Cheap eats in Parma

At Mascalzoni, a plate of tortelli, a main, a side and cover comes to €27 by our restaurant page's sum; pasta alone with cover is €11 to €13. The same kitchen charges €14 for every primo at dinner, so eat there at lunch. At I Tri Siochètt, tortelli each and a shared culatello plate come to about €21 a head with cover, but you need a taxi or car to get there.

A basket of torta fritta plus one salumi plate is the cheapest way to eat Parma's cured meats sitting down. On menus checked September 29, 2026:

• Trattoria del Tribunale: torta fritta €4.50, salame di Felino €10, salumi and culatello tasting €14. A basket and one plate is €14.50 to €18.50 before cover and drinks.
• Osteria dei Mascalzoni at dinner: eight pieces of torta fritta €4, mixed Parma salumi €14.
• I Tri Siochètt: €0.40 a piece and a €9 salumi plate. Twenty pieces for a table of four is €8.
• Ombre Rosse, Borgo Tommasini: tris of salumi €12, pesto di cavallo €8, in a wine bar.

Order salame di Felino and spalla cotta if you are counting: both cost less than culatello, which runs €14 to €22 a plate.

Pepèn, in the Sant'Ambrogio lane off Piazza Garibaldi, has made sandwiches since 1953. Order the carciofa, a savory pie of artichokes, spinach, ricotta and Parmigiano sold by the slice, and a panino of raw pesto di cavallo. The Parma shop publishes no prices and no hours. The only recent price list is from its Milan branch in January 2025: €4.80 a slice of carciofa, €10.80 for the horse panino. Milan prices are usually higher. Directories list Tuesday to Saturday with a midday break, unconfirmed; there are few seats.

Enoteca Fontana, Strada Farini 24/A, pouring since 1967, is the other sandwich stop. The one to order is the Principe al culatello. TripAdvisor reviewers in 2026 report meals of €7 to €10 and glasses of €2 to €3; it publishes no list and no hours, and service reviews are mixed.

The early-evening glass on Strada Farini can turn into supper if you order a board. What a glass costs, as far as anyone publishes it:

Two glasses at Fontana and a tris at Ombre Rosse is a light supper for two for roughly €20 to €24. Our aperitivo walk links the three bars, all within 700 m.

• Museo diffuso del Gusto. A free city trail of 24 food stops with QR codes and English audio. Pick up the map at the tourist office, Strada Garibaldi 18, open daily 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Scan more than three stops for a tasting discount, more than five for one free entry to a Food Museum.
• A dairy shop picnic. Caseificio Ugolotti, 4.8 km east of the center, sells 250 g of 12-month Parmigiano for €9, open Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Its 1 kg pieces are cheaper per kilo: €19.90 for 12-month.
• Parco Ducale is free, has a kiosk and toilets, and stays open until midnight from April to October.

Pizza by the slice. Parma has pizza-al-taglio counters, but none we checked publishes prices online, so we name none. Ask the price before it is cut. Coffee: standing costs less than sitting. At Caffè Cavour on Strada Cavour an espresso is €1.30 at the bar and €2 at a table (menu dated December 2023). Gelato: Ai Due Platani's is €8, a dessert course rather than a cheap cone.

For a full budget plan including hotels and free sights, see Parma on a budget. For when you want to spend more, our restaurant shortlist covers every budget.

That is under €40 a head for three proper Parma meals' worth of food, with water and wine at the table extra.

Taste Parma: A Full Meal Walking Food Tour by Do Eat Better

Max 12. The guide may switch between English and Italian. Guests with severe food allergies cannot join. Also sold on GetYourGuide.

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