Advice for Bologna solo... casual eats?

In Bologna , da Cesari is not pretentious, rather has a comfortable feel and very good food too.

Trattoria del Rosso, Via Augusto Righi 30a, 2 blocks south of Parco della Montagnola, is an unpretentious, very reasonably priced trattoria. The food isn't fancy but it's delicious, and you'll find many locals eating here. I have dined alone at the cafe tables out front on the sidewalk and enjoyed the experience just fine.

Another option might be a charcuterie board at Ditta A. F. Tamburini, just off Piazza Maggiore. They will adjust the size and quantity depending on how many people will be eating.

In the Quadrilatero area (via Drapperie, Pescherie vecchie, Orefici, Clavature and so on....) there are several places where you can eat easily. The best ones served charcuteries, being the area of some of the most ancient butcheries. Tamburini, Baita, Simoni are all very good places. At Osteria del Sole you can order wine only, but you can bring your own food.
Another good place could be Mercato delle Erbe (indoor market), where you can find several places where to order different things (including seafood and vegetarian food, when you have eaten enough charcuterie). Even in the Mercato there are some shared tables, where you can seat eating something purchased in the kiosks.
For fresh pasta Pasta Rina could be a place where to stop. Is very good even the pasta at Bottega i Portici.

I've travelled solo to Bologna and really enjoyed the food at http://www.osteriadellorsa.com/ . It seems to be frequently patronized by university students so it's not fancy, and I found the prices to be reasonable.

We have just left Bologna after 11 nights which means we had as many dinners. We are not inclined to spend a lot of money, but we do want it to be good.
If you are staying within walking distance of the Quadrilatero- which means even 20 minutes-you will have so many choices of good, relatively inexpensive-or more expensive if you want-food that 4 meals will be easy-or 8 if you want to do lunch too. I do suggest a reservation if you possibly can, even for lunch, but especially for dinner at any of the main establishments. Some are casual enough they may not even take reservations. Spend a morning there, find the ones that seem to be of interest, then go from there. We saw many single diners, even locals, so you won’t really stand out or be treated differently. The old Mercato building has at least 7 choices of counter ordering and sitting wherever which makes for comfortable eating while alone. We had two different meals there-good choices and really good food, plus pricing is lower because there isn’t table service.
We didn’t try any tagliere-the meat trays as I’m not much into that, but I have to say, they looked delicious and there is plenty on them. Maybe try to find a place that serves the gnocci fritti with them. Lovely deep fried light puffs of bread-yummy.
Private message me if you want to know more about food, restaurants in the area. I’ll be happy to give a list and approximate cost if you like.

I know you've already gotten a bunch of great advice here but I'll add not to forget mercatos for food shopping/browsing plus prepared food stalls with collective tables for the most casual of dining options.

In and around the Quadrilatero area here are a couple:
Mercato di Mezzo - Via Clavature, 12 (basically adjacent to the Quadrilatero)
Mercato Delle Erbe - Via Ugo Bassi, 25 (a few minutes away)

Have a great and food-filled trip,
=Tod

@suki, thank you! I made a shortcut on my phone’s home screen that looks like an app but it’s just a Google doc with places I’m interested in, what neighborhood they are in and the hours they’re (supposed to be ;) open. I hyperlinked them all to their Google maps listing or website- I am going to add your suggestion!

@mont3589
Wow, great recommendations and insights! Thank you.

@ricky See! This is why I ask here! 🤣
Thank you so much.

@ken Thank you- I’m staying in the University district so I can follow the students on over.

@SJS I’m not super into meat platters either. I’d rather have panini and gelato. 😬 I may take you up on your generous offer!

@hiredman There’s no such thing as too much advice on good places to eat!! The one market and a few other recommendations were on my list from research and it’s very reassuring to hear it from fellow travelers.

"gnocci fritti"... In fact is "gnocchi fritti", even if are seldom called in plural form. In Bologna are called "crescentine fritte", "gnocco fritto" is more the Modena's form to call it (in Parma is called "torta fritta", to confuse more the non-locals). Is a kind of flat fried bread that grow up during the cooking. Is folded in two and filled traditionally with cured meat (or whatever you want). In Modena is a traditional breakfast: we do a soup in the milk (or milk+chocolate, or milk+coffee...).
Another traditional bread is called "tigella", from the hillside of Modena. I let you discover why it's real name is not "tigella", but outside Modena is called in that way. Is a bread that cannot grow too much due to the tool used to cooking it in, but is very good because you have to eat it immediately after the cooking, when still hot. You cut the tigella in the middle and fill it with whatever you want. The very traditional filling is the Modena's pesto (nothing related to the Genova's pesto) + grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
A third kind of traditional bread is the "piadina", original from Romagna. Is always flat because there isn't the yeast. Could be thin (like a tortilla) or thicker. Good places cook it at the moment, so you eat it hot. Is folded in two and filled with whatever you want. The very traditional filling is prosciutto + squacquerone + rocket leaves. If folded and closed before the cooking is called "cassone" (but more often called "calzone" or "guscione", because "cassone" in Italian sound a little rude). A variation of the "cassone" is the "tortello sulla lastra", produced only in the hillside of Forlì province.
Another traditional bread is the "crocetta ferrarese", usually very well matched with cured meat because there are some part soft and other crunchy. Is considered a standard white bread.
If you have the chance to visit the hillside of Modena province you can even try "borlenghi" and "ciacci": two very simple bread that at the moment are not common outside the little traditional area. Are done mainly in winter, but some restaurants now do them all along the year. There is even the version of "ciacci" made with chestnut flour: sweeter but even much more aromatic (delicious when filled with a good fresh ricotta...).

Well, if sandwiches are your thing I would definitely recommend I Panini di Mirò. Their Guanciale, pecorino, crema di carciofi e cipolle caramellate (pork cheek with onion jam and pecorino) is amazing. The Mo Mortadella Lab is also very good, but go there hungry as the sandwiches are huge.

I am currently on a solo trip in Bologna and ate at Sflogia Rina for lunch. Really was one of my best meals so far. The queues are really long to get in so go early….and hungry.

Get some Tigelle! Makes for a good lunch
I've been to Dispensa and thought it was delicious - Tigellino is supposed to be a good spot as well. Tigelle are quite small so you can try several different kinds

https://www.dispensaemilia.it/it/
https://www.facebook.com/tigelleria.tigellino

@ricky-thanks for the gnocchi fritti correction. Never found them with meat inside though, just as the vehicle to get the meat to the mouth! Tigelle were good, but the other was a favorite. For Sleight though, try them all as some places have them as a separate order. And piadine are very good, come with more filling suggestions than you might imagine and make for a fine lunch. There are store fronts that are just for piadina.
We wanted to try Sfoglia Rina but our timing never worked. Looked really good and prices are very good.
There is also Impero on Via Caprarie-market area-that serves quite an interesting bounty of food beginning at six. It’s listed as a pasticceria, but when we saw it, they had a buffet laid out that was available for the purchase of one drink.
Lots of small bites, but varied and even some pastas I think. Everything looked very fresh and good. Could easily be made into a dinner. Sure they still charge a coperto in addition, but could work. Imagine it can be busy.