Restaurants and Bars

Food and drink in Parma

Where to start? With parmesan cheese or prosciutto ham, with the anolini stew or the herb tortelli? Parma, proud of its role as the petite capitale in the 'Food Valley', has great traditions of good food behind it. And the cuisine, with its typical products and characteristic dishes is one of its main attractions for visitors. Its really unique cured meats are also worthy of their fame. Beginning with the raw ham, produced in the Langhirano area; and then the Felino salami, the culatello from Zibello, and the cooked shoulder from San Secondo. Less prestigious are the area's wines: the red wine from the hills of Parma, the Sauvignon and the Malvasia. These are honest wines which are great for accompanying a plate of cured meats. As far as Parma cuisine is concerned, you are spoilt for choice. In the old town, as on the city's outskirts, there are typical restaurants, from trattorias to more chic restaurants. A place to start especially for those for whom money is no object, is Parizzi. This is one of the city's most famous restaurants and is on the very central Via Repubblica. The owner, Ugo Parizzi offers top quality Parma dishes: from tortelli to parmesan cheese, from tripe to parmesan to beef stew. The cured meats are excellent, as is the wine list. Even more centrally located, in an enchanting location is the Angiol d'Or: overlooking Piazza Duomo (in summer you can eat out in the open with a view of the cathedral and the baptistery) and even here, typical dishes are served (herb or pumpkin tortelli, tripe, excellent cured meats). The chef, Jean Pierre Pastor, also offers a reworking of recipes created by the cook to Duchess Maria Luigia, published in a book in 1832.

Tradition meets innovation at the Greppia, which offers a top class menu: veal carpaccio with fresh fig sauce, (in summer and in autumn), parmesan mousse with pears in wine, tortelli, pasta with basil and pine nut sauce and and pigeon in white wine stuffed with pistachio (in autumn and spring); and there is an excellent sweet trolley with a good selection of wines. Other temples to local cuisine include the characteristic Sorelle Picchi (only open at lunchtime: you go into a delicatessen and at the back there is a room with tables laid out and various trattorias where you can eat well at prices to suit all pockets, especially at the Tri Siochett, ten minutes car journey from the city. And for those who have already tried the local cuisine and fancy a change, Parma Rotta, which is good for its grilled meat and Le Viole, an excellent restaurant which combines classic dishes and innovations. If you happen to be outside the city, and consider yourself a gourmet, then don't miss a trip to Villa Maria Luigia, in Collecchio, housed in the hunting lodge of the duchess Maria Luigia, in a beautiful park. The owner, Giancarlo Ceci, offers a variety of set menus and a la carte dishes. This is a place we can really recommend both for the quality of the food (from the starters to the dessert and including the wine as well as for its charm. Top class venues include La Cantinetta in Felino and for those who want to eat truffles, the Locanda Mariella, in Calestano.

Fancy a coffee after lunch or a short stop between museums? The Caffè Cavour has a lovely salon, which is French and "retro" in style, situated right next to the old San Paolo monastery overlooking the very central via Cavour, the city's main walkway. A break at the Cavour for breakfast is one of the locals' preferred pastimes. Or if you want to sit down in Piazza Garibaldi, the city's main piazza, you might opt for the Caffè Orientale, very popular in the early hours of the morning. From coffee to herb tortelli, from an aperitif to a giant ice cream, from a bread roll to a cake, there is something delicious for everyone.

Close to the cathedral and very popular among tourists is the bar Cardinal, which has outdoor tables and specializes in snacks and aperitifs.