Il Bolognese
A converted Thai house off South Sathorn cooks the food of Bologna, passatelli and truffle-stuffed caramelle included, and Time Out Bangkok's Andrew Fowler gave it five stars in 2020.
Why go
Bangkok has plenty of generic Italians; this one commits to a region. Fowler's review pins it: "A friendly haven for pizzas and pastas in a comfy old house just off Sathorn, with a decidedly Northern Italian bent to the menu." The Emilia-Romagna identity shows in dishes most local Italian menus never attempt, passatelli in brodo and caramelle croccanti with blue cheese, truffle, and speck, backed by ingredients largely imported from Italy per the venue. The wood-fired pizzas earn their own line: "Their pizzas are some of the best in town" (Time Out). The house itself, a stand-alone older Thai home with garden seating and a private room, does the trattoria warmth without theming.
Order this / avoid
- Order: start with the Emilian regional dishes, passatelli and the caramelle croccanti, then a pizza for the table and the whole branzino if fish is the mood (Time Out).
- Avoid: treating it as a red-sauce generalist; order off the Emilian side of the card. Leave room for a barrique-aged grappa, the review's own closing tip.
What locals & experts say
- Time Out Bangkok (2020, Andrew Fowler, 5/5):
A friendly haven for pizzas and pastas in a comfy old house just off Sathorn, with a decidedly Northern Italian bent to the menu.
1 - Time Out, same review:
Their pizzas are some of the best in town.
1 - Ideal Magazine (secondary): a Bangkok stalwart of more than a decade, its owner from Rimini in Emilia-Romagna.3
Good to know
- Timing: open daily, 11:30am to 2:30pm and 5:30pm to 11pm per the venue, so it covers lunch as well as dinner.
- Booking: recommended for dinner; the private room suits a group night.
- From voco Surawong: about 2km via Sathorn to Soi 7 near Soi Suan Phlu; a 10-minute taxi or a half-hour walk.
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: famous italian in bangkok.
Verdict
could-visit — A decade-plus Emilian trattoria in a converted Sathorn house, five stars from Time Out, cooking passatelli and stuffed pastas most Bangkok Italians skip, with pizzas the same review ranks among the city's best. It is comfort cooking executed with regional conviction rather than a destination kitchen, and it is a 15-minute walk from the hotel, which is exactly the slot it should fill: the reliable Italian night close to base.