Café de la Paix

So I have pretty mixed feelings about this place.

First, the good. The ambiance and atmosphere here is incredibly enjoyable. We stayed here and worked in the mornings for a week, and by my count there were 9 different languages being spoken at any given time during that span. It's both a very social place but also one where you can get a lot of work done. We saw a coder completely locked in and developing with a passion right next to two old friends chatting the day away. As for the coffee, their prices are very reasonable, their staff super friendly, and their food is really good. Something like burrata and tomato is a fantastic midday meal.

Now, the not so good. What I found particularly un-stellar, if you will, was that both the power and the Internet would cut out intermittently. Their wireless provider WiMan seemed to have issues keeping me connected, and in 3 days we experienced 4 power outages (they didn't last very long, though). Also, they have a pretty large menu but often don't have the supply to match it. We tried several times for different biscottis or paninis, but they didn't have them available. For these reasons, that's why I'm giving it 3 stars instead of 5.

Still, the ambiance is really fun and it's a great place to spend a few hours either to work and/or people watch. Just don't come if you're really Internet-dependent

Our first Friday night in Bologna we learned the hard way that reservations were necessary for the local osterie. Faced with the prospect of no dinner, we were headed to a grocery store when we passed this wonderful little place. Having ordered an aperitivo, one is invited to enjoy a complimentary buffet of scrumptious vegetarian dishes that are more than sufficient to substitute for a light dinner. The waiters were young and friendly. One was delighted to try out his English with us or to speak Spanish if we preferred. They offered several wines by the glass, and the one that I tried was delightful. No question that we would return here.

We stopped by this place for a quick snack. Staff was extremely friendly and helped us pick out our sandwiches. The ambiance is nice and peaceful - just a nice cafe to drop in and take a break.