Cantina Bentivoglio

Cantina Bentivoglio at Via Mascarella 4/B in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, is the city's most beloved jazz venue and one of its most characterful places to eat and drink in the evening. The setting is a brick-vaulted wine cellar beneath the university quarter, reached by descending a flight of steps from the street into a low-ceilinged, candlelit space that has been hosting live music since the 1980s. Jazz is performed nightly—typically two sets beginning at 9:30 PM and 11 PM—by resident ensembles and visiting musicians of genuine quality, and the music is integral to the experience rather than mere background. The food menu runs alongside: crescentine with culatello and squacquerone, salumi boards, tortino di patate, and a selection of pasta dishes that are simple and good. The wine list is the cellar's strongest point, with a well-chosen selection of Emilian labels including Lambrusco di Sorbara, Pignoletto frizzante, and a rotating cast of natural wines. Cocktails are competently made. The atmosphere from around nine o'clock onward is animated and sociable—the room fills with a mix of university students, local jazz enthusiasts, and visiting travellers who have been directed here by every Bologna food and nightlife guide published in the last three decades. Reservations are strongly recommended for dinner-with-music, as the limited table space fills quickly once the evening programme begins.