Where to eat in Bergamo, the best restaurants

Bergamo as the Italian Capital of Culture 2023 (together with Brescia) is only the latest in a series of spotlights that have illuminated the Orobic town for the past decade or so. Since 2015, to be precise, when Milan hosted the Expo, an event that attracted millions of tourists to Lombardy, who inevitably brought their attentions to the surrounding towns as well. And Bergamo, in that
case, played a leading role, thanks also to the Orio al Serio airport, which saw hordes of people arriving from all over the world.

Bergamo's food and wine heritage

It was an opportunity exploited to the full, which gave Bergamo plenty of fuel that was also invested in the following years to highlight the many excellent products produced in the area: from cheeses (there are no less than nine PDOs produced between the mountains and plains of Bergamo: Formai de Mut, Taleggio, Bitto, Grana Padano, Gorgonzola, Quartirolo Lombardo, Provolone Valpadana, Salva Cremasco and Strachitunt) to cured meats, from polenta flour to olive oil, from honey to grappa, to the art of confectionery. A cuisine, that of Bergamo, that expresses itself in traditional country dishes and knows how to give the right emphasis to each individual ingredient: from stuffed pastas that find their climax in the casoncelli and scarpinocc (the first
stuffed with meat, the second with cheese, bread and spices) to stews, from game to lake fish. Impossible then not to mention polenta - classic or taragna, it matters little - which brings with it a convivial custom that reminds every Bergamo family of family, grandparents and Sunday lunches.

Today Bergamo is a tourist city. This is clear from the figures, which in June 2023 spoke of a growth of 48.8% compared to the first half of 2022, for a total of more than two and a half million tourists passing through the upper and lower city, but also between the castles on the plains and the works of art hidden in the valleys. A growth in terms of arrivals that has favoured the proliferation of businesses active in the catering sector, which grew by 40% from 2013 to 2022.

Where to eat and drink in Bergamo

Cucina Cereda

In a 16th-century courtyard, this restaurant is the realm of Giuseppe Cereda, a chef who combines technique, elegance and flair. In his dishes are the territory and culinary tradition of Bergamo, sometimes reproduced with great imagination but always with concreteness.

Cucina Cereda - via Luigi Piazzini, 33 - Ponte San Pietro - Bergamo -  tel. 035 4371900 - Facebook

Al Carroponte

Here, it is the passion for the world of wine of Oscar Mazzoleni, host and patron who knows how to unearth valuable wine gems every time, giving them a first-rate narrative. It is a recommended place for those who want to eat properly while drinking something exceptional.

Al Carroponte - via Edmondo De Amicis, 4 - tel. 035 240 640 - alcarroponte.it

Casual Ristorante

Enrico Bartolini has decided to make the big leap (the umpteenth) also in Bergamo, moving his casual to the beautiful setting of Villa Elena. At the cooker there is always the talented Marco Galtarossa, a chef who, even before the move, had the opportunity to demonstrate his skill in transforming the great raw material he has at his disposal into great dishes.

Casual Ristorante - via San Vigilio, 1 - tel. 035260944 - casualristorante.it

Osteria al Gigianca

Part osteria and part gourmet restaurant, what is important here is that no compromises are made on the products that end up in the dishes: there is an in-house vegetable garden and there is a list this long of producers in the area who deliver real gems (often Slow Food presidia) that are transformed into truly interesting dishes that are never banal.

Al Gigianca - via Broseta, 113 - tel. 035 5684928 - algigianca.com

Da Vittorio

The Cereas are the very symbol of those who do not rest on their laurels. They know they are very good, respected and loved, but they do not give an inch, as true Bergamasks. It is no coincidence that, having secured the heart of the empire that runs like clockwork even in the foreign services of Bobo and Chicco, chefs with heart and talent, the family continues to churn out ideas.

Da Vittorio - via Cantalupa, 17 - tel. 035681024 - davittorio.com

Bolle Restaurant

After having worked in the kitchens of the best restaurants in Europe and Italy, Marco Stagi chose this restaurant to return to his native Bergamo. With him at the helm, the Bolle has changed gears without distorting itself, bringing to the table contemporary and entertaining cuisine, always of the highest level.

Bolle Restaurant  - Via Provinciale, 30 - tel. 035 0900208 - bollerestaurant.com

CUT - Caravaggio

Modern and cosy ambience, a stone's throw from the famous sanctuary, straightforward and no-frills cuisine, fresh and powerful. Andrea Fresia, a young and very talented chef, proves that he does very well with both meat and (especially) fish.

CUT - Caravaggio - Via Amilcare Bietti, 28 -  tel. 0363 5650 - cutristorante.com

Trattoria Delle Miniere - Lenna

Those who thought that it was impossible to offer cuisine of a certain level in the Alta Val Brembana were promptly proved wrong by Lorenzo Bonini, chef and owner of this restaurant, which in the last two years has amazed for its simply fabulous value for money, seasoned by a straightforward, no-frills proposal centred on the territory and local products.

Trattoria Delle Miniere - Lenna - via Coltura, 2 - tel. 0345 1720026

DeGusto - Bergamo

A must for lovers of craft beer, proposed and narrated without rhetoric or useless virtuosity. Flanking the brewing offer is a kitchen that knows its stuff, where everything is prepared in house:
from the hamburger rolls to the triple-cooked potatoes, from pork ribs to desserts.

DeGusto - Bergamo - via del Lazzaretto, 2 - tel. 035 226346 - degustobirraecucina.com

One Love Restaurant - Bergamo

Sophisticated and original seafood dishes, bizarre but well-chosen fruit-salad combinations, and
absolutely top-notch desserts: Nafi Dizdari, owner, cook and sommelier, knows her stuff and
proves it every day with an ever more original and carefully thought-out proposal in a restaurant
that combines elegance and good taste in the Colognola district.

One Love Restaurant - Piazza Emanuele Filiberto, 5 - tel. 035 0445349 - Facebook

Bugan Coffee Lab - Bergamo

If you enter this place, temple of specialty coffee, do not ask for sugar, liquor shots or decaf.
Because Maurizio Valli, barista and populariser, accepts no compromises of any kind, making the
Bugan Coffee Lab an immersive experience in the world of coffee.

Bugan Coffee Lab - Bergamo - via Giacomo Quarenghi, 32 - tel. 035 317147 -bugancoffeelab.com

by Luca Bassi