Parma
Owner Marco has done up this cosy neighbourhood bar, fashioning a draught distribution system made from recycled farming irrigation piping, with tap…
Must-see nightlife in Emilia-Romagna
Le Serre dei Giardini Margherita
Bologna
Bologna's best time: parking yourself, with an Aperol spritz (€4) in hand, among the cool kids and digital nomads at these formerly abandoned city…
Bologna
Ditch the city centre and venture just outside Bologna's ring road to a distinctly unremarkable apartment block where one of the city's best craft-beer…
Reggio Emilia
Dapper, well-trained mixologists whip up sinfully good cocktails (€8) amid vintage radios, leather sofas, an old jukebox and even a hanging bicycle at…
Parma
In the heart of Parma's animated Strada Farini drinking scene is this classy but friendly wine bar run by a personable ex-rugby player. In warm weather,…
Modena
Step up your coffee game at this trendy, barista-driven cafe that produces Modena's best espresso, pulled from 100% Arabica specialty blends from around…
Ravenna
This 1200-sq-metre brewpub and beer garden is Emilia-Romagna's most ambitious craft-beer undertaking yet. Local brewery Birra Bizantina flipped this long…
Modena
Though she has no formal certification, renegade wine expert Marina Bersani has been slinging juice since the age of 15. Archer – named after The Portrait…
Bologna
Bologna's best and most Italian-focused craft-beer bar offers eight taps of birra artigianale (including one hand-pump; draught beers €3.50 to €6) and…
Rimini
It's a good idea to reserve a prime spot in advance at this trendy cocktail bar hidden away in Rimini's marina (Darsena). You have entered the domain of…
Rimini
Dancing under Cocoricò's glass pyramid, 2000 clammy strangers (straight, bi, gay, whatever) quickly become friends to the sounds of techno, house and…
Rimini
In quaint Borgo San Giuliano, this is Rimini's best spot for a sophisticated glass of vino without the hubbub that comes along with major European beach…
Modena
The big personality behind the now-closed rock-and-roll craft-beer bar Maltomania is one of the partners behind Modena's newest and best destinations for…
Rimini
FOB, named after the Foam on Beer draught head control system installed above its 34 taps (pints €5 to €6.50), is one of Emilia-Romagna's most visually…
Rimini
For an adult aperitivo, this trendy newcomer is a solid bet. This spot boasts excellently mixed cocktails and sophisticated tapas led by a creation after…
Ravenna
Hip and friendly owner Pepe suffered for a few years while his trendy cocktail bar was cut off from the action by the construction work that transformed a…
Bologna
Just 400m across the bridge in Bolognina, this former neighbourhood furniture shop was transformed by cool kids into one of the city's best cocktail bars…
Emilia-Romagna
This classy bottleshop and enoteca tucked down a photogenic lane is the best spot in town to try local wines. Friendly owner Matteo (and an in-house…
Modena
Your negroni at this shabby-chic lounge takes longer than a masterpiece Renaissance painting, but the excruciating mixology is worth the wait. The…
Ferrara
This small brewpub is the domain of friendly Marcello, who started brewing beer when he was 19. He keeps five or so of his own brews on draught (the…
Ferrara
This third-wave coffeehouse hailing from Bologna faces far less competition in Ferrara, where its single-origin and organic speciality coffees and…
Bologna
This standing-room-only wine bar is one of Bologna's most social, attracting an eccentric early-evening crowd – bohemian art professors, seasoned drunks,…
Bologna
You'd walk right past this seemingly typical Italian caffè and never think twice, the wince-inducing logo certainly not helping matters. But inside,…
Bologna
This bohemian pop-art coffee and amaro bar packs a wallop of soul into a tiny space. Cassette tapes and old school lunchboxes line the walls, and the…
Bologna
The sign outside this ancient Quadrilatero dive bar tells you all you need to know – ‘vino’. Bring in your own food, and elbow past the alley-filling…
Bologna
The natural wine movement is slow on the take in Italy, but this storied – if somewhat touristy – enoteca features the best natural, organic and…
Bologna
Probably the finest of Bologna's traditional cafes, Zanarini hosts gaggles of die-hard fans who chase exquisite pastries and sweets, courtesy of famed…
Reggio Emilia
With precious patio tables dotted with potted plants filling up a charming side alley, this quaint wine bar is the embodiment of Italian romance. Around…
Rimini
Feeling more like a hedonistic Beverly Hills house party than a club, Rimini's poshest after-dark venue occupies a converted villa complex with a swimming…
Bologna
On leafy Piazza Minghetti, this trendy restobar is a local favorite for its creative cocktails (from €9). The small indoor space is intimate, but it's all…
Rimini
This artsy cafe is the domain of Rimini's alterna-hipsters, wandering bohemians and the anti-beach brigade. It's a great spot for settling in with a…
Parma
A loud, elbow-in-the-ribs type of wine bar (it gets busy!) with some tables in a room out back where you can sip wine and munch grilled panini while…
Rimini
Perched on stilts over the Adriatic at the far end of the marina pier, Rockisland is the place for beer, sunset cocktails, live rock music and bikers with…
Bologna
Wednesday, Friday and Saturday are the big nights at this legendary gay-and-lesbian (but not exclusively) club, home of Italy's Arcigay organisation.
Emilia-Romagna
A fine wine bar with four to 10 selections by the glass and tables on popular Piazza Garibaldi.
Bologna
Part of a homegrown, sustainably focused brewpub chain born in Piozzo, Bologna's Baladin sits inside the Quadrilatero's gourmet Mercato di Mezzo. In…
Modena
This Piazza Grande establishment manages the delicate juxtaposition of trendy (uber-contemporary decor) and old (cobbled central-square location) without…
Ferrara
The oldest osteria in the world (according to Guinness), this scruffy-meets-stylish wine bar was already an established drinking den in 1435. Titian drank…
Rimini
With eight dance floors, evergreen Baia Imperiale is one of Europe's largest clubs, and 'smells of the echoes of Rimini's past' (as one local put it)…
Bologna
This indie bookshop with an affiliated cafe-bar next door is where postgrads sit down to write up their theses in a room decorated with antifascismo…
