The Trattoria Aldina is a restaurant that offers traditional Emilian dishes, and it’s located in Modena inside a building that houses other businesses, so it’s actually quite easy to miss the entrance. But the restaurant, its address being Via Luigi Albinelli 40, is off the beaten path going towards the city center and as such it’s frequented largely by locals, which is all the more reason to dine here, surrounded by friendly staff and true, homemade local dishes. The atmosphere in here makes it so that it feels like you’re about to have a hearty Sunday meal at an aunt or a grandma’s house, and since the restaurant is on the first floor, the overall appearance of the place is that of a real Italian house. Booking is not possible unless you plan on dining here with a group of people, but it’s fairly easy to be seated – you might have to wait just a little while at most.
The pasta-based dishes are excellent and 8 euros for a dish of tortellini in broth is truly a deal! The quality of the courses offered is amazing, especially when compared to the affordable prices. The ratio between quality and price is outstanding since the dishes of homemade fresh pasta with or without filling (tagliatelle, tortellini, tortelli, lasagne and more) cost only 7/8 euros.
The dishes I decided to order and try are as follows, but the choice spans across most of the traditional dishes and courses of a typical Emilian meal, and it ranges from different kinds of pasta, filled pasta (with diverse and seasonal fillings to satisfy every palate), second courses of meats, including veal, and a choice of side dishes (baked vegetables, mashed potatoes and so on) and cheeses.
I ordered a classic dish of tortellini in broth, a staple in the Emilian tradition, especially here in Modena, that proved to be excellent and affordable; as a second course, I strayed from the usual that would have customers order more traditional dishes such as pork shin-bone or tagliata, to order a horse meat tartare that was fairly good. As for what concerns the desserts, I tried both the excellent zuppa inglese (a trifle made with layered custard, chocolate cream, and sponge cake dipped in Alchermes) and the panna cotta with a red berries syrup that was quite good – the desserts available might change from day to day but the pillars of Italian cuisine are usually always on the menu, including tiramisu, mascarpone and more.
