42 editor picks in Modena.
42 italian places in Modena we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Modena | Italian across every city.
Trattoria Aldina in Modena overlooks the Mercato Albinelli from a first floor room, a no reservations canteen for tagliatelle and tortellini.
OrderThe tagliatelle al ragu and the tortellini in broth, made fresh each morning.
TipLunch only and no bookings; arrive by 12:15 or expect to share the communal single table.
Trattoria Tagliatella in Modena's centro storico serves classic ragu tagliatelle and pumpkin tortelloni on Via Masone, a reliable everyday address.
OrderThe tagliatelle al ragu and the pumpkin filled tortelloni.
TipClosed Mondays; book ahead for dinner on weekends when the small dining room fills fast.
Da Danilo in Modena has run as a family trattoria since 1934, plating pumpkin tortelloni and meat ragu tagliatelle near the Ghirlandina tower.
OrderThe pumpkin tortelloni with butter and Parmigiano and the mixed boiled meats cart.
TipAsk for the bollito misto cart tableside; the kitchen finishes several dishes with the house Aceto Balsamico.
Il Fantino in Modena keeps a retro dining room on Via Donzi, serving hand rolled gnocco fritto and tortelloni with butter and sage most nights.
OrderThe gnocco fritto with cured meats and the tortelloni with butter and sage.
TipClosed Mondays; the wine list leans almost entirely on Lambrusco di Sorbara as the house pour.
Da Enzo in Modena's centro storico is a warm family trattoria near the Synagogue, serving gnocco fritto, tigelle and Emilian classics nightly.
OrderThe gnocco fritto with cured meats and the zampone with mashed potato.
TipSaturday dinner runs until midnight, later than the rest of the week; the kitchen closes on Mondays.
Zemian Piccola Osteria in Modena packs a handful of tables on Via Fonte d'Abisso, plating classic Emilian dishes for its devoted local crowd.
OrderWhatever the chef built into that day's short tasting sequence of Emilian classics.
TipSeats are few and demand is high; call weeks ahead for a weekend table.
Cucina di Quartiere - Trattoria in San Faustino sits on Modena's Via Giardini, a family kitchen plating handmade tortellini and tagliatelle.
OrderThe handmade tortellini and whatever fresh pasta the kitchen rolled that morning.
TipClosed Sundays; the neighbourhood setting keeps prices lower than the centro storico equivalents.
Lo Stalliere in Modena occupies a converted stable near the Modena Nord tollbooth, plating calf liver and gnocco fritto with cured meats daily.
OrderThe calf liver with caramelised onions and the gnocco fritto with mixed cured meats.
TipA covered terrace seats extra guests; closed Monday evenings, otherwise open most nights.
Franceschetta 58 in Modena is Massimo Bottura's Michelin Guide bistro on Via Vignolese, pairing Emilian staples with contemporary small plates.
OrderThe tortellini in Parmigiano Reggiano cream and the aged pancetta with mostarda.
TipBook a few weeks ahead online; the short wine list gives Lambrusco a full page.
Hosteria Giusti in Modena hides behind the centuries-old Giusti delicatessen on Via Farini, a four or five table lunch room Adriano Morandi opened in 1989.
OrderThe tortellini in capon broth and the fried cotechino with Sorbara zabaione.
TipLunch only, Tuesday to Saturday, with a short seasonal carte; read the booking policy on the Hosteria's site and book well ahead.
Patrizia in Modena is Tommaso Zoboli's counter-driven dining room near the Ghirlandina, a Michelin Guide address whose menu changes with the seasons.
OrderThe tasting menu built around that season's theme, taken at the chef's counter.
TipOnly 14 covers, run like an omakase with storytelling at the counter; book ahead and ask for a counter seat.
Trattoria Pomposa - Al Re Gras in Modena serves Michelin Guide Emilian cooking on Piazza della Pomposa, from golden tortellini to bollito misto.
OrderThe tortellini with 24 month Parmigiano cream and the bollito misto with mostarda.
TipIn warm months ask for a table outside on Piazza della Pomposa.
Osteria Gallucci in Modena keeps a rustic room a few steps from Piazza Grande, serving local appetizers and Emilian plates until well past midnight.
OrderThe wild boar ragu and a plate of mixed local appetizers to start.
TipOpen Friday and Saturday until 02:00; the beer and wine list runs deeper than most osterie nearby.
Trattoria Ermes in Modena has cooked Emilian home food on Via Ganaceto since 1963, a small osteria now run by a new generation since early 2023.
OrderThe passatelli in broth and the scaloppine with balsamic vinegar and potatoes.
TipDinner service returned Thursday to Saturday in 2023, plus Sunday lunch; the small room still fills fast.
Trattoria Aldina in Modena runs as a no reservations canteen above the Mercato Albinelli, a lunch only table for tagliatelle since the 1970s.
OrderThe tagliatelle al ragu, made with pasta hand rolled that same morning.
TipLunch only, no bookings and a shared single table; arrive before 12:15 for a seat.
Il Fantino keeps a time worn dining room on Modena's Via Donzi, a casual trattoria for gnocco fritto and tortelloni with butter and sage most days.
OrderThe gnocco fritto with a plate of cured meats to start.
TipEvenings are closed Sunday and Monday; portions run generous so pace yourself before the pasta course.
Cucina di Quartiere - Trattoria in San Faustino is a neighbourhood kitchen on Modena's Via Giardini, plating handmade pasta at casual prices.
OrderThe handmade tortellini in broth, a daily kitchen staple.
TipClosed Sundays; quieter and cheaper than an equivalent centro storico address.
Dispensa Emilia serves casual tigelle and gnocco fritto on Modena's Via Emilia Est, a chain outpost offering combinations of five different fillings.
OrderA combination of five tigelle fillings, the house signature order.
TipOutdoor seating suits families; open every day with no midweek closing.
Trattoria Pomposa - Al Re Gras serves casual Michelin Guide Emilian cooking on Modena's Piazza della Pomposa, from tortellini to bollito misto.
OrderThe tortellini with 24 month Parmigiano cream.
TipAsk for a table outside on Piazza della Pomposa in warm months.
Sosta Emiliana serves tigelle with sweet and savoury fillings near Piazza Grande in central Modena, a fixed-menu tigelleria that closes on Wednesdays.
OrderThe tigelle tasting plate with cured meats, squacquerone and jams.
TipThe all you can eat tigelle format is best shared between two or more people.
Osteria di Modena Rossi cooks tortellini in broth and fried gnocco opposite the Ducal Palace on Piazza Roma in central Modena, open every day of the week.
OrderTortellini in brodo followed by fried gnocco with cured meats.
TipAsk for a window table looking onto Piazza Roma and the Ducal Palace facade.
Trattoria Urbana Gnock and Roll serves gnocco fritto and crescentine near the Porta Nord district of Modena, open for lunch and closed on Sundays.
OrderGnocco fritto with crescentine and a mixed cured meat board.
TipKitchen hours are short, so arrive for lunch rather than a late dinner here.
Vecchia Pirri has run its osteria, trattoria and pizzeria on Via Prampolini in Modena since 2001, serving handmade pasta, cotoletta and grilled dishes.
OrderTortellini in brodo and the Bolognese style cutlet.
TipThe dining room fills with regulars, so booking ahead is worth doing on weekends.
Al Gatto Verde in Modena is Jessica Rosval's one Michelin star kitchen at Casa Maria Luigia, cooking live fire dishes from the estate's own farm produce.
OrderThe Fassona Piemontese beef and the Smoked Meat Carrello, a tasting of house-smoked meats.
TipThe restaurant sits inside the Casa Maria Luigia country house in San Damaso; book well ahead for a table over the open fire.
Franceschetta 58 in Modena is Massimo Bottura's Michelin Guide bistro on Via Vignolese, pairing Emilian staples with playful contemporary small plates.
OrderThe tortellini in Parmigiano Reggiano cream and the aged pancetta with mostarda.
TipBook a few weeks ahead online; the short wine list gives Lambrusco a full page and pairs well with the tasting menus.
Hosteria Giusti in Modena hides behind the centuries-old Giusti delicatessen on Via Farini, a four or five table lunch room Adriano Morandi opened in 1989.
OrderThe tortellini in capon broth and the fried cotechino with Sorbara zabaione.
TipLunch only, Tuesday to Saturday, with a short seasonal carte; read the booking policy on the Hosteria's site and book well ahead.
Patrizia in Modena is Tommaso Zoboli's counter-driven dining room near the Ghirlandina, a Michelin Guide address whose menu changes with the seasons.
OrderThe tasting menu built around that season's theme, taken at the central chef's counter.
TipOnly 14 covers, run like an omakase with storytelling at the counter; book ahead and ask for a counter seat.
Trattoria Pomposa - Al Re Gras in Modena serves Michelin Guide Emilian cooking on Piazza della Pomposa, from golden tortellini to a classic bollito misto.
OrderThe tortellini with 24 month Parmigiano cream and the bollito misto with mostarda.
TipIn warm months ask for a table outside on Piazza della Pomposa, one of the prettiest corners of the centro storico.
Antica Moka in Modena runs tasting menus built around its own aged balsamic vinegar, served in elegant rooms inside a former early 1900s schoolhouse.
OrderThe tasting menu courses finished with the restaurant's own Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale.
TipThe kitchen closes Monday all day and Tuesday lunch; the same family also runs an acetaia worth asking about at the table.
Locanda in San Francesco in Modena serves classic Emilian tradition and fresh fish inside a historic palazzo hotel on Rua dei Frati Minori in centro storico.
OrderThe tortellini in Parmesan cream and the ricotta and spinach tortelloni.
TipThe hotel kitchen pairs Modenese classics with a fresh fish menu; book ahead for dinner Tuesday to Saturday.
Trattoria La Stalla serves gnocco fritto and tigelle on Via del Mercato in northern Modena, its kitchen open past midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
OrderGnocco fritto with tigelle and a plate of homemade pasta.
TipSkip Tuesday, the one night the kitchen stays closed all week here.
Al Cenacolo cooks handmade pasta and grilled meat on tree-lined Viale Tassoni in Modena, an elegant kitchen serving past midnight most nights.
OrderHandmade pasta paired with a bottle from the wine list.
TipThe wine list runs deep, so ask staff to pair a bottle with the tasting courses.
Lo Stalliere occupies a converted stable near Modena's Nord tollbooth, a roadside find most visitors to the centro storico never even encounter.
TipA covered terrace adds extra seating in bad weather; closed Monday evenings.
Cucina di Quartiere - Trattoria in San Faustino sits well south on Modena's Via Giardini, a neighbourhood table most centro storico visitors miss.
TipClosed Sundays; prices run lower than an equivalent centro storico address.
Zemian Piccola Osteria hides on a quiet Modena back street off Via Fonte d'Abisso, easy to miss despite its careful Emilian cooking just inside.
TipSeats are few and demand is high; call weeks ahead for a weekend table.
Trattoria L'Antica Grama cooks Sicilian-accented Emilian dishes on Via Vignolese in southern Modena, a family run trattoria closed on Tuesdays.
OrderTortelloni or a Sicilian influenced antipasto plate.
TipThe Sicilian touches show up in the antipasti more than in the pasta courses.
Ristretto sits down a hidden alley called Vicolo Coccapani in central Modena, an enoteca kitchen open late for gnocco fritto and beef tartare.
OrderGnocco fritto with culaccia or the beef tartare.
TipLook for the sign at Vicolo Coccapani off Via Sant'Agostino, easy to miss after dark.
Trattoria Bianca on Via Spaccini in Modena grew from a grandmother's osteria opened in 1948 and still serves salumi with gnocco fritto and duroni cherry jam.
OrderMixed salumi with gnocco fritto and duroni cherry jam, then tortellini in brodo.
TipClosed on Saturdays and Sundays and from 31 July to 24 August; at lunch the kitchen stops taking orders at 13:45.
Antica Trattoria Cervetta has cooked Modenese classics on pedestrian Via Cervetta in Modena, an Accademia della Cucina choice closed on Thursdays.
OrderThe house Cervetta cutlet and coppa di testa with fried gnocco.
TipThe Cervetta cutlet and the house cake give the kitchen its name, order at least one.
Dispensa Emilia sells cheap tigelle and gnocco fritto on Modena's Via Emilia Est, a chain outpost offering combinations of five different fillings.
OrderTigelle with a choice of five fillings
TipOutdoor seating suits families; open every day of the week with no midweek closing.
Bar Ristorante Torrazzi cooks a fixed lunch menu of handmade pasta on Via Nonantolana in northern Modena, open from early morning into the evening.
OrderThe fixed lunch menu of handmade pasta and a seasonal second course.
TipCome before eight in the morning for fresh pastries, or at midday for the fixed menu.
Bar Trattoria Portile serves a fixed-price weekday lunch menu in the Portile frazione of Modena, a bar and tobacconist that closes on Sundays.
OrderThe fixed price weekday lunch menu with a seasonal pasta course.
TipThe fixed lunch menu suits weekday workers more than a leisurely weekend meal.
9 hours
See how local Parmigiano Reggiano, balsamic, and wine are produced on this guided tour with hotel transfer from Bologna or Modena. Visit the Ferrari Museum and have lu...
8h 30m
Dive into production of Parmigiano Reggiano, learn about Lambrusco wine, explore Ferrari Museum, visit a vinegar factory, and have lunch at a Modena farmhouse on a day...
7 - 9.5 hours
Experience a day trip with transfer to witness the production of Parmigiano cheese, explore the Ferrari and Lamborghini Museum, visit a vinegar factory, and a delightf...
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