Best Pizza in Bologna: Neapolitan, Roman and By the Slice

What Bologna pizza looks like: Neapolitan, Roman al taglio and pizza alla pala

Three styles dominate. Neapolitan pizza is a whole round pie with a soft, puffy, well-risen rim, eaten at a table with a knife and fork or folded by hand. Roman pizza al taglio is baked in large rectangular trays and sold by the slice or by weight, usually reheated or served at room temperature, which makes it the natural lunch option. Pizza alla pala sits between the two: the dough is stretched on a wooden peel and baked directly on the oven stone rather than in a tray, giving a crisp, crunchy base.

That crunch has a name in Rome: scrocchiarella, local slang for a particularly crispy crust. At Certo the durum wheat in the dough and the stone baking are what produce it, so expect a firm base rather than the floppy centre of a Neapolitan pie. Knowing which of the three you are ordering stops the disappointment of biting into a crisp slice when you wanted a soft rim.

If pizza is one stop on a wider eating plan, it slots neatly between the city's other food rituals: a morning pastry and coffee, a plate of tagliatelle al ragù at lunch, and an aperitivo before dinner. Our guide to trattorias in Bologna covers the sit-down pasta side of that plan, so you can alternate a slice lunch with a proper trattoria dinner without repeating yourself.

Certo, Via Marsala: pizza alla pala with a crunchy scrocchiarella crust

Certo is the slice shop to beat, and it is the reason many visitors now associate Bologna with pizza al taglio at all. It sits on Via Marsala 35/a, almost in the heart of the university area, with an evening-only second address on Via Stalingrado 12. The dough is divided into balls, spread on a wooden peel and baked directly on the stone, so there is no tray in the oven and the base comes out crisp and blistered.

Order the margherita for the baseline, the marinara if you want tomato and garlic without cheese, and the pumpkin cream and salsiccia (sausage) combination for something more autumnal. Anything with buffalo mozzarella is popular, and the bufala is brought up from the Cilento area of Campania. The house speciality is the pizza baciata, literally a kissed pizza, where two slices face each other and their fillings merge into one.

This is a counter operation rather than a restaurant: you point at what you want, it is cut and priced by the piece, and you eat standing or take it away. Expect a crowd mixing students, local workers and families, so it suits a quick lunch between sights rather than a long seated meal. Certo won the local round of the Pizza Hero television contest, which explains some of the queue at peak times.

Forno Brisa: pizza al taglio from a Bologna bakery, with several shops near the centre

Forno Brisa began as a celebrated Bologna bakery and its pizza al taglio follows the same philosophy: carefully selected flours, a slow rise of at least 24 hours, and fillings that change with the season, with vegetarian options usually available. The result is a Roman-style tray pizza with a light, digestible base rather than a heavy one. It appears in the 2024 Identità Golose guide to author pizzerias and cocktail bars, cited for its Roman-style trays as well as its wines, sweets and chocolate.

Its advantage for a visitor is spread: five shops sit close to the centre, on or around Laura Bassi, Castiglione, Galliera, Lab and San Felice, so you are rarely far from one as you walk between the porticoes. Treat it as a flexible lunch stop rather than a destination dinner, since the format is a bakery counter with slices to take away or eat in. If you want a sit-down evening with a whole pie, save Forno Brisa for daytime.

Pair a slice with the city's other counter food when you are grazing through the day; our street food in Bologna guide maps the fried and stuffed snacks that fill the gaps between meals. Just keep an eye on timing, because a bakery slice and a piadina at 11am can easily ruin a booked dinner.

Berberè, via Petroni: the entry point to pizza gourmet

Berberè is one of the places that started the gourmet pizza wave in Italy. Brothers Salvatore and Matteo Aloe opened the first shop in 2010 a little outside the city at Castel Maggiore, then moved to the very central via Petroni, and the format has since spread to Milan, Turin, Rome, Florence and London. You now find Bologna branches in via Petroni, Porta Saragozza and Castel Maggiore.

The menu lets you pick your base: there is a dough made with hydrolysis and one using enkir, an ancient grain, alongside the standard option, and toppings lean on organic ingredients. The pizza to order is the one with prosciutto cotto di Mora Romagnola, stracciatella (a creamy torn mozzarella), fiordilatte (fresh cow's milk mozzarella) and orange oil. It is a good introduction if you have only eaten Neapolitan pizza and want to see what the modern Italian style is about.

This is a bookable, sit-down pizzeria rather than a slice counter, so it suits a proper dinner with a group. If you are comparing it with the city's classic trattoria cooking, our round-up of trattorias is the place to weigh a bowl of ragù alla bolognese against a gourmet pizza night.

Bianco Farina in Bolognina: classic Neapolitan dough and the Corbarina

If you want a proper Neapolitan pie with a soft, well-risen rim, Bianco Farina in the slightly outlying Bolognina neighbourhood is the pick. It is run by Pasquale Penne, who came north from Campania, and it made a name for itself quickly on the strength of a traditional dough and toppings that celebrate southern Italy without overcomplicating them.

Order the Corbarina: fiordilatte di Agerola, small yellow tomatoes from Corbara in the Monti Lattari, basil and extra-virgin olive oil. It is the pizza that best shows what the kitchen is about, so start there if it is your only visit. The Bolognina location means a short walk or bus ride from the historic centre, which makes it a deliberate dinner rather than a passing snack.

Ranzani 13: pizza, craft beer and popular prices in a loud, informal room

Ranzani 13 is the opposite of a hushed dinner: a noisy, informal room with a strong list of craft beers on tap and in bottle, pizzas and burgers, and prices on the popular side. The dough uses selected flours blended by season and left to mature for 36 hours, which gives a lighter base than a standard pizzeria. It is the prototype of what Italians call a pub 3.0, and the format has been replicated at Storie Dipinte in San Lazzaro.

Two pizzas are worth naming from the menu. The Happy Pork comes with burrata and shoulder of Mora Romagnola pork, while the Fumo di Londra tops the base with smoked mozzarella, courgette, speck and ricotta. Order either if you want something richer than a margherita, and go with a group and an appetite for beer rather than a quiet table for two.

O' Fiore Mio: Roman-style pizza in teglia, to eat in, take away or order for delivery

O' Fiore Mio began as a well-known pizzeria in Faenza and in 2014 brought its street-pizza format to central Bologna. The focus is the same as the original: organic, stone-ground flours, careful leavening and a thoughtful choice of toppings, but the format here is Roman pizza in teglia, baked in a rectangular tray and sold by the piece. You can eat in at the small room, take it away, or order for delivery.

It is a good option when half your group wants to keep moving: the tray format travels well, and a small seated area means you are not committing to a full sit-down meal. The 2024 Identità Golose guide also lists the Faenza branch among the region's noteworthy pizzerias.

Pummà, Il Rovescio and Masaniello Pizzeria Etica: creative doughs, organic and ethical toppings

Pummà takes the gourmet route further: design-led interiors, a broad list of wines and beers, and close attention to doughs and ingredient sourcing. You can choose between a tasting pizza dough, a hydrolysed dough and a classic Neapolitan one, and even select the olive oil to finish your pizza. The sample order is the pizza with porchetta di Ariccia, the famous pork roll from the hills south of Rome, and a roast reduction.

Il Rovescio is best known as a Bologna osteria with a strong seasonal and organic bent, and a few doors away it runs a bio pizzeria built on the same principles. Here the pizzas take cues from regional Italian cooking but also wander into vegetarian territory, as in the one topped with parsleyed potatoes, green asparagus, turmeric soy cream, wild seaweed and poppy seeds. It is the pick if you want a meat-free pizza that is more than a margherita.

Masaniello Pizzeria Etica serves Neapolitan pizza with ingredients sourced from land freed from the mafia and camorra, and was set up by the ioLotto committee and the Arci La Fattoria club. On the menu, try the Norma with aubergine and salted ricotta, or the 'Che calore' with 'nduja, the spicy spreadable Calabrian pork sausage, and caciocavallo cheese. The house also runs a pizza sospesa scheme, letting a customer pay for a pizza for someone who cannot afford one.

How to order and eat pizza in Bologna: by the slice, by weight or a whole pie

At a slice shop such as Certo, Forno Brisa or O' Fiore Mio, you order at the counter by pointing at the tray or the pizza on the peel, and the price is calculated by the piece or by weight. Pay attention to whether the slice is served hot or at room temperature; both are normal. At a sit-down pizzeria such as Bianco Farina, Berberè or Ranzani 13, you order a whole pizza from the menu and eat it with cutlery at the table.

Ask for the pizza by name where the menu gives one. Names like the Corbarina, the Happy Pork or the pizza baciata point to a specific combination, and staff will know exactly what you mean, which saves pointing at another diner's plate. If you want a lighter crust, ask which dough options are available, since several places offer more than one.

Beer is the usual partner at the slice shops and at Ranzani 13; a small glass is plenty alongside a rich topping. If you prefer wine, some of these places keep a short list, but pizza is not the meal for a long tasting. Plan a proper coffee afterwards rather than during, and save the gelato stop for later in the afternoon so you are hungry again by dinner.

Price levels and when to book: matching the pizzeria to a cheap lunch, a sit-down dinner or a late slice

The split is easy to plan around. A slice shop is the cheapest and fastest option and works for lunch between sightseeing stops; Ranzani 13 is openly pitched at popular prices; a gourmet pizzeria with a bookable table costs more, especially with beers or a bottle of wine added. If your budget is tight, make lunch the pizza meal and spend the evening on a trattoria plate instead.

Book ahead for a weekend evening at the sit-down pizzerias, particularly the central Berberè and Bianco Farina, where the dining room is the whole point. Slice shops suit a quick in-and-out visit, so aim to arrive outside the lunch rush if you want to eat in rather than walk away with a paper bag. That said, a takeaway slice is no bad fallback on a busy Saturday.

If pizza is part of a longer food-focused stay, a hands-on session mixing and shaping dough can make more sense than another restaurant meal; our guide to cooking classes in Bologna explains what a typical session involves. Check current opening days and prices on each venue's own site before you build a day around one address.

Slice shop or booked table?

Choose a slice shop for a quick, cheap lunch near the university and a sit-down pizzeria for an evening meal with friends. Certo and Forno Brisa cover the first case; Bianco Farina and Berberè cover the second. If you want something livelier, Ranzani 13 brings beer and burgers into the mix, while Pummà, Il Rovescio and Masaniello offer more unusual toppings and a clearer ethical stance.

Bologna rewards a mix: a slice standing up at lunchtime, a Neapolitan pie at a booked table in the evening, and a plate of pasta on at least one of the days. For the full picture of where to sit down and eat in the city, our Bologna Attractions: 6 Visitor Guides hub is the place to start planning the rest of your days.