Exé Restaurant

Where the Emilian Table Meets Considered Range

Fiorano Modenese sits in the shadow of Modena's extraordinary culinary gravity. The province that produced Osteria Francescana and shaped a global understanding of what Italian cooking can achieve at its most ambitious also supports a quieter, more everyday tier of dining, restaurants where the philosophy is less about transformation and more about fidelity. Exé Restaurant, on the ground floor of the Executive Spa Hotel, operates in that space with clarity and without apology.

The dining room reads as contemporary without being cold: spacious, well-lit, the kind of room designed for a long evening rather than a fast table turn. It is the physical expression of a dining format that does not need to signal ambition through austerity or theatre. The setting is grounded enough to suit a business dinner or a relaxed family meal, and the absence of stylistic friction is, in its own way, a considered choice.

The Italian Principle of Breadth Without Compromise

Italian cooking at its most honest does not always mean a single obsessive focus. In the Emilia-Romagna tradition, the table is meant to accommodate, different appetites, different occasions, different guests at the same table. Exé's menu reflects that tradition directly: traditional regional dishes sit alongside raw fish preparations, gourmet pizzas hold their own against a grilled meat section built around in-house aged cuts.

The in-house ageing of meats is the clearest editorial statement the kitchen makes. In a region where the quality of the primary ingredient has always been the argument, where Parmigiano-Reggiano, aceto balsamico, and prosciutto di Parma all make the same case, taking control of the ageing process is a logical extension of that philosophy. It signals that the kitchen does not outsource the decisions that matter most.

The raw fish options extend the range in a direction that places Exé within a broader Italian shift. Over the past decade, crudo preparations have moved from coastal specialties to standard fixtures on menus across the north, partly driven by improved supply chains and partly by a genuine change in how Italian diners relate to the lighter end of the table. Offering that alongside gourmet pizza, itself a category that has undergone serious re-evaluation across Italy, gives the menu a range that serves the hotel's mixed clientele without diluting the kitchen's coherence.

A Wine List That Takes Its Responsibility Seriously

Wine program at Exé is where the venue most clearly positions itself above its price tier. An extensive selection of labels available by the glass is not unusual at this level, but a sommelier with the documented willingness to open almost any bottle in the cellar on request is a different proposition entirely. That kind of accessibility, treating the cellar as a live resource rather than a locked cabinet, reflects a wine culture more commonly associated with destination restaurants than hotel dining rooms.

Emilia-Romagna's wine identity is more complex than its food reputation suggests. Lambrusco in its serious, dry forms, the white wines of the Colli Bolognesi, and bottles sourced from across Italy's increasingly confident regional producers all find a place at a well-curated northern Italian table. A sommelier prepared to range across that depth is a meaningful asset, particularly for guests arriving from the Ferrari Museum or the region's motor-sport infrastructure, for whom a long wine conversation over dinner may be precisely the point of the evening.

Recognition and Where It Places Exé

The Michelin Plate, awarded in both 2024 and 2025, is the guide's marker for good cooking without the full apparatus of star recognition. It is not a consolation prize; it is a consistent quality signal, and its consecutive award indicates a kitchen that holds its standard rather than peaking for inspection. At the €€ price point, that recognition places Exé in a different competitive register from the province's starred houses.

For context, the starred tier in northern Italy includes restaurants operating at dramatically higher price points and with correspondingly different formats: three-star houses like Dal Pescatore in Runate, Le Calandre in Rubano, and Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence operate in a category where the meal itself is the destination. Exé makes no claim to that register, and that honesty is part of what makes the Michelin Plate recognition meaningful, it confirms quality within the right frame of reference. For international diners curious about where Italian cooking achieves similar range at different price tiers, comparisons extend further: 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong and cenci in Kyoto show how Italian culinary frameworks travel, while houses like Uliassi in Senigallia, Quattro Passi in Marina del Cantone, Reale in Castel di Sangro, Piazza Duomo in Alba, Enrico Bartolini in Milan, and Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico chart the full ambition range of Italian fine dining. Within Fiorano Modenese itself, Alto (€€€, Creative) represents the next price tier up in the local market.

Google's aggregate rating of 4.5 across 516 reviews adds a different layer of trust signal, one rooted in repeat local and visitor experience rather than critical assessment. The alignment between professional recognition and public satisfaction is not automatic at any price point, and where it exists, it tends to indicate a kitchen and front-of-house operating with genuine consistency.

Planning a Visit

Exé Restaurant sits within the Executive Spa Hotel on Via Circondariale S. Francesco in Fiorano Modenese, placing it within easy reach of Maranello and the wider Motor Valley circuit that draws visitors to this corner of Emilia-Romagna throughout the year. The mid-range price positioning (€€) makes it a practical choice for multiple nights rather than a single-occasion destination, and the breadth of the menu, from pizza through to aged grilled meats and raw fish, means it accommodates varied preferences across a group without requiring negotiation. Guests staying at the hotel have the obvious convenience of proximity; those dining in from outside should treat the wine program as a reason to arrive with time to spare. For more on what the town offers beyond the table, the full Fiorano Modenese restaurants guide, hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide cover the full picture.