This was our first stop for Massimo botturo in Modena…read moreAbsolutely the Emilia burger is the best hamburger known to man The aged Negroni was absolutely delightful and delicious and instilled a sense of peace The pasta with clams was luxurious sauce and only the completion allowed satisfaction beyond compare The dessert was constructed perfectly Service as always is attentive and constant and. The restaurant is cozy and comfortable A must visit to Modena before his classic three star restaurant Francescana at casa Maria luigia

It was an amazing meal from a visual and sensory perspective. Each dish is a painting that is…read moreserved and evolves on your plate through color and space. The staff nicely explains each dish and the background of its story. You receive a printed card showcasing the story and theme before the meal (in our case misery and nobility), then a copy of the printed menu, and a separate menu with the substitution if you have a dietary restriction. I didn't know they had an extensive kitchen and staff of 65 that works on the preparations and execution behind the scenes. It was definitely the most expensive fine dining experience in Europe, possibly the most expensive restaurant in Italy. But it was worth trying it. Very different from the Paul Bocuse experience, and different from Japanese fine dining too.

Feels like a very old timey traditional Modena restaurant for locals but the staff speaks English…read morewhich was a surprise. The tiny Tortellini in broth was amazing & I haven't had tripe italian style for a long time. Wonderful place.

Enzo was delightful! You'll walk upstairs to get to the dining room - a very homey, calm vibe…read more Nothing crazy & no surprises. Just really good pasta! Service was good.

This gem came recommended by a local we met today. It's upstairs, unassuming and absolutely…read moreamazing! Friendly staff and many options for both carnivores and vegetarians

Homey trattoria for traditional Italian food! It felt like stepping in to someone's home where we…read morewere treated to friendly service and delicious food. The lasagna was completely made from scratch and my boyfriend stated it was the best he's ever had. I ordered the pasta with sausage and wow, what a treat. Prices were affordable and food was serviced quickly. Can't recommend enough!

Food! Service…read more Ambiance Location Deserts Steaks Wine Great find, Interior was great and comfortable A/C worked Did I say Deserts

This meal was, by far, our favorite pasta in Italy! The handmade tortelloni pasta with pumpkin,…read morebalsamic vinegar, and Parmesan is an absolute must when dining here. We arrived around 10 minutes before the doors opened for lunch, and our party of 7 was seated immediately. We ordered and most of our plates arrived quickly. For some reason, one plate of lasagna arrived 15 minutes after the other dishes. Everything we tried was delicious, and the outdoor seating in the plaza was lovely!

Just finished eating here. Pasta with porchini mushrooms and osso bucco. Both were excellent…read more Since the last review is so long ago, wanted to update that service and quality of food is still excellent. Prices are reasonable. Five steps from Duomo. You can actually see it if sitting outside. Very pleasant. And some street musuans are playing right outside ans are very very good.

What a delicious restaurant! Came here at 7:30 PM on a Saturday night and it was empty. Italians…read moreeat so late, it's weird. Anyway, we ordered the gnocco fritto to start, which was mind blowing. Imagine a sweet puffy dough pillow that was halfway in-between a crossiant and a donut. And then imagine putting nice prosciutto and salamis and what not on it. It was an awesome, life changing meal. For our mains, we had the gnocchi with sausage and the cheese and spinach tortilini with balsamic dressing - two awesome dishes. Perfectly sized, great flavors, not overly salty. Water was only 1 euro per bottle, and coperto was 2 euro each. Our waiter spoke great English, and even put up with my dad's sad attempt to speak Italian (by attempting to pronounce the names of the dishes). I prefer the "point to the menu" method myself. Really really pleased with the quality, price, and level of service. It's a little bit hidden down a small street, but keep searching it's worth it I promise!

Food was top notch. I had beef tartare that was beyond superb. Service was impeccable. Although it…read morewas very hot that day, the ambiance was romantic and friendly. We were having a business dinner while a couple at the table next to us got engaged!

Solid 5/5: I would consider it a "non-touristy hidden gem" of Modena. I've been here nearly half a…read moredozen different times and I've always had a stellar experience. Great food quality and taste, customer service, time to wait, low cost. It's all there!! Their specialty (special of the region) is the gnocco e tigelle (little fried bread, with selection of meats, and little spreads). They do it well and traditional, and even cater to solo travelers like myself with single (1/2 sized) potions. Also, try a glass of their house Lambrusco - another specialty of the region. Ample seating inside and outside the restaurant. They also have numerous English-speaking staff that can explain the menu to you. Getting there is easy - although it's inside the ZTL (vehicle restricted areas) of Modena, there's ample street parking a few blocks away outside of the ZTL. Again, 5/5: I highly recommend Uva d' Ora when you're in Modena. I've been consistently impressed by this simple neighborhood-style restaurant. Bravo Uva d' Oro!!

Da Panino is founded by Giuseppe Palmieri, restaurant manager and sommelier of Osteria Francescana,…read morewhich happens to be just down the street. There was only one table that seats 6 or 8, then a bar on the other side that maybe seats 4. "Fate l'amore, non fate la dieta" or "make love, not diet" seems to be the motto or slogan that is plastered all over the walls of the restaurant. We got here shortly after 1000, which is when they open. They said they only had paninis at the time, which was fine with me. We ordered numbers 4 (Ligurian pesto, seasoned tomatoes, smoked buffalo cheese, and potato salad) and 5 (Gorgonzola with mascarpone, walnuts, extra spicy mustard, and ripe pears). As they were preparing the panini, you could see the amount of dedication they had as they were preparing it. The pictures of the panini do not do justice to the amount of detail I could see them putting into it. The bread was warm, crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and had a delicious flavor to it. While I enjoyed both paninis, the number 4 felt like it had too much cheese for me. The pears of number 5 paired nicely with the Gorgonzola (pun intended). If you are looking for a fairly quick bite, I'd highly recommend this place, as you could even get a box of snack sandwiches!

What a way to kick off our food tour of Modena. We had no dinner reservation on our first night…read moresince we figured we'd just walk around until something spoke to us. We ended up here because my friend mistook it for another place, but I'm so glad she did. I think Ada thought I spoke Italian because I was able to understand what she asked me. We sat down and things just started to come out. It wasn't until we looked around at the other tables and realized they were eating eating (multiple pasta courses) that we had to say something. Someone from another party fortunately spoke English and was able to relay to Ana thar we had to tap out and skip to dessert. What we got to watch was good times. The whole dining experience made me feel like I was at my grandma's. It appeared like she was super well loved. She definitely took the time to talk to all the tables. There was even a performance towards the end of our meal. Grazie mille Ada

We were driving through Modena and came across this absolute gem! The owner and chef is just…read morelovely. The food was so delicious and kept on coming. When we asked for coffee the owner closed up shop took us to a local coffee shop and had a cup with us. How's that for service!!! Can't wait to go back!

If you want to experience the best execution of Modenese dishes, probably in the world, I highly…read morerecommend the traditional menu at Michelin-starred Strada Facendo (menu at http://www.ristorantestradafacendo.it/i-menu/menu-dalla-tradizione/). I went for a Christmas Day lunch, and the 60E menu made the day a very special occasion. I took tons of pictures, but somehow lost them when I assembled them into a collage - grr! But refreshing my memory from the online menu, I started with the excellent local specialties of Mortadella and Parmigiano, there was a tortellini soup that was fantastic (probably the most locally famous dish of Modena), the Tagliatella con ragù di Bianca Modenese was built upon the most delicious noodle I'll probably ever eat. The chef came out and greeted us, which was a nice touch I experienced at no other restaurant during this trip. The fact that he was such a great host and that he was open on such a high holiday were commendable. We finished with a plate of panettone in addition to the more traditional ending of petit fours, the perfect end to a perfect Christmas feast, Modenese-style. My only recommendation is that they drop the 5E cover charge, which is beneath such a classy place (just raise the menu price to 65E).

We came here for lunch, where it was pretty easy to get a reservation on a weekday in late…read moreSeptember. I can see why this place earned a Michelin star, although some things were just short of greatness that we tried. A chef's compliment starter was superb. The blue crab, avacado, and caviar dish was just ok, with a Hypnotik-like blue liquid underneath that seemed more gimmicky than adding to the experience. Pasta dishes, and a tuna tartar and risotto small plate were excellent. The lamb entree just short of greatness, I expected the meat to be more tender (over-cooked?), but the flavor was fantastic. Everything is relative, and this place in another city might easily earn 5 stars, but our expectations were very high. Judging from other reviews, the traditional Modena dishes would've been great to try. Service was excellent as expected.