Francesco Bregola

Everything was excellent. I came for lunch today. This trattoria, located in the square of the beautiful village of Pomponesco, serves excellent traditional dishes. Fantastic cured meats, top-notch tortelli, and a magical sbrisulona. The house Lambrusco Mantovano is also delicious. If I'm ever in the area again, I'll definitely return. 5-star value for money; I spent very little.

Denis Maoret

An excellent historic Osteria with an excellent selection of traditional dishes. Top-quality ingredients expertly prepared. The restaurant overlooks the bucolic Piazza di Pomponesco, with the entrance under the portico, next to the Town Hall. A welcoming and family-friendly atmosphere, with attentive and friendly service. Highly recommended.

+5

Lorenzo Fusari

Cavalier Saltini certainly needs no introduction. A historic establishment in the heart of Pomponesco's Piazza, a location reminiscent of classic trattorias of yesteryear. Don't be intimidated by the straightforward and unpretentious service, because the waiters, despite their style, will take good care of you (except for the young woman, who is truly very kind and courteous, with less "old-fashioned" manners). The cuisine is a glimpse of the osteria-style dining of the past, now on the verge of extinction. Bold, intense, and authentic flavors are rare elsewhere. First and foremost, the trip is worth it to try the "Luadel" with their exquisite cured meats (a sort of gnocchi, even if I'm trivializing it by calling it that). Then, among the various traditional first courses, I recommend the tagliatelle with duck ragù, with its truly intense flavor. For the second course, you absolutely must try the Mallard duck, with its authentic and strong flavor. The snails and mustard are delicious. For 5 dishes, water, coffee and a double round of luadel we spent 73 euros, more than deserved.

Fabrizio Bandiera

Trattoria Cavalier Saltini is a bastion of traditional Po Valley cuisine. Stepping inside is like stepping back in time—into the atmosphere, the lighting, the minimalist decor, the understated table settings, the warm welcome, and the flavors that reach your loved ones, which, thank God, have remained unchanged and impervious to all those fads destined to remain mere transitions. There I finally found the 𝑙𝑢𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑙, small focaccias made with flour, water, lard, yeast, and salt, born and still made within the confines of this small village in the province of Mantua. Fragrant, still warm, and rightly not at all suitable for low-fat diets. The 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐢 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐨 tore the evening chill off me, in the fantastic 𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐨 𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐨 I rediscovered a taste that I thought had disappeared from my childhood memory, mopping up potatoes in its Flemish sauce, was the enjoyable highlight of our dinner. Just a taste of sbrisolona with the approval of Maestro Bencini, from a wine list that certainly didn't claim to be the star, the Crocizia 𝐙𝐧𝐞̀𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚 emerged as if by magic, a Malvasia worthy of respect, dry, lively, with just the right amount of depth and plenty of character. For all this, I found the Trattoria del Cavalier Saltini to be a rare and magnificent place, as magnificent as the Piazza di Pomponesco, with its river stone pavement, the white buildings that in the evening light are a single ashen reflection, a breadth and depth you'd never think you'd find in this sparsely populated corner of humanity, along the peaceful banks of the great river. 🍴 cooked shoulder 🍴 raw shoulder from Palasone 🥖 luadel 🥄 agnoli in brodo 🍽️ baked mallard with potatoes 🍪 sbrisolona tasting 🍾 Crocizia Farm – Emilia Malvasia Frizzante 2021

+11

spadino Saint Exupery

The cuisine is like that of my grandmother's home cooking; their signature dish is the stewed donkey, which is definitely worth trying. The desserts are delicious; the sbrisolona served warm with zabaglione is truly a culinary delight. It's definitely worth it.

+1

Maurizio Malavasi

Back for Epiphany 2023 after many years, a pleasant rediscovery of the flavors and traditions that the family owners continue to offer. Bigoli al torchio, donkey stew, zuppa inglese, Lambrusco Mantovano... you can't go wrong. Excellent welcome and service. Reasonable prices.

+4

Lorenzo Rabbi

Explosive minimalism. Essential at the table. That is, what's needed is a dish. The flavors are exquisitely familiar and authentic. Lüadel (look up its long history) is incredible. I normally write incredibly long reviews. This time, I'm speechless. I bow.

+5

Cristina Poiata

The snails are delicious both in the humid and the others, but also when you add it up 😋😋😋. The qualified staff, I will return soon. I highly recommend it. Top ⬆️.

+2

Antonio Pistore

Excellent restaurant. We tried a little bit of everything, from appetizers to dessert, and we were all very pleased. The famous and unique "luadel," small, very light breads baked on the spot, were excellent. The place is a little dated but traditional. Tables outside. Average prices. Quick service, and we were treated very well...

+3

Dream-ER

Tradition and history in one place, very good food of course!

andrea manzoni

Despite the good reviews, I was a little disappointed with the service and the restaurant. The food was very good, with pumpkin tortelli and a hint of amaretto, well-made. The wild mallard, not farmed, was well-cooked.

Arc Bishop

Overrated, crafty, and not very friendly. Overall, the food is quite good, but for the location and service (kindness, take me away...) you pay quite a bit. Above all, a historic trattoria that prides itself on offering dishes made with Slow Food Presidium products on its menu cannot, and should not, allow itself to list Culaccia when it's actually Culatta! (I personally reported the violation to Salumificio Rossi, owner of the registered trademark "Culaccia"). Furthermore, if you order bigoli with mushrooms, you end up with amatriciana (for which, moreover, the menu states that a donation will be made to the earthquake victims: I wonder how, given that the receipt doesn't specify anything, and that's not the way to behave!): they're really crafty, indeed! And they can barely even tell you precisely which producers the cured meats on the list come from. A disappointing experience, two stars out of five would already be exaggerated.

+3