OSTERIA FRANCESCANA (Massimo Bottura)
Chef: Massimo Bottura
CREATIVE - CONTEMPORARY CONTEXT When you arrive in Via Stella, the restaurant seems to gladly get rid of all the trappings and medals in favor of a contemporary, understated elegance that will not make you overlook the acclaimed works of art of which the chef is passionate. An understatement that is also found in the kitchen, where greatness translates into measure, control and mastery of every means, as well as a great vision that starts from Modena and Emilia - parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar, tagliatelle and tortellini among the essential elements - and arrives at international classics, which the chef quotes and reinterprets with playful lightness, to remind you that food is not a boring liturgy, but fun, memory and culture. An excellent selection of wines will complete the experience; sweet dreams await you - on the other hand - at Casa Maria Luigia: in the open countryside, but already on the outskirts of the city.
The chef's commitment: "I founded with my wife Food for Soul, an association designed to combat food waste and promote social inclusion: the meals donated to people with vulnerabilities - in the refectories - are prepared using surplus food collected from local markets and supermarkets. We want to demonstrate the effectiveness of culture as an approach to improve conditions for people and food ecosystems."
Menù 290 € - Carte 270/320 € - via Stella 22 - tel 059 223912 - Closed Monday

L'ERBA DEL RE
Chef: Luca Marchini
CREATIVE - CONTEMPORARY CONTEXT Beautifully located on one of Modena's most beautiful squares, in a period building, the entrance is warm and welcoming for this essential, bright restaurant with contemporary paintings on the walls. The skilful Luca Marchini, who took his first steps at the court of his fellow-citizen Massimo Bottura, proposes mainly creative dishes, but fans of tradition will still find some Emilian cuisine. A few, widely spaced tables in a sober, modern atmosphere.
Menù 75/110 € - Carte 75/88 € - via Castelmoraldo 45 - tel 059 218188 - Closed Monday lunchtime and Sunday.

TRATTORIA POMPOSA-AL RE GRAS
REGIONAL - CONVIVIAL In the beautiful historical center of the city, but the car can be left not far away in the parking lots with blue stripes, the restaurant is the direct expression of chef Marchini who has paid homage to the pure Emilian tradition, in all its typical simplicity; recipes of the territory and great attention to quality.
Carte 30/45 € - via Castel Maraldo 57 - tel 059 214881 - Closed on Mondays

ORESTE
EMILIAN - VINTAGE Unchanged since '59, linger over the retro atmosphere of the Gio Ponti chairs, Murano chandeliers and silverware. Even the cuisine adapts to this Modenese amarcord, including tortellini, an excellent zampone and the dessert trolley.
Menu 25/35 € - Carte 35/60 € - piazza Roma 31 - tel 059 243324 - Closed Tuesday, Sunday evening and at noon except Sunday

HOSTERIA GIUSTI
EMILIAN - VINTAGE In the back room of an elegant and old delicatessen, you will find only four tables in a tastefully retro room. The menu is few and far between, but of high quality and based on Emilian traditions. In the evening it is open only by reservation and for groups of at least 12 people with an agreed menu.
Menu 50/80 € - Carte 72/120 € - alley Squallore 46 - tel 059 222533 - Closed Mondays, Sundays

FRANCESCHETTA 58
CLASSIC - SIMPLE In the kitchen, the starting point is territorial traditions, especially those of Emilia, and then more creative dishes. La Franceschetta 58 is also a way to enter the fantastic world of Bottura, at more affordable prices.
Carta 18/60 € - road Vignolese 58 - tel 059 309 1008 - Closed on Sundays

on SS 9 - via Emilia Est

ANTICA MOKA
MODERN - ELEGANT Elegant rooms inside a former school of the early twentieth century along the Via Emilia Est; the menu is extensive and inviting, with no shortage of regional flavors such as the famous fresh egg pasta, but also some more modern fish dishes. Hundreds of bottles from the voluminous wine list.
Menu 65/85 € - Carte 55/140 € - via Emila Est 1496 - tel 059 284008 - Closed Mondays, Tuesdays at noon

on SS 9 - via Emilia Ovest

LA MASSERIA
APULIAN - REGIONAL CONTEXT A corner of Apulia where you can find small masterpieces of a sunny and tasty cuisine, as well as an owner of great sympathy and competence. Fresh pasta, unmissable and imaginative vegetable pies, as well as grilled meat.
Carte 25/50 € - via Chiesa 61, Località Marzaglia - tel 059 389262 - Closed on Monday

(Espresso Guide Restaurants)

CASA MARIA LUIGIA
Stradello Banaglino 56 - Fraz- San Damaso
tel 059.469054
Open: dinner only; brunch on Sundays
Closed: never
Vacations: variable
Credit cards: all
Price from: 95 to 310
Casa Maria Luigia the Massimo Bottura's "country residence", in the green of an ancient park that has been brought back to life, with a dozen rooms and the restaurant housed in what was once a coach shelter. Massimo's idea is that of a "home away from home" to share his passions with his guests while they enjoy his cuisine. And in the annexe the two passions are concentrated on collecting contemporary art and caressing the masterpieces for which Modena and Emilia are famous: Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Ducati... So on the walls famous signatures, and bolsi to admire in the space where there is also a "small kitchen". In the evening, three communal tables are served a nine-course menu (310 euros) that brings together the iconic dishes of the Francescana's twenty-five years of activity, from the "compression of pasta and beans" to "the crispy part of lasagna". Those who have had the pleasure of tasting them in their time at the premises in via Stella find the perfection and freshness of these reissues due to the intelligence, sensitivity and hand of Jessica Royal, the young Canadian chef who arrived at la Francescana in 2014, who is also responsible for the creation of the Sunday brunch (95 euros), in which techniques and ingredients of the overseas bbq are grafted onto traditional local dishes and products, such as "an omelette in Emilia" and the extraordinary "short rib in double cooking". Intelligent wine cellar, impeccable service and marked by kindness and cordiality.

IL LUPPOLO E L'UVA
Via Staffetta Partigiana 31/P
tel 059.8638009
Open: pranzo e cena
Closed: domenica; sabato a pranzo
Vacations: variabili in agosto
Credit cards: tutte
Price from: 25 to 50
In a secluded location, in this friendly atmosphere the chef-owner offers a cuisine where the modern imprint does not neglect the classics of Emilian cuisine. Careful choice of raw materials, some unusual combination always guided by substantial common sense not to betray the flavors of memory. The leek and potato tortino with black truffle is valid, while the tortellini with smoked eel are bold but balanced. Interesting wine cellar at calibrated prices. Around 35 euros.

PROSPERO
Via San Giacomo 10-12
tel 059.225196
Open: in winter only in the evening; also at lunch on Saturday and Sunday; in summer only in the evening
Closed: in winter Monday and Sunday evening; in summer Sunday
Vacations: variable
Credit cards: all
Price from: 30 to 60
In a central but secluded position under a portico, Prospero offers land and sea dishes with a careful presentation and chromatic aspect, with a modern inspiration and technique that privileges lightness and quality raw materials treated with intelligent respect. The hot and cold cuttlefish, stracchino cheese and seaweed are seductive; the fish carbonara is daring but well prepared; the quail is precisely cooked. The wine list is not extensive but well thought out and the service is friendly. About 40 euro.

RISTRETTO
Vicolo Camillo Coccapani 5
tel 059.8396497
Open: lunch and dinner
Closed: Sunday
Vacations: one week after New Year's Eve; the middle week of August
Credit cards: all
Price from: 25 a 55
Central and trendy, with a well-stocked bar, many bottles on the walls and a friendly management. The cuisine, with non-trivial ideas, looks at the world, also due to the chef's many experiences abroad. The tagliatelle with tandoori sauce and scallop ragout are interesting, with strong flavours. The lacquered pigeon with spicy Brussels sprouts, cooked to perfection. The wine cellar is ample and well thought out, always evolving, with lots of France, also by the glass, and connoisseur distilments. About 40 euro.

ALSO...

Compagnia del Taglio
Via Taglio 12
tel. 059.210377

Cucina di Quartiere
Via Pietro Gardini 497
tel. 059.839470

Gusto Premiere
Cirso Duomo29
tel. 059.216449

(Gambero Rosso Guide Restaurants)

ARCHER
via C. Battisti, 54
tel 059 237656
Closed: Monday
Servings: 25
€ 40 wines excluded
Credit cards: MCard, Visa, POS
WINE-BAR A composed and elegant winebar, well attended and well located in a quiet corner (a small street) of the historic center of Modena. To lead the dances a hostess and sommelier with a great personality, who has been able to endow his place with an admirable reserve for composition and variety of Italian and foreign labels that promise great pleasure to the connoisseur. For everyone, then, there is a daily proposal by the glass explained with intelligence and tastefully combined with appetizer snacks or eclectic list (and for once not "local") of more structured proposals. Courtesy. Also purchase of wines and specialties to take away.

IL FANTINO
via Donzi, 7
tel 059 223646
Closed: Sunday evening and Monday
Servings: 50
€ 30 wines excluded
Credit cards: AE, MCard, Visa, POS
TRATTORIA Once upon a time there was a mescita with some hot dishes, osteria d'altan dedicated precisely to the "fantein", translated over time from the Modenese to the Italian of the current sign. It would, of course, be a stretch to say that not much has changed since then. But certainly the direct atmosphere of the welcome and the genuine taste of Modenese flavors of the proposed canvas keeps close ties with the past and tradition. Fried gnocco, gramigna, cooked pork and in the form of salami, homemade desserts are adequate company in glasses and bottles of regional prevalence proposed and served with informal cordiality.

TRATTORIA ALDINA
via Luigi Albinelli, 40
tel 059 236106
Closed: on sunday; from monday to thursday open only in the evening
Seats: 45
€ 30 wines excluded
Credit cards: POS
TRATTORIA On the second floor of a building just a few steps from Piazza Grande, a simple, well-kept, familiar and characteristic sign of times gone by, where you can find the typical repertoire of Modenese dishes. Here is fried gnocco with cold cuts, and then the highlight of the menu, fresh pasta, with tortelloni, tortellini, tagliatelle, lasagne and so on, followed by meat and traditional desserts. Wine cellar in line, with Lambrusco to dominate the scene. Fast service. Open for dinner, reservation required, only on Fridays and Saturdays.

(Restaurants of the Italian Academy of Cuisine)

ANNA
Recognition: Good Cooking Diploma
Address: National Road to Carpi Center 378 Locality Ponte Alto Phone: 059/334478 Mobile: 3298792177 Useful Info: Dogs allowed Menu for celiacs Closing: Sunday evening Holidays: two middle weeks of August Management: Barbieri family In the kitchen: Emilio Barbieri Cost: €€€ - from 46 to 65 euro Credit cards: American Express CartaSì/Visa/MasterCard Covered: 40 Extra outdoor covers: 30 Parking: Private of the restaurant or garage agreement News of particular interest: In the sixties, the Barbieri family ran the hotel Ristorante Regina in Sassuolo. Emilio Barbieri together with his wife Rita Antonella, talented sommelier, opened in 1994 the restaurant Strada Facendo in Via Emilia Ovest in Modena, becoming in time a starred chef. In 2019, after renovating his own restaurant, Barbieri reopened a historic restaurant, namely Anna in Ponte Alto. Winners of numerous awards, Emilio and Rita have upgraded the restaurant by paying particular attention to raw materials, quality of service and hospitality. Much appreciated is the matching of wines with the proposed dishes. Typical dishes: Wide choice of traditional dishes of meat and fish

BIANCA
Recognition: Good Cooking Diploma
Address: Via Spaccini, 24 Phone: 059 311524 Fax: 059 315520 Type of establishment: Trattoria Useful information: Dogs allowed Menu for celiacs Closing: Saturday lunch and Sunday Holidays: August 1-16 Management: family Kitchen: Paolo Malferrari Cost: €€€ - from 46 to 65 euro Credit cards: American Express CartaSì/Visa/MasterCard Covered: 70 Additional outdoor seats: 60 Parking: Private of the restaurant or garage agreement News of particular interest: Bastion of tradition, the trattoria Bianca continues to write its history, which began in 1948 with the grandmother's osteria of Giuseppe Tartarini, who today has taken over the reins of this local. In the city, the "Bianca" is one of the few historical places left to tell the taste and flavors of the past. "For us, the raw material is important," explains Giuseppe who, together with chef Paolo, maintains the tradition. The trattoria is inside an old restored farmhouse, with rustic and authentic furniture. Typical dishes: gnocco fritto, mixed cured meats and duroni jam tortellini in broth tagliatelle prosciutto and peas beef fillet with balsamic vinegar cappello del prete with mashed potatoes zuppa inglese Dishes not to be missed: mixed boiled meats with green sauce and bell pepper sauce

BOSCHETTO
Address: Via Due Canali Nord, 198 Phone: 059 251759 Fax: 059 251759 Closing Time: Wed and Thu-Sat evenings Holidays: August Management: since 1960 Secondo Barberini In the kitchen: Gabriella Lugli Barberini Cost: €€ - from 36 to 45 euro Credit cards: All Covered: 60 Additional outdoor covers: 50 Parking: Private of the restaurant or garage agreement News of particular interest: family restaurant, located in an ancient building formerly ducal hunting lodge, with garden Typical dishes: tortellini in capon broth tagliolini al torchio with ham and vegetables ragout pork ribs with traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena Not to be missed dish: risotto with quails

DANILO
Address: Via Cortellini Phone: 059 225498 Closed: Sun Holidays: August Management: for over 40 years Danilo Battilani Cost: €€ - from 36 to 45 euro Credit cards: All Seating: 40 Parking: Pedestrian zone News of particular interest: classic Typical dishes: potato gnocchi tagliatelle ossobuco al sugo di verdure dessert trolley Dishes not to be missed: boiled meat trolley

EUROPA 92
Address: Stradello Nava, 8 Phone: 059 460067 Fax: 059 464031 Closing: Monday, Tuesday lunch Holidays: variable Management: since 1991 Cesare Clò Cost: €€€ - from 46 to 65 euro Credit cards: All Seating: 150 Parking: Private of the restaurant or garage agreement News of particular interest: Immersed in the countryside of Modena, in the equestrian center that was the great master Lucianoo Pavarotti, obtained from an old farmhouse of the late '600, comfortable and cozy with large rooms and a summer veranda. Traditional Modena cuisine with particular attention to seasonal products offering a creative and innovative menu that is renewed according to the seasons. Particularly the menu dedicated to Luciano Pavarotti that gives the opportunity to taste his favorite dishes. Typical dishes: Maltagliati of egg pasta with fresh tomatoes, robiola cheese and herbs in extra virgin olive oil. Tagliolini with culatello ragout Risotto with balsamic vinegar Guinea fowl breast with balsamic vinegar Sliced fillet of beef with rosemary oil and potatoes Mascarpone cake with cream and chocolate Dishes not to be missed: Cappello del prete with mashed potatoes

OLIMPIA RESTAURANT
Address: Viale Storchi 485 Phone: 333/2731707 Closing Time: Saturday lunch and Sunday lunch and dinner Holidays: 3 weeks in August and two weeks in January Management: Cristian Zeoli Cost: €€€ - from 46 to 65 euro Credit cards: All Seating: 40 Parking: Convenient News of particular interest: The restaurant opened 25 years ago and has expanded under Cristian Zeoli's management, specializing in cooked and raw fish from the ports of Marzara del Vallo and Marsala three times a week, oysters from Brittany and anchovies from Cantrabico. The menu has a rotation of three or four months of both traditional and refined dishes. The extensive wine list, both Italian and French, allows for excellent pairings with the dishes served. Typical dishes: Tuna tartare Acquerello rice with cheese and pepper and bluefin tuna roe Paccheri with octopus ragout Sea bass fillet Isolana style in a crust of potatoes, onion and cherry tomatoes Mascarpone with Barozzi type cake

OSTERIA ANTICO BORGO
Address: Via Albareto, 325 Phone: 059 254254 Fax: 059 254254 Closing Time: Sun, Sat at noon Holidays: August Management: Claudio Montanari and Gianni Orrù In the kitchen: Gianni Orrù Cost: €€ - from 36 to 45 euro Credit cards: All Seating: 35 Parking: Convenient News of particular interest: Familiar Typical dishes: pumpkin gnocchi with toasted bacon and parmesan sliced Florentine beef cutlet breaded with parmesan garnished with arugula tomato and Tropea onions chocolate flan with zabaglione cream Dish not to be missed: ravioli with cherry tomatoes and Sardinian pecorino cheese

STRADA FACENDO
Recognition: Good Cuisine Diploma
Address: Via Emilia Ovest, 622 Phone: 059 334478 Fax: 059 334478 Closing: Saturday at noon; Sunday Holidays: variable Management: family In the kitchen: Emilo Barbieri Cost: €€€ - from 46 to 65 euro Credit cards: All Seating: 35 Parking: Private of the restaurant or garage agreement News of particular interest: The local, modest in appearance outside is elegant and welcoming inside. The polite and courteous service is a characteristic of this restaurant that represents a landmark in the history of traditional Modena cuisine. Emilio Barbieri is capable in proposing traditional foods but also skilled in possible innovative combinations in order to satisfy the requests of the most demanding customers. The well-stocked cellar offers important labels. Typical dishes: marinated pike, burrata cheese, chickpea cream, oil and orange sauce maccheroncini "Alla Regina" with mushroom ragout and bacon tortelli of pumpkin with sausage ragout and parmesan cream lamb loin in herb crust braid of sea bass, red prawns and lemongrass frozen zabaglione and amaretto with chocolate log and caramel sauce Not to be missed: Carnaroli rice with 24 months Parmesan cheese and traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena

VINICIO
Address: Via Emilia Est, 1526 Phone: 059 280313 Fax: 059 281902 Useful Info: Dogs allowed Menu for celiacs Closing: Sunday evening and Monday Holidays: August, December 24 - January 6 Management: since 1989 Vinicio Sighinolfi In the kitchen: Maurizio Lugli and Giampaolo Ferraguti Cost: €€€ - from 46 to 65 euros Credit cards: All Seating: 60 + 300 Parking: Private of the restaurant or garage agreement News of particular interest: Elegant, traditional restaurant, with meeting rooms, with garden Typical dishes: Risotto with baby zucchini whipped with basil Piglet fan with rosemary sauce and crispy bacon Gilthead bream fillet in potato crust and fresh tomato velouté Culatello di Zibello with crescentine modenesi Not to be missed dish: Maccheroni al pettine with rabbit ragout