Balancing the epicurean traditions of China with the classical techniques of French cuisine, Chef Susur Lee has been hailed as one of the “Ten Chefs of the Millennium” by Food & Wine magazine. Diners crowd the hipster bar and chic dining room at his upscale restaurant on King Street West to dine on a delectable array of small-plate dishes. The signature dish at Lee Restaurant is the Singaporean-Style Slaw. This 19-ingredient salad is tossed tableside with rice vermicelli, exotic Asian herbs and vegetables, salted plum sauce and peanuts. Beautifully plated a mile high, a server explains each ingredient as they go along. Diners have the option, at an additional cost, to add sashimi of salmon, sashimi of charred tuna or Australian Wagyu beef to this already amazing dish.

If it’s decently priced pizza you’re after, the low-rise sourdough crusts and organic ingredients make this central eatery a stand-out. Opened in 2013 by brothers Matteo and Salvatore Aloe, pizza aficionados flock to their 60-seat eatery to eat top-notch gourmet pies served bubbling hot from the open kitchen’s wood stove.  Tomatoes are sourced from select farms in Puglia and the mozzarella di bufala hails from Caserta, Campania). Organic products are also on sale in the restaurant’s shop.

Open since 1898, this humble, family-run trattoria is known for its specialities typical of the Emilian capital. The ancient interior is a kaleidoscope of wood, old photos and newspaper articles, sports memorabilia and the three Balanzone, Fagiolino and Sganapino clay puppets. Murano lamps and old, dark bottles are scattered everywhere above the beams that cross the ceiling. Below, the eatery dishes up such comfort fare as tagliatelle al ragù and polpettine con piselli (meatballs with peas). The presentation is unpretentious, prices are low, portions are ample, and everything is made by hand.

Whether inside amid the white stucco walls with framed photos and knick-knacks or under the porticoes out front, diners flock to this simple restaurant for locally sourced dishes, from fried squash blossoms to homemade ricotta-walnut cake. All pastas are made in-house, from flawless tortellini to the house speciality: lasagna alla Bolognese. Served once a week, the dish layers three kinds of meat in a lighter-than-air béchamel. Or try one of the other lasagna variations that follow the seasons. Fans rave about the pumpkin-mushroom version.

Housed in an 18th-century building in Bologna’s historic centre, “The Parrot” is more than a century old. And while the crisp white linens and tuxedoed waiters may seem a throwback, this gastronomic icon in a palazzo by the two towers doesn’t rest on its laurels. The kitchen makes all its pasta in-house and keeps it fresh with contemporary twists on the regional cuisine, such as tender Iberian pork cheek nestled on butternut squash with coffee-flavoured tagliatelle. Classics, such as the legendary spinach-tinted lasagna or saffron tagliatelle, are treated with equal reverence. And don’t miss the mascarpone for dessert. During warmer months, the arcade’s outdoors tables are filled with diners enjoying the weather and people watching.

This charming restaurant in central Bologna is housed in an old pharmacy and has kept all of the charms from the previous occupants, right down to the wooden shelves lined with glass apothecary jars. In charge since 1994, owner Emanuele Addone warmly greets guests, insisting they try his first-press olive oil from Lucca or dainty tortellini in a rich capon broth. Don’t come here for a quiet, candlelit evening. This is soulful cooking at its best, respecting traditional Bolognese cooking with a dash of some of the greatest flavours from the rest of Italy. The shelves also hold great wines from the Emilia Romagna region. Showered with well-deserved recognition, this little restaurant has been visited by such big personalities as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny de Vito and Francis Ford Coppola. Addone personally waits on customers, offering insight into the origins of flavours, ideas behind the dishes, and the best wine to accompany each meal.  

At Sette Tavoli (seven tables) close to Teatro Duse, Chef Marco Spanghero highlights a different region of Italy each month. A northeastern Friulian menu might feature porcini risotto or venison braised with cinnamon, while a central Italian Umbrian meal might highlight young rabbit with hazelnuts, foie gras and bitter chocolate. Wine bottles line the walls, and the restaurant’s cellar features labels that span the country. Each table is named after a famous writer.

Pro tip: Ask to sit at an outside table, under one of the restaurant’s arches.

This modest trattoria just outside the historic centre is one of the most popular in Italy’s “Food City.” Chef Flavio Benassi and front-of-house Tommaso Maio present inspired countryside dishes that keep the house’s 15 tables full every night, making reservations essential. The menu, built on fresh, locally sourced, perfectly cooked and exquisitely presented ingredients, seldom stays the same for more than a week. But pear-stuffed tortellini with butter and poppy seeds, chestnut-flour spaghetti alla chitara with porcini and hazelnuts, or pistachio-dusted chicken liver pâté are not to be missed. Pro tip: Book at least three weeks in advance. 

Managed by the Spinnato family the historic café opened way back in 1860. Considered as the lounge of the city this is an ideal place for breakfast, lunch, dinner or drink with piano playing in the background. At breakfast one can enjoy the small Sicilian pastries, croissants, cannoli, cancels and more; while at lunch and dinner get ready for some traditional dishes such as swordfish skewers, Pasta Alla Norma, and eggplant rolls and also one should also try the arancini with meat sauce and butter. For Italians, cafes are the centre of social life - establishments where one can eat and drink, socialize and do business.  Sicilians like their coffee strong. Caffè Spinnato's is a blend of 70% arabica and 30% robusta - the average blend in Italy is 49% and 51% respectively. The cafe also serves hot and cold snacks, 40 flavours of ice-cream and traditional pastries made with almonds from Avola and pistachios from Bronte

Biggy Bites, a restaurant serving American-Italian food for more than twenty years at down to earth prices is what the restaurant is famous for among locals. With a speciality in burgers, they also make delicious pasta. The penne pasta in white sauce is the one to have. Penne pasta is cooked in white sauce and served with garlic bread.