Restaurant in Carpi, Italy
Honest Emilian pasta at an easy price.
Il Barolino is the most straightforward route to authentic Emilian pasta in Carpi, earning a 2025 Michelin Plate and a 4.7 Google rating across over 1,000 reviews. At €€, it delivers handmade tortellini with Parmesan cream in generous portions without the formality or cost of the region's starred addresses. Book for lunch and come with regional curiosity rather than special-occasion expectations.
If you are eating in Carpi and want honest, technically grounded regional pasta at a mid-range price point, book Il Barolino. Its 2025 Michelin Plate recognition confirms what a 4.7 rating across 1,035 Google reviews already suggests: this is a kitchen that takes Emilian tradition seriously, executes it consistently, and does so without the formality or the bill that comes with the region's starred restaurants. The room is casual and the atmosphere informal, which means it is a poor fit for a ceremonial dinner, but an excellent choice for the kind of meal that is actually the point of being in the Emilia-Romagna province in the first place.
Il Barolino sits on Via A. G. Roncalli in central Carpi, and its identity is built around Emilian fundamentals executed without shortcuts. The Michelin guide's own language points to the tortellini with Parmesan cream as the dish that earns the attention: large portions, handmade pasta, and quality ingredients. In a region where tortellini is a daily competitive standard rather than a novelty, that kind of recognition matters. Handmade pasta in Emilia-Romagna is not a selling point on its own; the question is always whether it is done well. Here, the evidence suggests it is.
The kitchen's Emilian focus means the menu works within a defined lane: fresh pasta, regional ingredients, and the kind of cooking that prioritises flavour depth over presentation theatre. If you are travelling through Modena province as a food and wine enthusiast looking for the regional canon rather than a creative reinterpretation of it, this is the kind of address you should be tracking. For a more modernist take on the same culinary tradition, Osteria Francescana in Modena offers the reinterpretation, but at a price and booking difficulty that are in a completely different category.
No wine list details are available in our verified data for Il Barolino, and we will not speculate on specific bottles or by-the-glass offerings. What can be said with confidence is that a €€ Emilian trattoria operating at this quality level in this region typically works in close proximity to the Lambrusco-producing zones of Modena province, and the house wines at addresses like this tend to be chosen to complement the pasta-heavy menu rather than to showcase cellar depth. If you are visiting Carpi specifically to explore the region's wine culture in depth, cross-reference our full Carpi wineries guide for dedicated producer visits that complement a meal here. For a standalone drinks program worth its own visit, Il Barolino is not the destination; for a well-matched glass with handmade tortellini, it almost certainly delivers what the meal requires. Check our full Carpi bars guide if cocktails or aperitivo are a priority for your evening.
Lunch is the smarter visit over dinner for a restaurant like this. Emilian trattorias of this type tend to run their leading service at midday, when the kitchen is focused and the room fills with locals rather than tourists. Given the informal setting described by Michelin — a simple room suited to friends and colleagues — weekend lunch or a weekday midday visit will give you the most representative experience. If you are building an itinerary around the broader Modena food circuit, this works well as a focused pasta lunch stop rather than a long evening occasion. For context on the wider Carpi dining picture, see our full Carpi restaurants guide, and for modern cuisine options in the same city, Momento al 25 offers a contrasting approach.
Carpi sits within the Modena province, which means it is within reach of some of Italy's most discussed restaurant addresses. The regional Emilian tradition that Il Barolino represents is the same foundation that [Arnaldo - Clinica Gastronomica](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/arnaldo-clinica-gastronomica-rubiera-restaurant) in Rubiera has built its reputation on across decades, and that Osteria del Viandante in Rubiera carries forward in its own register. Those two addresses offer useful comparisons at different price and formality levels. Il Barolino's €€ positioning makes it the accessible entry point for the tradition , the place you go when you want the cooking without the ceremony.
For travellers building a longer Emilia-Romagna itinerary, the province's wider restaurant circuit includes Dal Pescatore in Runate at the €€€€ end of the scale, along with Le Calandre in Rubano and Uliassi in Senigallia for the kind of starred Italian cooking that sits in a different conversation entirely. Il Barolino's role in that itinerary is clear: it is where the regional tradition is accessible, affordable, and, on the evidence, executed with genuine care. Those planning a stay should consult our full Carpi hotels guide and our full Carpi experiences guide to build the trip around the meal.
Price range is €€, which positions Il Barolino firmly in the accessible mid-range , expect the kind of bill that makes ordering freely a comfortable decision rather than a calculated one. Booking is rated Easy, and given the Michelin Plate recognition drawing additional attention, reserving a table ahead rather than walking in is sensible practice, particularly at lunch on weekends. No phone or website details are available in our verified data; direct enquiry via the venue's Google listing is the most reliable current route to a reservation. The room is described by Michelin as simple and informal, which sets the dress expectation clearly: smart casual is more than sufficient. The address is Via A. G. Roncalli, Via Giovanni XXIIIº, 110, 41012 Carpi MO.
Quick reference: €€ Emilian trattoria, Michelin Plate 2025, 4.7/5 (1,035 reviews), casual dress, easy to book, lunch recommended.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Il Barolino | €€ | Easy | — |
| Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Dal Pescatore | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Osteria Francescana | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Quattro Passi | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Reale | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
A quick look at how Il Barolino measures up.
It depends on what you mean by special. Il Barolino has a 2025 Michelin Plate and genuine Emilian craft behind its hand-made tortellini, but the room is described as simple and suited to informal gatherings. If your occasion calls for a relaxed, food-forward dinner with friends or family rather than a formal celebration, this is a strong choice. For a grander setting, Osteria Francescana or Dal Pescatore in the broader Emilia region set a different tone entirely.
Go for the tortellini. Michelin's 2025 Plate assessment calls them out specifically — large portions, hand-made, served with Parmesan cream — and they represent exactly what the kitchen is built around. The price range is €€, so ordering generously is comfortable. The atmosphere is informal, the team is described as genuinely hospitable, and the address is Via A. G. Roncalli in central Carpi.
Yes, and probably more comfortably than at many Italian trattorias of this type. The informal room and the team's noted warmth make it a low-pressure solo stop, and the €€ price point means a full meal does not require a group to feel justified. Counter or table seating details are not in our verified data, but the casual format suits a solo lunch well.
No tasting menu is documented in our verified data for Il Barolino. The format here is a traditional trattoria, not a multi-course tasting operation. If a tasting structure matters to you, Reale or Osteria Francescana are the relevant regional options, though at a significantly higher price and booking difficulty.
Dress casually. Michelin's own note describes the room as simple and suited to informal gatherings among friends and colleagues, which is about as clear a signal as you get. Clean, comfortable clothing is appropriate — no jacket required.
Specific Carpi alternatives are not in our verified data, but the broader Modena province context is useful: for a similar Emilian trattoria register at a higher price point, Dal Pescatore (Michelin two stars) is a regional benchmark. For the same €€ casual-lunch format, any Michelin Plate-listed trattoria in the Modena area is a reasonable comparison. Il Barolino's combination of Plate recognition and mid-range pricing is not easy to replicate locally.
Yes. A 2025 Michelin Plate at a €€ price range means you are getting externally validated, hand-made Emilian pasta without the cost pressure of the region's starred addresses. The value case is straightforward: order the tortellini, eat well, and leave without a difficult bill.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
