, so I got chicory instead, which he explained is cooked in a pan. I ordered extra cherry tomatoes to go with it. While I was waiting, a waitress came over and brought a small soup and a big basket of assorted bread. I politely declined the bread, and from that point on the atmosphere completely changed. She seemed offended, like she didn't understand that some people eat low carb. She had this sour look on her face, like I'd offended her mother. She must have said something to the male waiter, because they were both very off after that, and stood and constantly glared at me for the rest of the meal. When the steak arrived, I told him it wasn't 300g. It looked more like 120-140g at most. I'm a bodybuilder and track my food, so I can quite accurately estimate portions. He checked with the chef and came back saying it was 200g. I reminded him that he'd told me 300. He went back again and came back saying the chef was busy cooking another portion and it would take 5 minutes. I didn't notice at first that there was no chicory, only the tomatoes. I guess I was too distracted by the atmosphere. The replacement portion arrived around 15 minutes later, and again there was no chicory. That's when I noticed. I let it go, because at that point I just wanted to finish and leave. It felt deliberate to me, and still does now. When the bill came, I saw they'd charged me for the extra portion of meat. After reading the other reviews on Google while eating, I wasn't even surprised. I also noticed chicory listed on the bill, so I asked him why I hadn't gotten any. His answer was something like, "you chose the tomatoes instead." That didn't add up, though, since the tomatoes were meant to be extra, on top of the chicory, not instead of it. That was the mutual understanding, and we'd specifically talked about how the chicory was prepared and I'd agreed to it. I decided not to argue it further. On my way out, I met the owner at reception, standing with her son. I explained the whole situation, and they were very apologetic and understanding, and insisted on refunding me. I appreciated their sincerity and their efforts to resolve it. I did feel bad for them, though, because why should they have to cover for the incompetence and bad attitude of their staff? If they hadn't stepped in, I'd have left a one-star review without hesitation. Getting the order wrong and providing me with false information aside, what bothered me most was the atmosphere. Being glared at and made to feel judged for the rest of the meal, just for declining bread, isn't something anyone should have to deal with. Maybe the staff could use a reminder that some people eat low carb and don't eat things like bread, and that it's not something to take personally.

If you are going to have dinner in Bologna, you should not miss this place, get a table in the courtyard. The staff was flexible (had to change the time of my reservation - no problem) and polite. Food and wine were delicious.

One of the best dinners of my life. Everything was exceptional, starting with the quality of the ingredients. You can immediately tell that every product is carefully selected and treated with enormous respect. Every dish was beautifully balanced, full of flavour, and prepared with remarkable attention to detail. What surprised me even more was the value for money. Compared with many restaurants in Bologna's city centre, the prices are incredibly fair. In fact, I would happily have paid more for the quality and experience they delivered. The atmosphere is warm and genuine, and the whole experience feels centred on a true passion for great food rather than trying to impress. I'm genuinely sad that I don't live in Bologna, because this would become my regular restaurant without hesitation. A place I'll definitely return to whenever I'm back in the city.