Fodor's Expert Review Tabarro

Convivial, lively, and full of locals, this favorite little wine bar on one of Parma's main drags has a couple of keg tables outside, a few stools on the ground floor, and several more small tables upstairs. The menu is based largely on cheese and pork products (equine as well: people in this part of the world like to eat horse) and is designed to pair with, and accentuate, the fine wines on offer. There are plenty of seriously good Italian wines to choose from, and there are also a fair number of French wines and labels from across the rest of Europe. Genial proprietor Diego Sorba jettisoned his academic career (he has a PhD in Irish literature) to follow his true calling: wine and food.