Vegan
Italian
Fast food
Beer/Wine
Take-out

Previously known as Alchemilla Bio. The shop is now owned by creators of La Zappa e il Mestolo. Specializes in street foods, piadines, burgers, chips and more. Open Mon-Sat 11:30-15:00, 18:00-22:00.


Venue map for ZEM Bistro
© OpenStreetMap contributors

68 Reviews

First Review by ConcettaDAddabbo

s_k_

Points +659

Vegetarian
29 May 2025

promising

A small, pleasant and friendly place. They offer veg versions of "traditional" (meaty) Bolognese dishes. I tried some, and it was … fine, but didn't excite me. I don't know if it was "authentic" and that's just what the original tastes like, or something was lost in translation. It was perfectly fine, just not a thing I would go out of my way to return to.

EleonoraAfOlograms

Points +167

Vegan
28 May 2025

Traditional food from Bologna

They have a lot of veganised typical dishes. We had lasagna, tortelloni, falafel and tigella. The best thing was tortelloni.

Cons: Not much space to sit

Migdal1971

Points +906

Vegan
24 May 2025

I migliori tortellini alla panna!

Finalmente dopo decenni ho potuto mangiare di nuovo un piatto della mia infanzia in versione totally vegan: i tortellini alla panna!
Nel locale si vendono prodotti e si servono pranzi e cene totally vegan, biologici, di stagione e possibilmente a km 0

Pros: tortellini, Verdure di stagione, Hamburger

swk99

Points +144

Vegan
21 May 2025

Food was okay

Friendly service and chilled atmosphere. Food did not particularly stand out but was nice enough

___lulix___

Points +349

Vegan
13 May 2025

i can still remember the taste 🤤

I hadn’t eaten tortellini in brodo since I firstly became vegetarian, and trying them again after 4 years was like a happy old meeting.
they taste exactly the same, you can’t spot the difference.
I really enjoyed them and i strongly advise to add some more in the dish… they end too quickly!
to conclude, the tagliatelle with vegan cream and sausage were also super tasty.

i strongly recommend this tiny, beautiful decorate restaurant!

thehappylittlegoose

Points +444

Vegetarian
20 Apr 2025

Delicious carbonara

Really nice vegan carbonara, unusual pumpkin lasagne (bit of a small portion). Annoying if you sit across the street in their other area as you have to keep getting up to let people in the door.

Pros: Carbonara

Cons: Dining space

vegan-t-rex

Points +1276

Vegan
19 Apr 2025

Great Tigalle, nice people

We were here for dinner but also found them at the market on Saturday and had to buy some more Tigalle, especially the Seitan and pumpkin ones are great!

AndreaAlfa

Points +178

Vegan
13 Apr 2025

Small vegan spot

Came here on a Sunday for lunch, the place is very small as it got really packed. To be honest I was very disappointed with the tiny size of the dishes, I ordered the tortellini and it was minimal for the £11, the tortellone (bigger tortellini) looked like a much better size portion, the lasagna portion also very small. The flavours were good but I would have ordered more if I knew. Overall lots of choice between Italian food (pasta) and fast foodish kind of dishes (burgers, falafels hot dogs etc) but left still hungry.
The 3 stars is only because of portion sizes as there is plenty of vegan food in Bologna that you can get a lot more for your money.

Updated from previous review on 2025-04-13

Pros: Lots to choose from

Cons: Very small portions

beffyette

Points +123

Vegan
04 Apr 2025

Delicious but small

Great to find this fully vegan restaurant in Bologna! Whilst the two dishes we were most excited for were unavailable, the ones we ordered instead were delicious and the highlights of our trip. The portions, however, could have been bigger for the price.

Pros: Delicious food, Quick service

Cons: Small portions, Small restaurant

GiadaBriguglio

Points +68

Vegetarian
18 Mar 2025

Cucina bolognese vegan

Il locale è piccolino però dall’altra parte della strada ci sono comunque altri tavoli. Tortellini alla panna buonissimi, approvati anche dal mio ragazzo non veg. Tigella e sacher nella norma ma è sempre bello trovare dolci veg non banali

NataliaJuliani

Points +384

Vegan
06 Feb 2025

Cucina bolognese vegan

I like this place. It's small, so you need to book or come early. The staff is super nice. The tortellini in brodo are great - really similar to the traditional ones.

sonnywilliams

Points +21

Vegetarian
26 Jan 2025

Want to revisit the 90's?

Like it says above, the menu is really the vegtarian fare of the 90's, mashed bean burgers,
fairly nondescript flavor combinations, a general lack of seasoning, and the buns for the burgers fall apart in crumbles. the place is really really small, so either reserve or take away/eat outside. The salad was literally just some lettuce with a bit of rucola with no dressing. it wasn't "bad" it was just surprisingly bland. Did not try the pastas, so can not speak about those. The staff was nice, but it is super cramped..

Pros: The staff was nice

Cons: Not bad quality, but really a blast from the past , from when vegi/vegan meant bland...

LaWelldone

Points +107

Vegan
13 Jan 2025

Interessante

Menù interessante: dalle tipiche tigelle ai tortelli alle fettuccine e infine alla grigliata..
ideale per una pausa pranzo o una cena veloce e informale

Pros: tortelloni di zucca

Cons: il locale è molto piccolo

_the_kangaroo_

Points +11421

Vegan
19 Dec 2024

seasonal burger was superb

the seasonal burger i had there was autumn inspired with pumpkin patty, kale, lettuce and mushroom. sooo goodand 7,50€ was pretty good cause i was full afterwards.

the restaurant itself is beautiful but tiny, it already felt crowded with 5 people inside, even though there are much more seats.
toilet (not wheelchair accessible) is on the other side of the street at zem garden where they also hold events sometimes.

Pros: all vegan, very tasty and affordable

Cons: restaurant is too small, 🚽⛔️♿

DeboraCasalini

Points +148

Vegan
10 Dec 2024

Cucina vegana

Locale piccolo, ma accogliente. Menù interamente vegano. Birre artigianali.

Pros: Ambiente, Possibilità di scelta, Birre artigianali

Cons: Accostamento dei sapori

GiorgiaRizzato

Points +130

Vegan
05 Dec 2024

Always a pleasure

The food is delicious and this is my go to place for when I want to celebrate or treat myself, either alone or with a friend. It is a cozy spot and I love it

Pros: Food, Cozy atmosphere

ViviKing

Points +68

Vegan
18 Nov 2024

A good vegan with a lot of options

The location is cozy and the staff really nice and friendly.
The menu is rich and with a lot of alternatives (traditional recipes made vegan).
I got a burger, that was quite OK.
It is lovely that they sell only local products.
If you plan to go at lunch time, consider booking a table.

Pros: Staff, Location , Local products

Cons: The smell of fried food in the room

Margheritap

Points +24

Vegan
07 Nov 2024

Vegan in Bologna

Definitely one of my favourite places in Bologna. They serve both "traditional" food as well as other options. I come here as often as I can and have tried many dishes already. Staff is always very friendly
The place is small, so make sure to book a table if you wanna try it out!

LorenzoC

Points +235

Vegan
03 Nov 2024

Non solo buonissimo...

Non sono di quelli che deve mangiare sostituti della carne, ma ho davvero apprezzato la grigliata mista. E non è secondario il fatto che fossero di loro produzione e da ingredienti km 0. E la tigella era pazzesca. Ma soprattutto ZEM va supportato perché non è un ristorante soltanto.

cinemastranger

Points +888

Vegan
14 Oct 2024

A bit disappointing

Given the good reviews, I expected more from this place, but it just wasn’t for me. I tried the tagliatelle with vegan cream and sausages. It was tasty but a bit too heavy for my liking. The staff is friendly and welcoming, but the place is always crowded, and service can be slow. Portions could also be a bit larger.

Pros: %100 vegan

Cons: Crowded, Slow service, Small portions

maithie99

Points +101

Vegan
30 Sep 2024

Not quite what I expected

I was really looking foreward to trying this, since it had really good reviews, but I ended up kinda disappointed about the food. The meat substitutes resembled what people ate 15 years ago and it should have evolved by now. The pasta was unevenly cooked and it was in general not creative at all, which to be fair it doesn’t have to be.

Pros: Serving size was big enough, We got the food really fast

Cons: Taste, Creativity (missing)

MicciM

Points +1966

Vegan
27 Sep 2024

Good and fairly priced

The food is good and the prices are fair.

Updated from previous review on 2024-09-27

GiadaPercu

Points +76

Vegan
23 Sep 2024

Gorgeous vegan food

I loved my experience at ZEM. We were lucky to find easily a table even without booking, but I would advise to reserve a spot. The food we ordered was really good. Erbazzone was my favourite thing. Also tortelloni were good and tortellini were fair. The staff was so kind and friendly, I loved it.

Pros: Great traditional food veganized , Friendly staff

Roby_Gi

Points +62

Vegan
23 Sep 2024

Buonissima Alternativa Vegan

Location raccolta e carina, tortellini della tradizione ma VEGAN buonissimi!!! Vi consiglio di prenotare è sempre molto pieno.

Pros: Cibo, Vibe, Condivisione

MCNS

Points +25

Vegetarian
18 Sep 2024

Ok as a port in a storm

Had tigalle and tortellini. Bit bland. Staff ok. Not cheap

toroBonobo

Points +484

Vegan
13 Sep 2024

Not just burger

We stopped in Bologna on our way back just to try their tortelloni and it was not disappointing. We also tried the grigliata, it was a bit too oily for us but tasted good. The staff was friendly and the beer was good.

Pros: not just burgers, friendly staff that speak English too, 15 min on foot from the central station

Cons: small, toilet on other premises, in front

margypargy

Points +108

Vegan
09 Sep 2024

Very weird experience (not good)

Everything was wrong about this place. The overflow restaurant space is treated as a takeaway, so I had to go backwards and forwards to order and to collect the food (twice). We got takeaway cartons, plastic cutlery and plastic glasses. The portion size was TINY. Not a main meal. The tortellini was ok, but there was no sauce and hardly any tortellini. The wine was undrinkable, absolutely vile. The salad, clearly from a bag, was brown and wilting. There was zero love or care in the food, which for a vegan restaurant was perhaps the biggest, saddest surprise. We have never had such a poor vegan restaurant experience in nearly 30 years as vegans. I would give this zero stars if Happy Cow would allow me to. Sorry Zem, but I would.

Pros: Fully vegan.

Cons: Very poor food, awful wine., Tiny portion in a very small takeaway container., No love or care was involved in any aspect.




This page has been viewed 0 times.