Inclusive Restaurants, Cafés and Social Venues in Bologna and Beyond
Updated on 25 May 2026 From Davide Sarti
In Bologna, the culture of hospitality is expressed through the dining table, too.
Alongside the local gastronomic tradition, there are cafés, osterias, restaurants and breweries that combine high-quality food and drink with a strong social commitment, promoting inclusion, training and employment opportunities for people with disabilities or in vulnerable situations.
Here are some places where enjoying something to eat or drink also means discovering the most supportive side of the area!
Where to Eat and Drink in Bologna While Supporting Inclusive and Social Projects
In Bologna city
In the metropolitan area
Not in the list?
L’Altro Spazio
Located on Via Nazario Sauro, L’Altro Spazio is a venue created with a strong focus on accessibility and inclusion. Part of the staff is made up of people with disabilities, and the spaces are designed to encourage the participation of everyone. In addition to being an ideal place for aperitifs and social gatherings, it regularly hosts accessible cultural events, multisensory installations and concerts with Italian Sign Language (LIS) interpreters, offering an open and inclusive experience in the heart of the city.
➝ Address: Via Nazario Sauro 24/F
via tripadvisor.it
Senza Nome
Senza Nome is a café and meeting space on Via Belvedere, known for its project connected to the Deaf community. Most of the staff working both behind the counter and in the dining area are deaf, and communication also takes place through Italian Sign Language (LIS), written notes and tools designed to facilitate interaction. As a result, a place to enjoy a coffee or an aperitif also becomes an opportunity to experience inclusion in a simple, everyday way.
➝ Address: Via Belvedere 11/B
Cafe de la Paix
Located on Via Collegio di Spagna, Cafe de la Paix is a socially conscious venue connected to a social inclusion project run by the Iusta Res Cooperative. Its goal is to support employment reintegration pathways for young people facing difficulties, within a welcoming and informal environment. It is a great spot for an aperitif, a snack, a light meal or a convivial moment in the centre of Bologna.
➝ Address: Via Collegio di Spagna 5/d
Bronzo Pastificio Sociale
A stone’s throw from the PalaDozza, in via Grimaldi, Bronzo Pastificio Sociale is a workshop with kitchen dedicated to fresh pasta and bronze-die extruded dry pasta. The project combines artisanal production and social inclusion, welcoming and training people at risk of dropping out and supporting them on their path towards job reintegration. The initiative was created thanks to a network of local organisations and institutions, including the Bologna “Rocco D’Amato” Prison, the Juvenile Justice Centre for Emilia-Romagna, Mondo Donna Onlus, CSAPSA Società Cooperativa Sociale, Insieme per il Lavoro and FOMAL. Here you can buy pasta to take home or stop for a meal, in a place where gastronomic quality and social impact are part of the same supply chain.
➝ Address: via Grimaldi 6/C
via ilgiornaledelcibo.it
Brewpub Vecchia Orsa Moline and Vecchia Orsa DLF
Vecchia Orsa Moline and Vecchia Orsa DLF are the Bologna brewpubs of Birrificio Vecchia Orsa, a social enterprise run by the Arca di Noè Cooperative based in San Giovanni in Persiceto. At both venues, visitors can taste the craft beers produced by the brewery, the result of a production chain that promotes inclusion and employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
NB: the venue inside the DLF area is open only from May to September.
➝ Address: Via delle Moline 10a
➝ Address: Via Sebastiano Serlio 25/2
Battirame 11
Battirame11 is a social farming project that combines cuisine, sustainability and inclusion. The restaurant and vegetable garden are managed by the Eta Beta Cooperative, in collaboration with chef Max Poggi, who offers a high-quality gastronomic experience closely connected to social responsibility and the local area. The restaurant provides employment inclusion opportunities for people with disabilities or in vulnerable situations, showing how the restaurant industry can become a concrete space for growth and participation.
➝ Address: Via del Battirame 11
via battirame11.eu
Porta Pazienza
Located on Via Pirandello, Porta Pazienza is a social project that combines cuisine, legality and solidarity. The restaurant and pizzeria serves dishes prepared with products sourced from assets confiscated from criminal organisations and from social farming cooperatives. One of its most meaningful initiatives is the “suspended pizza”, inspired by the Neapolitan tradition of suspended coffee: a small act of sharing that makes it possible to offer a meal to someone in need.
➝ Address: Via Pirandello 6
via thefork.it
Le Torri – Cuisine, Pizza and Training
Located in the Fiera district, Le Torri is a training restaurant managed by CEFAL Emilia-Romagna. The dining room and kitchen become a real professional environment where students can test themselves while working with the public and developing hospitality and restaurant skills. A project that combines education, employment and hospitality, broadening the concept of inclusion to educational and professional pathways as well.
➝ Address: Via della Liberazione 6
via cefal.it
La Taverna del Castoro
Located inside Villa Pallavicini, in the Borgo Panigale district, La Taverna del Castoro is the social restaurant run by the CIM Social Cooperative. The project promotes employment pathways for people in vulnerable situations, supporting their integration into the restaurant sector. The menu highlights traditional Bolognese dishes in a welcoming setting, where having lunch or dinner also means supporting a broader project focused on autonomy, solidarity and community.
➝ Address: Via Don Giulio Salmi 9
via tripadvisor.it
La Tîż – Social Osteria of Villa Pini
Located on the outskirts of the San Donato–San Vitale district, La Tîż is a social osteria created as part of an educational project by the IT2 Social Cooperative. Its aim is to combine hospitality with social investment by creating employment inclusion pathways for people in vulnerable situations. The menu features traditional Bolognese dishes, handmade fresh pasta, crescentine, tigelle and specialties that reflect the local area.
➝ Address: Via del Carpentiere 14
Locanda Smeraldi – Bentivoglio
Surrounded by greenery within Villa Smeraldi in Bentivoglio, Locanda Smeraldi is a project run by the Anima Social Cooperative. The inn promotes employment inclusion pathways, with particular attention to people with disabilities. The cuisine highlights traditional dishes and products connected to the cooperative’s vegetable garden, in a peaceful and welcoming setting.
➝ Address: Via S. Marina 47, Bentivoglio
via coopsocialeanima.it
Agriturismo Parco della Chiusa – Casalecchio di Reno
In the heart of the Parco della Chiusa in Casalecchio di Reno, this agriturismo is managed by the COpAPS Social and Agricultural Cooperative, which has been active since 1979 in the social inclusion of disadvantaged people. The project provides employment opportunities and greater independence for people with disabilities or in vulnerable situations, involving them in hospitality services, room preparation, breakfasts, meals and table service. The property features a farmhouse restaurant, guest rooms and products connected to the cooperative’s social supply chain, all within a natural setting that is easily accessible on foot or by bicycle.
➝ Address: Via Panoramica 36, Casalecchio di Reno
via agriturismoparcodellachiusa.it
Brewery Vecchia Orsa – San Giovanni in Persiceto
Founded in San Giovanni in Persiceto, Birrificio Vecchia Orsa is a craft and social brewery connected to the Arca di Noè Cooperative. The project involves people with disabilities in several stages of the production process, including bottling, labelling and product enhancement. Alongside the brewery operations, the brewpub offers craft beers and simple dishes in an informal and convivial atmosphere.
➝ Address: Via Cristoforo Colombo 5, San Giovanni in Persiceto
via vecchiaorsa.it
Serra Sole – Trebbo di Reno
In Trebbo di Reno, Serra Sole is a contemporary trattoria born from the collaboration between chef Max Poggi and the Eta Beta Social Cooperative, following the experience already developed in Bologna with Battirame 11. The project combines local cuisine, attention to quality and a social mission, promoting employment inclusion pathways and involving people in vulnerable situations. A place worth discovering for those looking for thoughtful dining with a strong community focus.
➝ Address: Via Corticella 61, Trebbo di Reno
via serrasole.it
Borgo Digani – Argelato
Just a few kilometres from Bologna, Borgo Digani is a social restaurant located within a complex dedicated to inclusion, wellbeing and innovation. The project combines daytime activities, social interaction and employment inclusion pathways, with part of the staff made up of people from vulnerable and protected categories. The gastronomic offering focuses on Emilian culinary tradition and local agricultural production.
➝ Address: Via Sant'Antonio 5, Argelato
Suggest a Venue
The list is constantly being updated. Venues across the local area that promote social inclusion, training or employment integration projects and would like to be featured can fill in the dedicated form, providing details about their project and venue information.
Lover of storytelling and of walks along trails that fade into the horizon. I've been writing for bolognawelcome.com since 2021.
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