Michelin Restaurants in Modena: Which Stars to Book

What Michelin dining in Modena looks like

The city of Modena itself holds Osteria Francescana, a three-star restaurant in the historic centre, and L'Erba del Re, a one-star table in a period palazzo. Within the province, the Emilian food valley around the city supplies much of what these kitchens cook with, and 23 of Emilia-Romagna's 44 DOP and IGP certified products are made in Modena, which is why the 2025 guide was presented at Modena's Teatro Comunale Pavarotti-Freni.

The Michelin Guide lists Modena and its surroundings as a single searchable area, so it pays to read addresses closely before booking: a table described as near Modena may sit in another town. Use the Modena restaurant listing in the Michelin Guide to check the current star count, address and any award for each restaurant, since stars are reassessed each year.

Osteria Francescana: Massimo Bottura's three-star table on via Stella

Osteria Francescana is Massimo Bottura's restaurant on via Stella in Modena's historic centre, holding three Michelin stars and a Green Star for sustainability tied to Food for Soul, the association Bottura founded with his wife to fight food waste and encourage social inclusion. The cooking moves between Emilian ingredients and international classics, presented in a contemporary key; the inspectors' summary describes measure, control and command of the medium, served among polished silver and artworks. It has more than once taken first place in the World's 50 Best Restaurants list.

Al Gatto Verde: Bottura's newer Modena restaurant and its Green Star

At the 2025 guide presentation in Modena, Al Gatto Verde was announced as a new restaurant from Massimo Bottura, with a Green Star for sustainability awarded to chef Jessica Rosval. The two Modena addresses are different propositions: the long-established three-star flagship on via Stella and this newer project recognised for its environmental approach.

L'Erba del Re: Luca Marchini's one-star cooking in the city

L'Erba del Re, on via Castelmaraldo, is a one-star restaurant with few tables and a sober room in one of Modena's period buildings. Luca Marchini began his career in Massimo Bottura's kitchen and cooks a creative menu that keeps an Emilian accent, with dishes such as an Emilian ramen with vegetable sauce and mallard broth, or lamb with quince concentrate and vegetables. It is the city's realistic entry point into starred dining if you want a shorter, quieter meal than the flagship tasting experience.

How the starred restaurants in Modena differ from those outside the city

Modena's in-city stars are contemporary and chef-driven, while the two-star tables in the province lean classical or rural-relais. The distinction matters practically: Imola and Longiano are separate towns, not Modena neighbourhoods, so plan the journey around the meal rather than expecting a walk through the centre. Booking is essential at all of these addresses, and it is worth checking current prices and dates directly with each restaurant before you travel.

San Domenico in Imola: two stars and a classic register

San Domenico sits on via Sacchi in Imola's historic centre, with outdoor tables facing a public garden square, and holds two Michelin stars. The cooking does not chase fashion: it reads as reassuring Italian and international specialities, with first courses such as Gragnano spaghetti with Adriatic prawns, squid and sea urchin pulp, and mains built on scallops, oysters and clams. The room blends British atmospheres with a collection of contemporary Italian art, which makes it the choice for a classical, unhurried meal outside Modena.

Magnolia at Longiano: two stars in the hills at Villa Margherita

Magnolia, on via Pelliciano at Longiano, was founded in 2003 by Alberto Faccani and now holds two Michelin stars within the Villa Margherita relais in the hills. Plates change with the seasons, balancing prime ingredients against experiments in flavour and texture, with precise service and deliberate colour on the plate. It is the most rural of the starred options covered here, so treat it as a destination meal in the Cesena hills rather than a stop on a Modena city itinerary.

One-star options within reach of Modena: Osteria del Viandante and Arnaldo

Osteria del Viandante, on piazza XXIV Maggio in Rubiera, cooks with local ingredients from the La Collina cooperative, which farms organically and biodynamically with social reintegration projects, and holds both a red star and a Green Star. Its terraces sit among the crenellated parapets of the Forte di Rubiano, so the setting is part of the draw. Arnaldo - Clinica Gastronomica in the same town is the only restaurant in Italy to have kept its star continuously since the first awards in 1959, a claim the Emilia-Romagna region itself makes, and it received a special prize at the 2025 presentation.

Rubiera is a separate town west of Modena, so plan how you will get there and back before you commit to a long lunch; the return leg is easier to arrange in advance than on the day.

What to order and how the cooking reads

Across these kitchens the ingredients do the talking: Parmigiano Reggiano, Aceto Balsamico di Modena and Prosciutto di Parma are the protected Emilian products the region's starred cooking draws on, alongside fish from the Adriatic. Order by the register you want rather than by star count. For contemporary, idea-led cooking with Emilian roots, Osteria Francescana and L'Erba del Re are the obvious picks; for a classical Italian menu, San Domenico; for a seasonal tasting menu in the hills, Magnolia.

Booking a starred table

Stars set expectations, not logistics, so confirm the star, address and any Green Star directly in the Michelin Guide, then book through the restaurant's own site or by phone. Because these are small rooms with fixed menus, build the day around the meal: lunch leaves the evening free, dinner needs a plan for getting back. There is no single dress code across these restaurants, so match the room you have booked rather than packing a separate wardrobe, and leave time for a coffee afterwards before the next train.

Where Modena sits in the wider Emilia-Romagna starred map

As of the 2025 edition, Emilia-Romagna had 21 starred restaurants, including one of Italy's twelve three-star tables, two two-star restaurants and eighteen with a single star. That regional breadth means the starred restaurants in Modena are one part of a wider map stretching from Parma and Bologna to the Adriatic coast at Rimini and Cesenatico. The region also points to its Bib Gourmand list, 33 strong, for restaurants it rates on value, which is a useful counterweight if you want one big starred meal and several simpler ones.

If the starred tables are booked out, the city still eats extremely well at trattoria level; our guide to the best restaurants in Modena covers the everyday osterie and trattorie worth your evening.

Does Modena's Michelin dining leave room for the rest of the city?

Yes, and it should: a starred meal is one anchor for the day, not the whole trip. Modena is compact enough that a lunch at L'Erba del Re or an evening at the flagship leaves time for the centre, and most visitors pair a long meal with a stroll and a coffee rather than a second reservation. If you want to eat well without the ceremony, look to the city's trattorie, markets and cafés for the other meals.

Which Modena starred table should you book?

Book Osteria Francescana for the contemporary, idea-led meal that made Modena a food destination, L'Erba del Re for a one-star table inside the city, or San Domenico and Magnolia if a classical room or a hillside relais is what you want. Confirm the current star and address in the Michelin Guide before you commit, then plan transport around the meal rather than the other way round. One starred lunch plus a relaxed evening in the centre is the version most visitors enjoy most.