We have been to many Michelin star restaurants all over the world and this is by far the best meal! We took our 14 year old daughter with us. We did the "EVERYTHING" tasting menu and if you can be lucky enough to get a reservations, then definitely POP for the EVERYTHING menu! Totally worth it. Each dish was simply more amazing than the previous. Chef was at the restaurant and was so kind to say hello to each table. The staff was so wonderful and kind. There was no level of pretentiousness among the staff (just some of the patrons did seem a little snobby) but the staff was so kind and courteous. We cannot wait to return! Also, buy the cookbook! read more

Osteria Francescana - Italian Near Me - Modena, Missouri

Was a wonderful experience. We were disappointed post dinner. If you only have dinner reservations they will not allow you to join hotel guests for a drink post dinner to continue the experience with those you just met. Food was amazing - taste , preparation and presentation all came together. read more

Glorious, intelligent, and inventive tasting menu with a foot in various culinary traditions. The chef made brilliant use of lemongrass with fish while remaining distinctively Italian. The 5 Ages of Parmigiano was heavenly. If you're in Northern Italy, booking a table at this excellent restaurant should be on your to-do list. So why not 5 stars? Because the wine pairing with the tasting menu felt a bit like an after thought. And when you're spending that much, everything should be perfect. Wine choices aside, the menu was definitely 5 stars and I definitely want to go back and try the OTHER tasting menu which is a more daring hike through the caverns of Chef Bottura's culinary psyche. read more

We went here before the Chef's Table hype, and it is certainly deserving of every award it had ever won. Massimo and his staff have curated an exquisite dining experience that I will remember for many years to come. The dining room is very simple and quite sparse. I would say that it kind of matches the delicious simplicity that is also represented in his food. I can still remember the green apple and eel dish...but hands down the most epic part of our meal was the mini foie gras ice cream bar, filled with the most rich/sweet balsamic vinegar one has ever tasted. The city itself where the restaurant is located is charming and only adds to the experience of our visit there. We look forward to our next meal there in the near future! read more

Easily the best meal and dining experience I've ever (and possibly, will ever) have. My wife and I planned a vacation to Italy in September 2016 around our reservation and it exceeded our already high expectations. We both got the Tradition in Evolution tasting menu and split a wine pairing. While every dish was exceptional, our three favorite dishes were the Five Ages of Parmigiano Reggiano, The Crunchy Part of the Lasagna, and Lentils are Better than Caviar. Viewers of Chef's Table are familiar with the first two dishes and they were even more delicious than we anticipated. The black lentils were cooked in a eel broth and served with crunchy pieces of eel, creme fraiche, and pickled beets. Definitely better than caviar! In addition to the flavors, we also thoroughly enjoyed the playful creativity used in the preparation and plating of each dish. Not only was the food delicious, it was fun! For example, the Tempura with carpione (served with three other small bites) was a enjoyable mixture of textures and temperatures that we couldn't help smiling about as we ate it. And the pairings were perfectly matched with each dish. The most memorable was a drink made with aquavit, with juniper, sage, and rosemary stalks in the beverage (which flavored the drink as you inhaled it). The service was incredible - practically anticipating our every thought. And meeting Massimo was so much fun. I only wish we hadn't been so star struck, because after he left we both wanted to ask him several questions about food and his work during the Olympic Games in Brazil. The only dish that missed slightly (while still incredibly delicious) for us was the An Autumn Ceviche in Modena. The textural expectation of ceviche was thrown off slightly by one of the vegetables (I don't remember which this many months removed), which was cut a little too thick a dice for the raw preparation. If it was cut into slivers, this would have been reminiscent of the crunch of onions in a traditional ceviche. However, this is more a critique of my expectations, not of the actual dish - which was delicious. read more

Fantastic! Don't miss the Cinque Stagionature del Parmigiano Reggiano! Everything is perfect and has the wow effect without loosing the Italian DNA. read more

I went here last night with 2 friends. We had the 12 course tasting menu. The service was amazing. It was truly 1:1. We had about 5 people serving our tample. It was am interesting menu and the food was good, but underwhelming. For the "best restaurant in the world", I was not impressed. My friends who have eaten at other Top 10 Restaurants, had similar things to say. Massimo was not there (not sure if that impacts the quality or variety of the food), and our Sommelier was not overly impressive. We are fun, young(ish) people and it was a little stuffy at first towards the 12th course, we started talking to our waiters and hearing a little more about their stories which was really enjoyable. If you have the money to spend, sure why not, but I wouldn't save up for this experience. It did not live up to the hype. PS - we got a reservation 2 days before our dinner. We were already in Italy on vacation and they called us because of a cancellation. read more

I will forever remember my experience at Osteria Francescana. As my abroad roommate and I were in our final exams (pairing food and wine) we got a notification that we were off the waitlist at Osteria Francescana and prepared by watching Chefs Table. I don't think I'll ever do anything more exquisite in my life than this dining experience. The waitstaff was unbelievable, professional, and extremely knowledgeable on all menu items. Each course was so unique and different but yet came together in a cohesive manner for the tasting over all. The tasting we selected was "Festina Lente"- translating to both fast and slow. My favorites from the tasting were "An eel swimming up the Po River" and "Green over brown over black: camouflage rice". But my favorite moment was when Massimo Bottura went around to each table and took the time to chat and even take a picture. My roommate and I were pretty starstruck by the whole experience and still talk about it to this day. If are lucky enough to get a reservation here you are truly in for a once in a lifetime experience. read more

I don't know how to start a review on amazing food, but here it goes . The food , the wine, and dessert was amazing. Nothing on our menu disappointed us. The chefs even came out chatted with us, took pictures, and thanked us personally (very humble chefs) . Did I say everything was amazing ?! If you haven't yet, watch massimo ( the owner and chef ) on Netflix. read more

Osteria Francescana - Italian Near Me - Modena, Missouri

We traveled to Italy to come here and glad we did. It was a dream! The service, the food, the courses, the pace, the art, the parting gifts, the surrounding area, the decor, the intimacy, the light in the restaurant for the first seating... I mean a dream. read more

I was delighted with the experience I don't have words to describe my gosh that foie grass , the aged parmigiana I can go on and on, Service top ! So pleased ! read more

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Short version: Having had the privilege of eating at a number of Michelin 2 and 3 starred restaurants, Osteria Francescana takes the crown as my favorite fancy pants restaurant and well-deserving of its World's Best Restaurant 2016 status! This gem exemplifies a case where the sum is greater than its already considerable parts! Long version: While planning our Europe itinerary over a year in advance, Osteria Francescana was one of the first items I had penciled in as a "must do" and I spent time researching recommendations on making reservations. Despite my best efforts, I was unable to make a reservation and had to settle for being wait listed. Words can't describe how disappointed I was! Fast forward to October 2016. I had decided to stick with my plan on making a day trip from Florence to Modena. We headed to Osteria Francescana where I planned to take a picture just to show that I was there. I know, kinda sad eh? Anyway, by God's grace, we happened to get there at the same time as the GM. Maybe he felt sorry for me or something, but after hearing my rambling sob story, he quickly made space for us in an otherwise fully booked service! "Pepe": if you ever read this, I love you man!!! With the backstory out of the way, onto the dining experience! Having done my research on the restaurant, I knew that Chef Massimo introduced some whimsy into his cuisine. That also extends to the decor and more importantly (to me), the service staff, which do a phenomenal job providing top-caliber, professional service while remaining personable. One of my pet-peeves with some fancy pants restaurants is service staff that take themselves far too seriously - it makes for a stiff, awkward, and unpleasant dining experience. I'll spare you the painstaking detail of each dish, but will offer some bullet points: - not every dish is outstanding, but I appreciate the creativity and whimsy attempted in every item. The progression of courses and the wine pairing (which I highly recommend) was excellent and well thought-out. - Five ages of Parmigiano Reggiano lived up to the hype - delicious! - "Crunchy part of the lasagna" - unbelievably rich and tasty! - Ravioli of leeks, foie gras, and truffle - unabashedly decadent and delicious! - Roman fowl - in hindsight, it's a little surprising that this was our favorite dish of the meal. The game bird was smoky and beautifully cooked, while perfectly balanced by the warm, pickled endive and Balsamic vinegar reduction. - Foie gras "ice cream bars" injected with 40 year old Balsamic vinegar and coated with toasted hazelnuts - many high-end restaurants offer a similar item these days, but Osteria Francescana has the best version that I've tried! - Foie gras macarons - again, somewhat ubiquitous these days but again, this is the best renditions I've had so far! If the amazing food and wine wasn't enough, I completely geeked out when Chef Massimo came out to greet the diners; I spent a good 5-10 minutes picking his brain and chatting about Italian cuisine - loved his passion and enthusiasm! read more

damny thi// keybrd sall wanky and broke try my hardset. ok ehre is the thign about this place - and gotaa trust your little Willy on this one folks - since its by all accounts a restaurant its really just like a food focused house where its got a kithen etc and and an eating room and not so far away, haha my yelping friends youve gotten it, the front door and a big toily. i came here almot really by accident kinda stumbling aorun mom said dont come home haha not for the night i guess wasnt super hungry bc i was just had having eating some special smush at the old R&R with Big D and the likes - he was having his shakes like he has some time after the "spray pepper maraton" him and Dirty Suzie always playing. no problem. this was back in our bad period Sept 2013 - early October 2013 Anyhow wine glasses here so big. some smaller too which is ok. the waiter came around he seemed like a friend and he was saying some stuff to me but i found it most hard to piece the words a part hes asking me something about eeverything lse and after a few minutes of him standing there im not saying so much and im nervous you know and im thinking "nows the time eto speak up champ" like moms ex bf Hillybilly Greg used to say when i get scared. so i ask him if maybe they have some sticky sticks or yum troubles (a throwback i no..) and he laughs kinda i think and so i start laughing too but really much louder and its like the hole place is the bottom of the ocean it gets so quiet and my laffs cant stop and im laffing so hard now that my eyes and lungs start to hurt Only complain is no place to sleep 5stars read more

What a great Restaurant!!! The food is so overwhelmingly precise concepted, you will taste things you've never tasted before. The wine which comes along with the courses is just awesome, a culinary explosion. Service is wonderful, they explaine excatly the concept of each dish, where it comes from, which taste to note while eating or how it is made. For every haute cuisine lover simply a must! And it is rated as the third best restaurant in the world by the Michelin Guide for good reason. Of course it is pricy, but having in mind the high end quality of the food, wine, all the staff taking care of you it, 4 or more cooks for sure, it is more than worth the price. GO! read more

This may be an absolutely wonderful restaurant. But the reservation system is horrible. I live in Phoenix and we'll be in Italy in May. We have one afternoon we could be in Modena. I got up at 1:00am to access the reservation system when in came available at 10am Italian time. The reservation system was already open and I was queued at #2424. In an hour, I had gone down to #15xx. SUDDENLY, I lost my spot and was back to #27xx. I've used 3 different devices and spent hours watching screens to be repeatedly kicked to the end of the line. So, after 18 hours, I have nothing. read more

The food was great, inventive, full of flavor, and is a wonderful experience. We did the chef's tasting menu with the wine pairings. The experience included an edible perfume with one dish, a mixed drink with espresso beans, a dish made entirely of parmesan done several ways that had so many complexities of flavor with just one ingredient, and a special gift at the end of the meal. Service for the most part was wonderful, but not without problems. The food was five-stars, but the service was really what lost a star. There are distinctive male and female menus, the difference being that the males get the menu with the price. This was made further clear when, upon leaving, a server told me that at the restaurant, the males get the check and the females get a gift. While not meant to be offensive, it was an interesting cultural experience to be presented with such an old-school view considering I'm the breadwinner for my family. Other Michelin restaurants in Italy had a similar trend with the menus, but nowhere else were they as transparently vocal about their old-school view of personal finances. Their reservation policy is pretty strict, and we visited in January where the temperature was at least zero degrees Celsius during the day, but the reservation is at night. Us and the other guests all came early since you're charged a $250 fee if you're late, but despite us and other guests knocking at the door rather incessantly to be let in from the winter chill, we all stood out in the cold winter night until the exact time of the reservation. We were welcomed with a long line of staff that were all friendly, but it's a bit odd to enter a restaurant with only one reservation time for the whole night that has a seating area at the entrance that seemingly no one uses since they don't let you in until the moment of dinner. When we were seated, we inquired if the wine pairings could be adjusted because my body cannot metabolize white whine as it comes right back up within 30 minutes of consumption. Having ate at several Michelin star restaurants in Italy prior to this that all accommodated the request, we thought it wasn't unreasonable to ask and if they couldn't, that would've been fine too. Our server told us it should be no problem at all, so we ordered two wine pairings to accompany the tasting menu. The first three courses came with white wines for both of us, and we asked the server (now someone different) if they could please stop serving me white wine. This turned into a huge problem that evolved into the sommelier coming over saying it wasn't possible and being rather upset with us over the request. We explained that the first server told us they could accommodate us and we would've happily just not gotten the wine pairing had we been told they couldn't modify the offerings. Instead of trying to rectify their own internal miscommunication, we ended up being charged for the wine pairing despite the fact they stopped serving me half the wine pairings because I couldn't drink them. Overall, it was a nice culinary experience, but for the best restaurant in the world, we were disappointed to have far superior and more accommodating service at the other Michelin star restaurants in Italy. read more

Okay they kicked butt in the food level. Some slip up on service preventing a 5 star. Best appetizer period. I think I might need liposuction after this. read more

Quite possibly the most amazing meal I have ever had in my fine dining experiences thus far. Bottura is a culinary oracle, genius and poet rolled into one and he engages with his firm knowledge of history interpreted through modernist lenses and mastery of technique, with a pacing and execution full of wonder and playfulness. I am not qualified to describe his dishes, suffice to say that everything I eat from this point forth will be judged against this one meal. I was doubtful at first about our decision to make a detour from Bologna just to have lunch there, but I can say now that this restaurant alone should be reason enough to visit Modena (a visit to Salumeria Giusti a short walk away would be an added bonus). This meal was the highlight of our entire 3 week Italy trip. read more

Happy I went to spend a long evening with my darling husband... but I think the food could have been better. I would go again but just order five ages of parmigiana and maybe a pasta dish and call it a night... the experimental dishes on the tasting menu were fine but not out of this world (e.g., wagu not wagu, oops I dropped the lemon tart, were dishes with much time spent on looks but not taste). Also the atmosphere was a bit weird with each table having a spot light from above (a bit like being in a doctors office). read more

Can't believe this is the #1 restaurant in the world and has 3 Michelin Stars, uberly disappointing. It was not worth the journey at all. I was ecstatic when I was able to secure dinner reservations here after trying for 3 hours in the middle of the night. We traveled to Modena just for this. It was also the one thing I was looking forward to on my trip to Italy. And as a side note, I've tried quite a few Michelin star restaurants, and am very passionate about gastronomy as I grew up working in a family restaurant and love to cook. We chose the "Everything Menu" which was 270 Euros. It featured new items and a few classics such as the 5 ages of parmigiano reggiano and oops! I dropped the lemon tart. To be honest the classic menu sounded better, but it didn't include the classic dishes Massimo Bottura is known for. Now I'm wondering if the classic menu would have changed the whole experience entirely. We also ordered a 150 Euro bottle of Brunello, it was absolutely amazing. Shortly after, a rather large fruit fly flew into my significant other's glass. It was swimming in the wine for a while and one of the servers noticed and informed the head waiter. The head waiter came and said "Let's not let a good glass of wine go to waste." What happens next was extremely shocking! My in-laws watched our head water take it to the small table behind us and filter the wine through a cloth into a new glass. We were stunned! My significant other didn't even want to drink it and left it on the table. He later told the head waiter that he was not comfortable drinking the wine as all he did was filter it. The head waiter assured us that it was safe to drink and that wine has a lot of sediment in it. Excuse me, this is not sediment it's an "insect". There were a few fruit flies flying around near our table, I'm surprised they don't have some fly light traps to avoid this. After all his reasoning, he then asked if we would like a new glass of wine. The wine he replaced it with was disgusting. It tasted exactly like Welch's prune juice and had a ton of sediment all over the glass when we swirled it. I can't believe they even serve this wine in a 3 Michelin star restaurant, let alone the "#1 restaurant in the world". Any plain old restaurant in North America would replace it no questions asked and with something either the same or better. The first few courses were amazing, such as the seafood salad, complimentary starters, escargot, and the veal. Then it gradually got worse. Burnt - sardine, squid, chili lemon broth. Presentation of this dish wasn't appealing. The broth was very salty, and too fishy for our liking. 5 ages of Parmigiano Reggiano - I actually don't understand why this dish is outstanding. I am not a huge cheese eater but the texture of the main part of the dish was like warm curdled ricotta. Wagyu no Wagyu - prosciutto that mimics the look of wagyu, but unfortunately ruined by the amount of "ponzu" sauce they poured all over it. Completely overpowering the taste of the pork and made it really salty. Eggplant between Noto and Istanbul - Lambroussco wine rose, ricotta, pistachio, eggplant, almond sorbet. This was tasty, however they forgot to pour the sauce for my significant other. By the time we saw our head waiter to inform him, his almond sorbet was already half melted. Did they offer to replace it? Nope! Rum soaked napoli, strawberry marinated tomatoes, grated burnt orange and lemongrass ice cream - None of us finished the dish! None of the elements in this dish worked together. Croccantino of foie gras (lollipop) - It was the first time I ever wanted to spit something out. The flavours did not go well together and the texture was extremely thick and hard to swallow. I had to wash it down with a ton of wine and water. Camouflage - artichoke, mushroom and vanilla truffle. Another unpalatable dish, it was awful! Oops! I dropped the lemon tart - without a doubt this was a superb dessert. Perfectly balanced in every way. All four of us agreed that the food was subpar. Overhyped and overrated, trust me, don't waste your time or efforts. Next year we will be going to El Cellar de can Roca, I pray it isn't the same experience. read more

Great restaurant. This blog sums it up perfectly. https://juariablog.wordpress.com/ read more

This meal was really the highlight of our 3 week anniversary trip through Europe. We were able to make reservations through our hotel smoothly with great follow up from the restaurant. They knew we were bringing our 1 yo daughter and were accommodating. We arrived to see Chef Bottura on the small street chatting with another man. He did not know if we were guests or not but had a big smile on his face for our daughter and excitedly said Ciao Ciao Ciao! It was such a wonderful surprise to see him. He picked up our daughter and was so sincere and friendly. We had not even begun our meal and we were already charmed. When we went into the restaurant, we were shown into a room with 3 tables which was perfect. We were put in a corner table with tons of room my daughter. The staff did not bat an eyelash when she smeared food on the pristine table cloth or made sounds. They were professional and friendly and made us feel super welcome. The meal was as I said unforgettable. We had watched Chef's Table and were already super excited to see some of the items on the tasting menu. We decided on the mixed tasting of traditional and experimental and each course wowed us and we were eager for the next. Chef is extremely creative and and visual stimulating with every course but he does not sacrifice on taste and flavor. We were truly blown away and cannot wait to return! read more

This place deserves its world number 1 ranking. The food and service are, truly, the best in the world and Chef Massimo gets to each table and personally engages each diner. He genuinely seems passionate about his craft, the restaurant, and each diner's experience. If you can get to Modena and are lucky enough to get a reservation, you are in for a once in a lifetime treat. It is just the best. read more

From start to finish FANTASTICO. servizio fantastico, ci rivediamo a presto! We were in 5 and had the tasting menu with wine pairing. Fantastic experience, amazing food. read more

So much been said so won't go into detail which we are not good at anyway. Our first time in a 3 Michelin star restaurant and the best in the world for now and we got to say it was wonderful. Met Chef Massimo himself and he is what we saw first in Netflix. Just all around nice guy who came and greeted all his customers. We took the experimental menu at EUR 250 a pop and total of 795 for 3 without wine. Now some dishes we get some we really don't but nevertheless the experience was worth every single dime. Service was impeccable. It was the longest lunch we've ever had lasting over 3.5 hours. Note you are not to take professional photos so instead the high end camera was used to take videos. Most memorable dish was the lemon tart and cheese 5 ways. All dishes were presented artistically so was just lovely. Just very glad we take on the last minute cancellation and made it! Thank u Massimo. read more

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We tried the Traditional Menu with wine pairing. The meal was perfect from start to finish. The food was so innovative and Massimo's staff was warm and professional We wished we could have met him, hopefully next time Congratulations Massimo. You are No 1 ! read more

I hesitate to write this review because I'm afraid the place will become overrun with tourists, but it's probably inevitable. If you happen to find yourself in northern Italy, do yourself a favor and visit this gem of a restaurant. It will become one of your wonderful memories of glorious Italian food. The bread and wine is superlative, as you would expect. We especially enjoyed The Five Ages of Parmigiano, but I think it would be a good choice to go for the tasting menu because eating any of the food here is an experience you will never forget. read more

At the pinnacle of the pyramid where cuisine, service, atmosphere & science meet that's where you will find Osteria Francescana. Chef's Bottura's tasting menu and wine pairing created a harmony in my mouth that I will continue to long until my next visit to his theatre of culinary magic. read more

I visited Francescana with a party of four for lunch on Saturday, October 1, 2016. I requested a reservation on the waiting list stating that I only needed one day's notice. I got a call around 5 am on September 30 advising that there was an opening. We immediately changed our travel plans to take advantage of the opportunity and it was worth the effort. We each ordered the large tasting menu (250 eu) with wine pairing (170 eu). Each dish was very creative and very good. The wine pairings were also creative but I would say probably not worth it. The wine pairings varied greatly and most people I do not think will enjoy all the pairings, or maybe even half of the pairings. If it is your first time at Francescana I suggest getting the large tasting menu but not he wine pairings. Be prepared for excellent service and a long dining experience. We were there for over three hours. If you are a steak and potatoes person this probably is not the restaurant for you. In order to enjoy Francescana and not be upset about the bill you need to be an adventurous eater who can appreciate a creative approach to food. read more

I was not impressed with this place. Honestly the bread was one of the highlights of the meal. I'm not going to recount the entire experience but I can honestly say there was only a few dishes that were enjoyable. The rest of the meal was forgettable and that's just inexcusable for the #3 ranked restaurant in the world. I've eaten at other high caliber restaurants such as Joel Robuchon in Vegas and Alinea in Chicago and EVERY dish was memorable! Please, you're in Italy and surrounded with excellent food, save your money and eat somewhere else. read more

As I have said many times before, I am a very lucky woman. My husband knows that the way to my heart is not through fancy bags, or jewelry... but food. While we were in Italy, he made a point of getting a reservation here. How can we pass up the opportunity to eat at the 3rd best restaurant in the world? We arrived at the very understated door with the small metallic sign and rang the bell (the door stays locked). Once we entered we were greeted by no less than 5 people! One to take our bag, one to take our coats, one to talk to us and one to take us to our table... it was a bit overwhelming! We were seated in a very modern, clean and (again) understated dining room. We immediately noticed that there were only 3 tables in the room, so it felt very personal. We did the traditions tasting menu and my husband did the wine pairing (I would be time travelling if I had 8 glasses of wine during lunch). The food was nothing short of spectacular. It is exactly what you would expect from a 3-Michelin star restaurant. The food was imaginative, delicious, interesting and more than anything just really REALLY good. Every single detail was taken into account and you could tell that there was a tremendous amount of thought behind each dish. The progression was beautiful and was complimented perfectly by the wine. What can I say? It was basically perfect. My only complaint is that I felt the service was a little more stiff than what I am used to, but it is a fine dining establishment and I do not think that is a negative really. Overall, if you have the opportunity (and the cash) to go here, do not waste a second thought on doing it. It is absolutely the best dining experience I have ever had. Ever. Absolutely amazing! This really is a gem in the city of Modena! read more

I would say it was a "5" for creativity and a "5" for 75% of the dishes (and a "4" for 25% of the dishes). But, I think with tasting menus it is hard for all dishes to be a 5 because everyone has different preferences. We went with the tasting menu that combines the traditional and new menu -- supposedly the best of both. We were really happy with this. Also, we went on a Sat for lunch, and that was really nice because it made for a really nice, easy day trip to Modena (I highly recommend the market but do not recommend the Ferrari museum). We loved the second half of the tasting menu. I could honestly eat an entire bowl of the lasagna. It was SO good. The chef was there and he came out to greet everyone, which I thought was really nice. The service was excellent. And I really appreciated that it had a hint of casualness, or comfort. That is, it wasn't as stuffy as some other restaurants like this. There were some people wearing coats and some people wearing jeans. I really like that. There was definitely a lot of whimsy and creativity. For example, there was this awesome piggy dish that had a little pig cut out representing the chef's life and influences...a flavor for every place he has lived. It was really delicious, really beautiful, and really cool. read more

this summer i took a trip to Italy this was a key highlight of my trip, i was looking forward for this dinner it was absolutely amazing dinner, i thought that all the food was marvelous and the service was so excellent, spot on, very impressed, with everything Loved all the dishes it was amazing i was so sad to leave, if im ever back near Modena i will be back. :) read more

Best meal of our lives. We ordered a la carte (although regret not doing the tasting just because everything was so delicious) and everything was perfect. Service was lovely throughout and they recommended great wines to compliment our meals. They accommodated my boyfriends nut allergy perfect as well. Could not have asked for a better experience! Massimo comes out to greet guests once the meal is done as well which was awesome! He is so friendly and easy to talk with. read more

We began planning our trip to Italy months ago in order to eat at Osteria Francescana. My 18 year old son has been worshipping Il Maestro Massimo Bottura like a culinary god, and hoped to visit "mecca" as part of his high school graduation trip. Alas, reservations proved impossible to get, but we didn't let that stop us from visiting anyway. So on our way from Verona to Cinque Terre, we decided to make a pit stop in Modena, if only to walk on the same street as Sr. Bottura does on his way to work each day. My husband thought he'd take a long shot, and inquire about availability for dinner that evening. The folks at the door were kind enough to walk us over to the reservations office across the street, where we met the sweetest bunch of people who were so eager to help us, despite the futileness of our mission. They immediately searched for a cancellation, but of course there were none. So imagine our joy when they suggested they see about making us a lunch reservation at Franceschetta58 - Francescana's sister bistro not far from the Osteria. Good enough for us! So while I wish I could offer a glowing review of a dining experience at Osteria Francescana, instead I'd like to say thank you to the wonderful young folks in the reservations office for accommodating us as well as they could. It's evident you love what you do, and we so appreciate the fact that you didn't laugh in our faces for asking if we could dine with the Great One. Please see my review of Francescetta58. read more