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Nonna Emilia, the Via Emilia Restaurant
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The menu, the autumn specials and the desserts

The Via Emilia menu, dish by dish.

I’m Nonna Emilia, the Via Emilia Restaurant in San Donato Milanese. My menu holds three cuisines, Romagna, Emilia and Lombardy. The names of the dishes stay in Italian, as you will hear them at the table; the description in English is right underneath, with the price.

Book a tableMenu in English (PDF, 28 pages)

In a few words

My menu brings together the three cuisines of the Via Emilia, Romagna, Emilia and Lombardy, each dish with its price: the Capriccio for the middle of the table, Tagliatelle 1955, Risotto con l’Òss büs, La Milanese col manico and the Orecchie di Elefante. Fresh pasta comes in three portions: Right, Abundant and Exaggerated. Cover charge 3 per person.

Autumn comes onto my menu along the Via Emilia.

7 new dishes, the same kitchen gestures as always. They stay on the table until the seasonal menu changes.

  • La Tartelletta della Nonna

    16

    A tartlet with red onions caramelised in balsamic vinegar of Modena and a fondue of Parmigiano Reggiano aged 24 months.

    Autumn

    Allergens: Gluten, Eggs, Milk, Sulphites

  • Tartare d’Autunno

    20

    Hand-cut beef tartare with sautéed porcini mushrooms, shavings of Pecorino Romagnolo «Ubriaco in Sangiovese» and pea shoots.

    Autumn

    Allergens: Milk, Sulphites

  • Tortellini in Brodo

    Right 18, Abundant 23, Exaggerated 28

    Traditional Bologna tortellini filled with Mortadella PGI and Parmigiano Reggiano PDO, served in my homemade beef broth.

    Autumn

    Allergens: Gluten, Eggs, Milk, Celery

  • Pappardelle del Bosco

    Right 19, Abundant 24, Exaggerated 29

    Fresh egg pasta rolled out by hand, with pan-fried porcini mushrooms and Parmigiano Reggiano aged 60 months.

    Autumn

    Allergens: Gluten, Eggs, Milk, Celery

  • La Guancia della Domenica

    26

    Beef cheek slowly braised in Sangiovese, with soft whipped potatoes and its brown jus.

    Autumn

    Allergens: Milk, Celery, Sulphites

  • Il Filetto della Cascina

    200 g 21, 300 g 29

    Pork fillet cooked at low temperature, with porcini mushrooms, an Albana di Romagna sauce and shoots.

    Autumn

    Allergens: Milk, Celery, Sulphites

  • La Regina d’Autunno

    35

    A golden Orecchia di elefante with sautéed porcini mushrooms and a fondue of Parmigiano Reggiano aged 24 months.

    Autumn

    Allergens: Gluten, Eggs, Peanuts, Milk, Celery, Sulphites

If it’s your first time, let me choose.

There are three cuisines on my menu, Romagna, Emilia and Lombardy: on the first evening it is easy to miss the best. That is why I created my Percorsi, set-price tasting menus, at dinner only: you know what you will spend before you sit down, and you taste the dishes I am asked for most. The first glass is on me.

And finally, my homemade desserts

Next to each one I suggest the sip that goes with it, or ask me for the best pairing.

Nonna’s four jars

  • Nonnamisù

    8

    Savoiardi soaked in moka coffee, cream whipped by hand to my secret recipe, a dusting of bitter cocoa. Served in a jar, like at home.

    Allergens: Gluten, Eggs, Milk

  • Zuppa Inglese

    8

    Sponge cake soaked in Alchermes, custard and chocolate cream. The Sunday dessert, the Bologna way.

    Allergens: Gluten, Eggs, Milk, Sulphites

  • Cheesecake del Momento

    8.50

    Creamy and velvety. Each season I top it with a different fruit sauce: ask the staff which one is on today.

    Gluten-free

    Allergens: Milk, Tree nuts

  • Panna cotta

    8

    Made every day with fresh cream, soft and silky in its glass jar, finished with dark chocolate shavings and a hazelnut and cocoa crumble.

    Gluten-free

    Allergens: Milk, Tree nuts

To share

  • Tris della Nonna

    13

    Three of my desserts in one tasting: the best way to try more than one.

  • Tigelle dei Golosi

    8

    Freshly toasted tigelle opened up and filled with hazelnut cream.

    Allergens: Gluten, Milk, Tree nuts

  • Il Semifreddo di Bisnonna Adele

    7

    Crumbled amaretti, velvety cream and a hint of orange zest, with a bitter cocoa sauce.

    Allergens: Gluten, Eggs, Milk, Tree nuts

From the oven

  • Crostata dei Ricordi

    7

    Crumbly shortcrust made with good butter, filled with old-fashioned jam.

    Allergens: Gluten, Eggs, Milk

  • La Sbrisolona della Bassa

    8

    A recipe handed down for generations: when I break it, the scent of toasted butter fills the air.

    Allergens: Gluten, Eggs, Milk, Tree nuts

  • Peccato di Frolla

    8

    Golden shortcrust filled with hazelnut cream: first the crunch, then the soft centre.

    Allergens: Gluten, Eggs, Milk, Tree nuts

All chocolate

  • Torta Tenerina

    8

    Butter, eggs and plenty of chocolate, barely any flour: a thin crust outside, a moist centre that melts.

    Allergens: Gluten, Eggs, Milk

  • Salame al Cioccolato

    7.50

    Crumbled biscuits and cocoa rolled by hand, served with whipped cream and a dusting of bitter cocoa.

    Allergens: Gluten, Eggs, Milk, Tree nuts

  • L'Ultimo Abbraccio

    11

    A bite and a sip to take together, letting them melt in the mouth: not a dessert, but the finale of the evening. The sip is Zacapa 23 rum.

A few Italian words

gnocco fritto
puffy fried dough, served hot with cured meats
tigelle
small round flatbreads from Modena, served warm
Squacquerone
soft, fresh spreadable cheese from Romagna
Culatello di Zibello
the most prized cured meat of the Po lowlands, aged in Zibello’s cellars
Raspadura Lodigiana
wafer-thin shavings of aged cheese from Lodi
Mondeghili
Milanese meatballs made with boiled beef, breaded
scarpetta
mopping up the sauce with bread
Orecchia di elefante
a large, thin breaded pork loin cutlet (lonza), golden, beaten thin
Modena pesto
lardo (cured pork fat) pounded with herbs, spread on hot gnocco fritto and tigelle
ragù
slow-cooked meat sauce
sfoglia
fresh egg pasta rolled out by hand
Percorso
my tasting menu: a set route of dishes along the Via Emilia

The glass that changes the pace.

Next to the dishes I write the glass or the beer that suits them best. The full wine list, the craft beers and the cocktails have pages of their own, in Italian.

Wine list (in Italian)Craft beers (in Italian)Cocktails and aperitivo (in Italian)

Allergens

If you have allergies or intolerances, write them in the intolerances question of the booking form and remind the waiter before you order: the kitchen checks ingredients, preparations and what is available that day.

The numbers next to each dish are the allergens of the EU list; the key is right below.

Cover charge: fresh bread, service and cover, 3 per person.

Kitchen hours: every day, 12:00-14:30 and 19:00-22:30.

  • 1 Gluten
  • 2 Crustaceans
  • 3 Eggs
  • 4 Fish
  • 5 Peanuts
  • 6 Soy
  • 7 Milk
  • 8 Tree nuts
  • 9 Celery
  • 10 Mustard
  • 11 Sesame
  • 12 Sulphites
  • 13 Lupin
  • 14 Molluscs

Questions about the menu

Is the English menu the same as the Italian one?

Yes: the same dishes and the same prices. The names stay in Italian, as you will hear them at the table, with the description in English underneath.

What do Right, Abundant and Exaggerated mean?

They are the three portions of the fresh pasta. Right if you carry on with a main course, Abundant if the pasta is your main stop, Exaggerated when you want it to become the centre of the table.

How much is the cover charge?

Fresh bread, service and cover: 3 per person. I write it here so there are no surprises on the bill.

Can you take care of allergies and intolerances?

Write them in the intolerances question of the form when you book and remind the waiter before you order: the allergens of every dish are marked on the menu, and the kitchen checks ingredients and preparations that day.

Chosen your dishes? Now choose your evening.

Day, time and how many you are: I take care of the rest.

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