Ravenna is in Emilia-Romagna, one of Italy's great food regions, and the city's restaurants reflect this without the tourist markups of Bologna or Ferrara. The cuisine is rich: fresh pasta (tagliatelle, tortellini, passatelli in brodo), piadina flatbread stuffed with prosciutto and squacquerone cheese, and grilled meats. Seafood appears on most menus given the Adriatic coast's proximity — cuttlefish, clams, and brodetto (fish stew) are regional standards.
The streets around the central Piazza del Popolo and Via Corrado Ricci have the densest concentration of restaurants and wine bars. For a cheaper and more local experience, the streets behind the covered market to the north are worth exploring. The city's covered market (Mercato Coperto) is the best place to assemble a picnic with local salumi, cheese, and fresh pasta before a day of monument-visiting.