Our Story

Restaurant with typical Bolognese cuisine
in Bologna

Trattoria Leonida is a restaurant that has been serving true Bolognese cuisine in Bologna since 1938, even though it was already present in the city in 1920 as an osteria.

Our trattoria has a lot of history behind it, and so does the place where we operate, since in the 1600s it offered refreshment to German students who came to the city to attend the famous University of Bologna, the first in the entire western world, which already existed in 1088, where Dante and Giovanni Boccaccio also studied.

AWARD FROM THE BOLOGNA TRADERS' ASSOCIATION TO MR. NALDI DANTE WHO HAS BEEN HONOURING BOLOGNESE CATERING FOR OVER 60 YEARS.

The origins of Bolognese taverns

Restaurants with typical Bolognese cuisine in Bologna have always existed, although they were previously referred to as 'osterie'.

Their popularity was consolidated from the 13th century onwards. In the city in the 14th century there were about 150 of them.

Initially called 'Hospitali' and run by religious congregations, their purpose was to offer free refreshment to pilgrims visiting the city and to host, for a fee, passing traders.

Ancient Bolognese dishes

Osterie, at the time 'Hostarie', only acquired their current connotation during the Renaissance period and offered food, wine and even accommodation to students, merchants and travellers.

The menu of these establishments, forerunners of today's restaurants, is based on the typical Bolognese cuisine of a Bologna already famous for the goodness of its food, and includes simple yet hearty dishes such as pasta and beans, meatballs and friggione - a creamy sauce of white onions stewed for a long time with tomato - unfailingly accompanied by rivers of wine.

At Trattoria Leonida, we remain faithful to the culinary tradition of our town and, in addition to game and venison specialities, we offer main courses of beef (T-bone steaks, fillets, entrecôte), lamb (baked or grilled), veal, chicken and pork.

Depending on the season, we bring fresh mushrooms (porcini, morels, chanterelles, chanterelles, sloes, ovoli) and white and black truffles to our tables.

Conviviality and culture in eating places

In the 18th century, osterias changed their connotation and, losing their purely convivial aspect, became places that hosted not only ordinary citizens but also intellectuals who, sitting at their tables, loved to discuss culture and current affairs, including Giosuè Carducci, a regular visitor to the Bottiglieria Cillario del Mercato di Mezzo, which no longer exists.

At Trattoria Leonida for almost fifty years, in our restaurant with typical Bolognese cuisine in Bologna, we continue to offer the traditional recipes of those characteristic dishes that have made our city famous throughout the world.