Antica Osteria del Mirasole

A farm-rooted Emilian osteria that earns its detour from Bologna

If you are driving into the Emilian countryside specifically to eat tortellini made with cream skimmed from the best of fresh milk, Antica Osteria del Mirasole in San Giovanni in Persiceto is the right call. This is the place for anyone who wants to eat the cuisine of Emilia-Romagna in its most direct, produce-driven form — not a tasting menu at a destination restaurant, but a genuine osteria where the farm next door supplies the kitchen. First-timers should know: this is a casual, neighbourhood-anchored room, not a formal dining experience. Dress accordingly, arrive hungry, and let the à la carte menu guide you toward what the family's farm is producing that season.

What to expect

The kitchen is led by Franco Cimini, and the produce comes directly from the family's farm and dairy. That supply chain is visible on the plate: tortellini filled and sauced with ingredients sourced metres from where they are served, and a grill section among the main courses that reflects what the farm raises. There is also a shop on site where the same dairy and farm products are available to take home, which tells you something about the confidence the kitchen has in its raw materials. Visually, the room reads as a classic Italian osteria — the kind of space where the tablecloths are white, the ceiling is low, and the walls carry decades of accumulated character.

For first-timers deciding between formats, Mirasole offers two tasting options alongside the à la carte: a menu built around the great classics of Emilian cooking, and a second built around the restaurant's own signatures. The classics menu is the stronger starting point for anyone new to the kitchen's style; the signatures menu rewards a second visit when you already have a baseline for what they do well.

Lunch versus dinner

Lunch here has a strong case over dinner for most visitors. The kitchen runs a full service both midday and evening Tuesday through Saturday, with lunch running from noon to 3:30 pm and dinner from 7 to 11:30 pm. A midday sitting at an Emilian osteria of this calibre is a different rhythm to dinner: lighter in atmosphere, well-suited to a longer drive through the region, and practically easier to slot into a day trip from Bologna. Dinner is the better choice if you want the full room at its most settled and have time to extend over a second glass. Both services are substantively the same kitchen, so the decision comes down to your itinerary rather than any quality gap between the two sittings.

Awards and standing

The Opinionated About Dining (OAD) guide has ranked Mirasole among its leading casual restaurants in Europe for three consecutive years: #14 in both 2023 and 2024, rising to #11 in 2025. A Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025 adds further confirmation that the kitchen is consistent. Taken together, these credentials place Mirasole well above the average provincial osteria and justify a dedicated trip rather than a casual pass-by.

Practical details

Reservations: Easy to book; advance booking is still advisable for dinner sittings, particularly on Friday and Saturday evenings. Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 12–3:30 pm and 7–11:30 pm; closed Sunday and Monday. Dress: Smart casual is appropriate, this is a well-regarded osteria, not a trattoria, but it is not formal. Budget: Price range is not published, but the OAD Casual ranking and osteria format suggest a mid-range spend; expect less than the €€€€ bracket of Bologna's destination restaurants. Getting there: San Giovanni in Persiceto is a short drive west of Bologna; the osteria is on Via Giacomo Matteotti in the town centre. Shop: Farm and dairy products are available in the on-site shop and online for those who want to take the ingredients home.

How it compares

For context on where Mirasole sits in the broader Italian dining picture, see our guides to Osteria Francescana in Modena, Arnaldo - Clinica Gastronomica in Rubiera, and Osteria del Viandante in Rubiera, the last two are the most direct Emilian comparators at a similar casual register.

Explore further

• Our full San Giovanni in Persiceto restaurants guide
• Our full San Giovanni in Persiceto hotels guide
• Our full San Giovanni in Persiceto bars guide
• Our full San Giovanni in Persiceto wineries guide
• Our full San Giovanni in Persiceto experiences guide