Best Tasting Menus in Modena
Tasting menus in Modena appear across very different rooms, from fine-dining flagships to compact historic-center osterie. In our guide, several restaurants pair the format with a wine lists program, and the list spans starred dining, Plate-recognised kitchens, and an estate setting. San Damaso, the historic center, Piazzetta della Pomposa, Via Vignolese, Via Emilia, Modena, and the countryside all contribute examples. Osteria Francescana, Al Gatto Verde, L'Erba del Re, Hosteria Giusti, Antica Moka, and Casa Maria Luigia show how the format works across Modena’s dining scene, from a three-star room to a four-table osteria and a country estate.
How this list is chosen: Restaurants serving a tasting menu or omakase, listed alphabetically. Updated October 8, 2026.
Acetaia Giusti - Since 1605
The Giusti acetaia on Strada delle Quattro Ville in Modena has operated continuously since 1605, making it one of the oldest documented producers of traditional balsamic vinegar in the Emilia-Romagna region. The estate produces aceto balsamico tradizionale under the disciplined DOP protocols that distinguish aged Modenese vinegar from its mass-market imitations. A visit here is as much about understanding an ingredient as it is about dining.
Al Gatto Verde
1 Michelin star
Set within Casa Maria Luigia, the Emilian country retreat associated with Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore, Al Gatto Verde is a fire-cooking restaurant that holds a Michelin star and ranks #92 on the World's 50 Best list (2025). Chef Jessica Rosval structures the menu around live-fire technique, drawing on both Italian tradition and her Canadian background to produce a program that sits well outside Modena's more conventional dining tier.
Antica Moka
Deep wine list
Antica Moka holds a Michelin Plate (2025), placing it among Modena's most consistently regarded modern cuisine addresses. Situated on the Via Emilia Est, the restaurant operates at the €€€ price point, serious cooking at a tier below the city's starred flagships. For visitors working through Modena's dining scene, it represents a reliable entry into the region's modern culinary conversation.
Casa Maria Luigia
Casa Maria Luigia is a progressive Italian restaurant and countryside estate outside Modena, ranked #42 in Europe by Opinionated About Dining in 2025 and scoring 77 points on La Liste. Under chef Jessica Rosval, the kitchen connects Emilian pasta traditions to a contemporary, ingredient-led approach, making it one of the region's most closely followed dining destinations.
Erbavoglio
In a city that defines Italian food culture through aged vinegar and hand-rolled pasta, Erbavoglio makes a different argument entirely: that plant-based cooking, shaped by fermentation and product-first simplicity, belongs at Modena's table. Chef Fabio Vandelli runs Modena's only dedicated vegan restaurant of note, and the result is a kitchen where fermented accents and seasonal sourcing do most of the talking.
Franceschetta 58
Deep wine list
Massimo Bottura's Emilian bistro on Via Vignolese operates in deliberate contrast to the three-Michelin-star register of Osteria Francescana two kilometres away. Two distinct menus frame the visit: one rooted in regional classics, one reaching toward creative reinterpretation. Holding a Michelin Plate since 2024 and ranked 783rd in Opinionated About Dining's 2025 Casual Europe list, it sits in a well-defined middle tier of Modena dining.
Hosteria Giusti
Behind a working delicatessen on Via Farini, Hosteria Giusti seats just four tables in a retro-lined dining room that has anchored Emilian trattoria cooking in Modena for generations. Chef Laura Galli runs a restricted menu of traditional regional dishes, with the full weight of that restraint working in the kitchen's favour. Ranked 57th in Opinionated About Dining's 2025 Casual Europe list and holding a Michelin Plate, it is one of the city's most deliberate dining experiences.
L'Erba del Re
1 Michelin star · Deep wine list
Inside a period palazzo steps from one of Modena's oldest churches, L'Erba del Re holds a Michelin star and nine tables. The menu architecture is its defining quality: four distinct paths through Emilian tradition and contemporary creative cooking, from tortellini in capon broth to the chef's latest tasting courses, making it one of the city's most considered mid-to-fine dining options.
Osteria Francescana
3 Michelin stars · Deep wine list
Osteria Francescana is Modena’s high-concept reading of Emilia-Romagna, where Parmigiano Reggiano, balsamic vinegar, pasta memory, and contemporary Italian technique are treated as cultural material rather than comfort-food nostalgia. Massimo Bottura’s dining room carries rare external validation, including La Liste 97 points in 2026, Les Grandes Tables du Monde membership, and sustained international ranking history.
Planning tasting menus in Modena
- Where should I start for tasting menus in Modena?
- Circoscrizione 1, San Damaso, and the historic center each have tasting-menu options in this guide. Osteria Francescana, Al Gatto Verde, and Hosteria Giusti all offer the format there, and Piazzetta della Pomposa and Via Emilia, Modena add two more structured options.
- Which tasting-menu restaurants are Michelin-starred?
- Three tasting-menu restaurants in this set are Michelin-starred: Osteria Francescana, Al Gatto Verde, and L'Erba del Re. Osteria Francescana has 3 stars, while Al Gatto Verde and L'Erba del Re each have 1 star. Those three define the starred side of Modena’s tasting-menu scene.
- Are there tasting menus outside the starred tier?
- Yes. Hosteria Giusti, Antica Moka, Franceschetta 58, and Casa Maria Luigia all offer tasting-menu formats without relying on the starred tier. Hosteria Giusti and Antica Moka hold Michelin Plates, Franceschetta 58 holds a Michelin Plate and a Star Wine List award, and Casa Maria Luigia appears here for its tasting-menu format.
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