The typical cuisine of Verona includes many specialties based on meat, especially donkey (musso) and horse (one of which is the pastissada, a stew usually served with polenta). But in the capital, enthusiasts of the genre have several options to satisfy their cravings, whether they are looking for a rustic tavern with super-typical cuisine or a modern grill where new-generation butchers offer cuts from prized breeds aged for a long time. Not to mention the joys of South American repertoire. Here are the not-to-be-missed places.
Where to eat excellent meat in Verona
Buns
Sandwich shop. In 2024, it's been ten years since its establishment, during which Buns has evolved and expanded (there is also another location in the historic center). The king here remains a competition-level burger available in many different variations and made with maximum attention to raw materials. There's one with cheddar, onion, pickles, iceberg lettuce, tomato, Goop sauce, or with Monte Veronese, peanut butter, strawberry compote, fried onion, bacon (both beef), but also other appetizing combinations. Beers are just right for quenching thirst.
Buns - via Interrato Acqua Morta, 88a - 045 6933123 - bunsverona.com
Butcher
Selected breeds from small farms, only Grass Fed and Grain Fed certified and traceable, long dry-aged maturation (from 30 to 120 days), careful preparation, and even some extras that never hurt. The Butcher is a restaurant with a butcher shop divided into different environments - cicchetteria room, butcher room, Desiderio Bull room, private room. On the menu, in addition to ribs and T-bones, there are premium Wagyu selections and tartare, first courses such as homemade egg ravioli stuffed with BBQ beef belly, Ca’ Vittoria selection, provolone cheese, turnip top cream, and smoked beef jus, as well as meatballs, cold cuts, rabbit, pork, duck, not to mention vegetables.
Butcher - via Leoncino, 7a - 045 4682130 - butcher-verona.com
Le colombare
Here the undisputed queen is the parrilla. We are indeed in one of the most renowned Argentine restaurants in the city, in a privileged hilltop position and with a proposal that also includes some fish dishes but where it's the meat that reigns: grilled beef or horse steak or fillet, and then cutlets, picanha, asado, Argentine sausage, pork ribs with polenta. For those who want something else, there are side dishes and vegetable dishes, and even pizza. To be washed down with craft beers, some wine but above all sangria.
Le colombare - via Castello S. Felice, 7 - Parco delle Colombare - 045 914121 - ristorantelecolombare.com
Trattoria Ai Salvi
Attached to the family-owned farm, and with a history dating back to the 1920s, it has been in the hands of the heirs of the historic founder since 2003 and has earned an excellent reputation especially for meat preparations. In addition to carpaccio and tartare (and traditional or revisited first courses), there are ribs, steaks, T-bones, and hamburgers from prized breeds and cooked on the grill. To finish, among other desserts, it's worth tasting "Si Salvi chi può," chantilly cream with pistachio, chocolate, salted pistachios, and passion fruit. Friendly staff, suitable wines. And for enthusiasts, in conclusion, rum with chocolate tasting.
Trattoria Ai Salvi - via Lugagnano, 160 - 045 8680351 - trattoriaaisalvi.it
Special & Mr Martini
A truly special place, first of all because it is located inside an old gas station where the owner, Nicola Martini, worked for twenty years. And then because it offers a series of burgers ranging from sesame seed white bread bun, beef, bacon, fried egg, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, to white bread bun, smoked pork shoulder, coleslaw salad, carrot, and mayonnaise, and BBQ sauce. There are also accessory treats, first courses and vegetarian options, as well as the sirloin and Black Angus sliced beef (all organic). And there's also the inevitable cocktail bar.
Special & Mr Martini - via Tombetta, 39B - 045 8201607 - specialverona.com
Osteria Verona Antica
An old-style place true to its name where in the long menu with all the mainstays of local tradition (bigoli col musso, gnocchi di malga "sbatui," i.e., ricotta, risotto all’Amarone) meat dishes stand out: boiled meat with pearà, game stew with Storo polenta and homemade jam, donkey fillet with pumpkin and fresh mountain cheese and balsamic vinegar but above all donkey (grilled, salami and sopressa, or somarina) and horse (cold cuts, pastissada, ossocollo, shredded meat, etc.) for tasting. A boon for meat lovers. The atmosphere is homely, and the service very casual, as expected in such a place. At the next house number, there's a shop for sales and tastings.
Osteria Verona Antica - via Sottoriva, 10/A - 045 8004124 - osteriaveronaantica.it
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