In San Vitale, the mosaics make you look up; in the nearby building of Galla Placidia, dimmer light asks the eyes to adjust. Both belong to Ravenna’s UNESCO-listed Early Christian monuments, witnesses to the fifth and sixth centuries and to a city that served as an imperial and Byzantine capital. Leaving them, lunch need not be an afterthought. Within a few streets, two osterias tell Romagna’s food story in different ways: one recovers little-known local recipes, while the other brings tradition, fish and season together.
Osteria dalla Zabariona stands at 19 Via Giuliano Argentario in the pedestrian centre, about 200 metres from San Vitale according to its website. Andrea Rondinelli presents a searching regional kitchen with cappelletti in Mora Romagnola ragù, passatelli and other dishes governed by produce and season. Do not confuse this osteria with the similarly named piadina shop: a reserved sit-down meal and a quick flatbread stop solve different problems. The restaurant recommends booking, particularly at weekends. It lists lunch every day, but no Sunday dinner.
Osteria del Tempo Perso is at 12 Via Gamba, also near the basilica. Books, records and wine create a more secluded room; the kitchen changes its menu roughly every two months and bakes bread daily. Reviews praise fish, pasta and service, while some question prices or the pace of a particular meal. Its schedule matters if the monument visit finishes at lunchtime: from October to May it offers lunch on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays; in warmer months the listed lunch service narrows to Sundays and holidays. There are more dinner opportunities.
Several diocesan monuments in Ravenna are covered by combined tickets; the tourism authority publishes options and terms to check before setting the day’s order. Confirm the admission period for San Vitale and Galla Placidia first, then allow time to look carefully, and only then fix a table. If arriving by car, remember that Via Gamba lies in a limited-traffic zone: Tempo Perso suggests parking at Piazza Baracca and walking the final stretch. Walking through the pedestrian centre is also easier than trying to park at Zabariona’s door.
The decision becomes clearer when you decide what you want from the meal. Zabariona introduces specific Romagna ingredients and names; Tempo Perso suits a seasonal dinner with fish and wine in a smaller room. Neither deserves an absolute “best” label from a single number. They offer two ways to end a visit in which close attention remains central: the mosaics need time, and the table should extend it rather than cut it short.
Zabariona offers a deliberate exploration of Romagna recipes; Tempo Perso combines seasonal cooking and fish. Book around the actual monument visit.
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Osteria dalla Zabariona
Via Giuliano Argentario 19, 48121 Ravenna, Italia
About 200 metres from San Vitale, Osteria dalla Zabariona offers another way to continue a visit to Ravenna’s mosaics: through Romagna’s food memory. At 19 Via Giuliano Argentario in the pedestrian centre, Andrea Rondinelli presents it as a place that recovers recipes kept alive in family kitchens.
Handmade pasta, Mora Romagnola pork and revived local recipes
Osteria del Tempo Perso stands at 12 Via Gamba, close to San Vitale yet away from the busiest street. Books, records, photographs and bottles shape the room. This is the atmosphere the restaurant itself shows, not a pretext for inventing an ancient story. Its kitchen makes room for traditional dishe
Fish, pasta and wine in a book-and-music-filled dining room
Sources & references
Sources for the information and reporting discussed in this guide.
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Official website of Osteria dalla Zabariona ↗
Primary source
Osteria dalla Zabariona · Accessed October 11, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Osteria dalla Zabariona ↗
Primary source
Osteria dalla Zabariona · Accessed October 11, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Osteria del Tempo Perso ↗
Primary source
Osteria del Tempo Perso · Accessed October 11, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Osteria del Tempo Perso ↗
Primary source
Osteria del Tempo Perso · Accessed October 11, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website ↗
Primary source
UNESCO · Accessed October 11, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website ↗
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Ravenna Turismo · Accessed October 11, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website ↗
Primary source
Osteria dalla Zabariona · Accessed October 11, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website ↗
Primary source
Osteria del Tempo Perso · Accessed October 11, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Nota y opiniones de esta ostería ↗
Secondary source
Restaurant Guru · Accessed October 11, 2026
Google 4.4/5 en 700 reseñas de la ostería, no de la piadinería; consultado 11/10/2026.
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Experiencias sobre comida y valor ↗
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Tripadvisor · Accessed October 11, 2026
Comentarios variados sobre cocina regional, servicio, porciones y precio; sin transferir su puntuación a Google.
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Nota y opiniones ↗
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Restaurant Guru · Accessed October 11, 2026
Google 4.5/5 en 953 reseñas de Via Gamba 12; consultado 11/10/2026.
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Relatos de viajeros ↗
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Wanderlog · Accessed October 11, 2026
Comentarios sobre pescado, pasta, servicio y ritmo; su cifra de Google puede diferir de Restaurant Guru.