"Forty years of Romagnoli's fish cooking beside Ferrara's opera house, a €55 tasting included — book it for impressing clients."
About Quel Fantastico Giovedì
Gabriele Romagnoli opened Quel Fantastico Giovedì in 1986 and named it for the Italian edition of John Steinbeck's Sweet Thursday. Forty years on, the ristorantino on Via Castelnuovo, a side street beside the Teatro Comunale, is still the table Ferrara checks first. The Michelin Guide Italia keeps it in the national selection in 2026, and the Accademia Italiana della Cucina lists it among the city's tables of record. The menu changes daily with the fish; the €55 tasting is the way in.
Ferrara is a two-night town for serious eaters, and this room anchors our Ferrara dining guide. Pasta loyalists should pair it with Trattoria da Noemi on the other side of the centre and treat the two dinners as one argument about the city.
The Kitchen
Romagnoli's market runs to the Adriatic lagoons at Goro and Comacchio, and the day's catch writes the day's menu. The fixed points are few and earned. Calamari stuffed with baccalà and porcini, €17, has survived every seasonal rewrite; passatelli with mantis shrimp pushes a breadcrumb-and-broth mountain classic out to sea; mullet arrives with sweet-and-sour tomato. The €55 tasting runs from raw shrimp through grilled octopus to a mascarpone cannolo, and it is the strongest fine-dining value in the city.
He keeps one foot on land for the locals: cappellacci di zucca with butter and sage, €12, made the way the Accademia expects them. The wine list leans white and regional, priced for drinking rather than collecting. For the genre at full scale, see the best Italian restaurants worldwide; for what a fish-first kitchen looks like at this level elsewhere, the best seafood restaurants worldwide are the comparison set.
The Room
Two small modern rooms hung with contemporary paintings, a few steps from the Teatro Comunale's stage door. Sound stays conversation-easy; lighting is warm and low rather than candle-dark; tables are spaced for talk, not for show. Dress is smart-casual, jackets common at dinner, nothing required. Service runs at a family pace: unhurried, exact, fluent in the menu's daily changes. Book the earlier seating if you want the room at its quietest.
Best for Impress Clients
Book this room for a client dinner because it solves the three problems client dinners have: noise (there is none), pacing (the kitchen holds courses to your conversation), and the bill (a €55 tasting reads as taste, not extravagance). Ferrara's professional class has done its serious eating here since 1986, and the room reads that history back to your guests. Compare the other rooms built for this job among the best tables for impressing clients.
Not for
Closed all day Wednesday and Thursday at lunch. Skip it if you want a meat-led Emilian feast: Romagnoli's menu follows the Adriatic, and the land dishes are a courtesy.
Frequently Asked
Is Quel Fantastico Giovedì worth it?
Yes, for anyone who eats fish. It has been Ferrara's most consistent serious kitchen since 1986, holds a place in the Michelin Guide Italia selection, and the €55 tasting undercuts comparable rooms in Bologna by twenty euros or more. The daily menu means repeat visits pay. If your trip allows one dinner in Ferrara, spend it here; our full Ferrara ranking explains why it sits first.
How far ahead should I book Quel Fantastico Giovedì?
A week for Friday or Saturday, a day or two midweek. The two rooms are small and locals fill them. Book by phone on +39 0532 760570; the restaurant answers from late morning. Remember the closures: all day Wednesday, and Thursday at lunch. Saturday's second seating is the hardest table to land.
What should I order at Quel Fantastico Giovedì?
Start with whatever raw fish the Goro boats sent that morning, then the calamari stuffed with baccalà and porcini at €17. If you want the kitchen's full argument, the €55 tasting covers raw shrimp, grilled octopus, passatelli with mantis shrimp and a mascarpone cannolo. The cappellacci di zucca at €12 are there for anyone who needs Ferrara's signature pasta on the table.
What is the dress code at Quel Fantastico Giovedì?
Smart-casual. Jackets are common at dinner because the clientele skews professional, but nothing is required and nobody is turned away for good jeans. The room is intimate rather than formal; dress for conversation. In Ferrara this is as dressed up as dinner gets, and that restraint is part of the appeal.
What does dinner at Quel Fantastico Giovedì cost?
Plan on €46–65 a head before wine, the range the Michelin Guide lists, or take the €55 tasting menu. The cappellacci sit at €12 and the stuffed calamari at €17, so a two-course lunch lands under €35. Wine is regional and fairly priced; the bill stays honest even when the table runs long.
Reserve a Table
Reserve at Quel Fantastico Giovedì
Phone bookings; the rooms are small and weekend tables go about a week out. Closed Wednesday, and Thursday at lunch.
Affiliate disclosure: Restaurants for Kings may earn a commission when you book through our reservation links, at no cost to you. Our scores are editorial and never paid for.
Practical Information
AddressVia Castelnuovo 9, 44121 Ferrara
NeighbourhoodCity centre, by the Teatro Comunale
CuisineCreative Emilian
Price€46–65 pp; tasting €55
Dress CodeSmart-casual
SeatingTwo small dining rooms
ReservationPhone, +39 0532 760570
