What to eat in Bergamo and where: 10 typical dishes and the best restaurants

The culinary wealth of Bergamo and its province is truly vast and is based on genuine products such as meats and cheeses sourced from local farms. From appetizers to desserts, the tables of Bergamo will not disappoint even the most discerning palates thanks to simple recipes passed down from generation to generation.
Here are all our tips on what to eat in Bergamo and where!

1 - Polenta Taragna

outside table with typical products bergamo mountains

In Bergamo, it's not just simple polenta; it's enjoyed as taragna made with corn flour and buckwheat flour mixed with water. Often the thick, grainy mixture is enhanced with melted butter and cheese (fontina or branzi) to create "polenta onta".
Alternatively, polenta taragna accompanies numerous meat dishes such as pork stews or wild boar.

Recommended for lunch, dinner
Average price from $6.00
Main ingredients corn flour, buckwheat flour, butter, cheese

2 - Casoncelli

This stuffed pasta with ancient origins was once made by hand with whatever ingredients were available, resulting in recipes that varied by family. Poor families made it with water and flour, filled with cheese, bread, and vegetable broth, and garnished with hazelnut butter.
Today you can find the "richer" version: the pasta is made with eggs and flour, and the filling is meat, grana, amaretti, raisins, and parsley, served with melted butter, bacon, and sage.

Recommended for lunch, dinner
Average price $10.00
Main ingredients eggs, flour, meat, grana, amaretti, raisins, parsley, butter, bacon

3 - Scarpinocc

Similar to casoncelli, the name derives from the shape resembling the ancient footwear worn by the inhabitants of Parre, in the province of Bergamo. This pasta has a lean filling made of cheese, eggs, butter, breadcrumbs, and spices used to stuff discs of dough made from white flour, warm water, and egg yolk.
It is all dressed with melted butter, grana, and sage.
In Parre, the third weekend of August also hosts the scarpinocc festival where you can taste this traditional dish.

Recommended for lunch, dinner
Average price $8.00
Main ingredients flour, egg yolk, cheese, breadcrumbs, spices, butter

4 - Polenta e osei (sweet version)

This is a typical dessert of Bergamo's tradition, not to be confused with the savory version. If you walk around the city, you'll notice these yellow dome-shaped treats decorated with chocolate birds and candy everywhere.
There are various versions, but the original is made with sweet polenta, almond paste, and dark chocolate.
The "polenta scodellata" is finally garnished with chocolate birds.

Recommended for breakfast, snack, dessert
Average price from $5.00
Main ingredients polenta, almond paste, milk, butter, chocolate

5 - Torta Donizetti

According to Bergamasque legend, "if you're lovesick, just a slice of Turta del Dunizet will make it all better". Beyond this belief, this is a very tasty typical cake that must be tried during your stay in the city.
It is a simple ring-shaped margherita cake, but the batter includes candied apricot, candied pineapple, and maraschino that gives it a delicate yet intense flavor.

Recommended for anytime
Average price from $4.00
Main ingredients butter, sugar, eggs, flour, starch, candied pineapple and apricots, maraschino

6 - Stracciatella Ice Cream

speciality italian stracciatella ice cream scoop with flakes dark chocolate creamy vanilla ice cream top view speciality italian stracciatella ice

Not everyone knows that stracciatella ice cream was actually born in Bergamo in 1961, when Enrico Panettoni, at his ice cream shop, decided to add flakes of dark chocolate to fiordilatte.
This led to the creation of a true flavor, perfect for a nutritious snack, to refresh your palate after a hearty meal, or to enjoy at any time of the day.

Recommended for anytime
Average price from $2.00
Main ingredients dark chocolate, eggs, milk, cream, sugar

7 - Cheeses

outside table with typical products bergamo mountains 1

Among the other foods to eat are the cheeses, one of the strong points of the local cuisine with as many as 9 recognized DOP cheeses. The province produces Strachitunt, Taleggio, Salva Cremasco, Gorgonzola, Grana Padano, Provolone Valpadana, Bitto, Formai de Mut, and Quartirolo Lombardo. Less known but no lesser in quality are Branzi, Formaggelle, Caprini, and Stracchini with exceptional production and Slow Food protection.
In any restaurant, ask for a cheese board to taste these dairy delights!

Recommended for lunch, dinner, snack
Average price from $12.00 for cheese board
Main ingredients milk

8 - Polenta e osei (savory version)

delicious grilled pork with polenta garlic sauce decorated with red green leaf

A typical Bergamasque specialty is polenta e osei in the savory version, a dish where polenta, most often taragna, is served with small birds like pheasants and other species easily found in the plains surrounding the city.
The game is almost always cooked on the spit before being served.

This dish is very ancient and was served in peasant and noble families during the hunting season.
Today many restaurants and taverns offer this specialty year-round, as the game is frozen to be consumed even during months when hunting is prohibited.

Recommended for lunch and dinner
Average price $16.00
Main ingredients corn flour, buckwheat flour, small birds, butter

9 - Bergamo Salami

The Bergamo salami has very ancient origins and was used as a means of payment in the post-war period. Its main characteristic is to utilize the entire pig, even the parts that other regions use to make hams, coppa, or culatello, and not to include other meats. Furthermore, the pigs are fed exclusively on grains like corn. It is a niche product because it is difficult to find outside of Bergamo, and the best salami are still those produced artisanally.

Recommended for anytime
Average price from $15.00 for salami
Main ingredients pork

10 - Capù

Common in Bergamasque tradition, they are cabbage pockets stuffed with breadcrumbs, cheese, and the cabbage itself.
Once assembled, they are boiled and then baked with cheese on top.
The name probably derives from the meager consolation of naming a simple, humble dish with the name of a rich dish: capone (in Bergamasque capù).

Recommended for lunch, dinner
Average price $10.00
Main ingredients savoy cabbage, cheese, breadcrumbs

Where to eat in Bergamo: affordable restaurants, typical places, and street food

Bergamo, aside from being a beautiful city, is the perfect place for lovers of good food. A cuisine rich in authentic, genuine flavors that has its roots in the local peasant tradition.

In the city center and surroundings, there are many Bergamasque trattorias and osterias, the best places to taste numerous traditional dishes while spending fairly and not compromising on flavor. Not only that: you will also find wine bars for quick lunches and snacks, or more upscale restaurants for important events and romantic evenings. Keep in mind that in Bergamo, it is rare to have dinner too late, with many restaurants closing around 10:30 PM.

Here are the best places to eat in Bergamo!

1 - Antica Trattoria La Colombina

Description a gathering place to enjoy grandma's true cuisine in a quaint and welcoming dining room
Specialties casoncelli, polenta taragna, braised meat with polenta
Average price from $25.00 per person
Address via Borgo Canale, 12 - Get directions / tel: 035261402

2 - Trattoria del Teatro

Description a traditional place perfect for sampling dishes cooked according to ancient recipes excellently
Specialties rabbit with rosemary, casoncelli, cheeses and cured meats
Average price from $20.00
Address piazza Lorenzo Mascheroni, 3 - Get directions / tel: 035238862

3 - Pasticceria Cavour 1880

Description the perfect spot for breakfast, a snack, or an afternoon tea accompanied by delicious pastries
Specialties polenta e osei (sweet version), torta donizetti
Average price from $5.00 per person
Address via Gombito, 7 - Get directions / tel: 035243418

4 - Polentone

Description a casual little kiosk in the Città Alta, with stools and wooden counter, perfect for a quick lunch or snack with Lombard recipes
Specialties polenta taragna with salama
Average price from $10.00 per person
Address piazza Mercato delle Scarpe, 1 - Get directions / tel: 3488046021

5 - Ristorante Vineria Cozzi

Description gourmet cuisine with pasta dishes and homemade desserts served in a retro-style locale from 1848
Specialties strachitunt ravioli with escarole, casoncelli, egg with fondue
Average price from $30.00 per person
Address via Bartolomeo Colleoni, 22 - Get directions / tel: 035238836

6 - Trattoria Parietti

Description a family-run establishment with wall frescoes and checkered tablecloths serving Bergamasque specialties
Specialties polenta with mushrooms, rabbit, cheese board, homemade gnocchi
Average price from $20.00 per person
Address via Costantino Beltrami, 52 - Get directions / Tel: 035221072

7 - Il Coccio trattoria da asporto

Description a small and cozy restaurant where authenticity reigns. All dishes are made to order, daily specials change frequently, and takeout service is also available
House specialty homemade tagliatelle with ragù, ossobuco in gremolada
Average price from $15.00 per person
Address via Sant'Alessandro, 54 - Get directions / tel: 0350932338

8 - Trattoria D'Ambrosio Da Giuliana

Description an osteria offering traditional Lombard dishes, particularly fresh pasta dishes
House specialty casoncelli alla bergamasca
Average price from $20.00 per person
Address via Broseta, 58 - Get directions / tel: 035402926

9 - La Fiaschetteria

Description those who stop here for an aperitif often end up having a full dinner. Undeniable quality in both the wine selections and the charcuterie boards
House specialty boards featuring cured meats and mountain cheeses
Average price from $15.00 per person
Address via Borgo Santa Caterina 8 - Get directions / tel: 035245653

10 - Goss Quality Burger

Description offers quality street food, specializing in stuffed sandwiches with hamburgers. However, the choices are varied, from grilled meats to salads, without forgetting classic boards.
House specialty the Gamburger, the zero-kilometer Bergamasque hamburger made in collaboration with the Gamba Edorda company of Villa D'Almè.
Average price from $15.00 per person
Address via Bartolomeo Colleoni 20 - Get directions / tel: 035224206

11 - Osteria della Dogana

Description an osteria that also offers fish and pizza. For lunch, fixed-price menus are available that allow you to enjoy a first course, a second course, and a side dish for only $10.00
House specialty sliced tuna
Average price from $15.00 per person
Address via Pietro Rovelli 28 - Get directions / tel: 035239483

12 - Ol Giopì e la Margi

Description a typical Bergamasque restaurant with some reinterpretations and local products
House specialty polenta taragna
Average price from $25.00 per person
Address via Borgo Palazzo, 27 - Get directions / tel: 035242366

13 - Babilonia 1907

Description pastry shop and gelateria, preparing sweets from Bergamasque tradition
House specialty polenta e osei dolce, stracciatella ice cream
Average price from $5.00 per person
Address via Gombito, 12 - Get directions / tel: 035242366

14 - Carmen Gelato - Colleoni

Description a famous gelateria in Città Alta, offering excellent ice creams and a small selection of pastries
House specialty stracciatella ice cream
Average price from $2.00 per person
Address via Bartolomeo Colleoni, 20C -Get directions / tel: 035224230

15 - Osteria Tre Gobbi

Description one of the first osterias in the city, as noted by a plaque at the entrance, which composer Donizetti often visited, offers the simplest and most genuine Bergamasque cuisine.
House specialty meat cuts with polenta
Average price from $15.00 per person
Address via Broseta, 20C - Get directions / tel: 035243405

16 - Binario Magico Pub

Description we are not quite in Bergamo, but in a neighboring town. This restaurant is entirely dedicated to the Harry Potter universe! A must for fans of the saga
House specialty fantastic hamburgers and where to find them
Average price from $25.00 per person
Address via Briantea, 26, locality Palazzago - Get directions / tel: 3665099666