Osteria Francescana In Modena

We're returning after eight years for our anniversary. What can I say? A memorable experience. The "Miseria e Nobiltà" menu was astonishing. All the dishes, in my opinion, were remarkable. Unlike last time, when some dishes didn't impress us. Jazz duck, an improvisation on duck, is one of the most incredible dishes I've ever eaten. Bottura also stopped by, and like last time, it was a pleasure to meet and chat. I think it's impossible to be disappointed by a menu like this. The price is obviously absurd, but it's within the standard of a three-Michelin-star restaurant.

Our dinner at Osteria Francescana was the kind of once-in-a-lifetime experience that words never quite capture. Each dish arrived like a small revelation, surprising us again and again — a perfectly choreographed sequence that felt more like storytelling than dining. Massimo Bottura’s creativity is on full display; the man is a magician, turning tradition, memory and technique into something playful and deeply moving at the same time. By the end, we were grinning at the sheer audacity of it all. What a ride. P.S. Never trust a skinny Italian chef — unless it’s Bottura.

For years I had wanted to visit Osteria Francescana and was thrilled to finally secure a reservation to celebrate my wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, the experience fell far short of expectations. The atmosphere felt sterile and stiff, which is not what you hope for in an Italian restaurant, especially one with such a reputation. As someone who frequently dines in Michelin starred restaurants around the world, I arrived with high expectations and left disappointed. Around sixty per cent of the dishes were lacking in flavour, the pasta was mediocre at best and the restaurant seemed more focused on storytelling than on delivering food that truly tastes exceptional. We were served a fish dish with pasta water that was completely bland, another brightly coloured pasta dish that was equally flavourless and a chickpea dish that simply did not work. I must say the desserts were the best part! When you are paying for a three Michelin starred meal in Italy, particularly in the Emilia Romagna region where outstanding food is the norm, you expect something memorable. Instead, the meal was underwhelming. The one saving grace was a Spanish Italian waiter whose warm, friendly approach made the afternoon more pleasant, as we struggled to understand our assigned waitress. I genuinely wanted to love this restaurant. We travelled a long way and visited Modena specifically for this meal, but it was a major disappointment. I would advise others to skip Osteria Francescana when visiting the city.

I had been waiting a very long time to visit Osteria Francescana, and my expectations had grown to be sky-high. I watched several documentaries and videos about Chef Bottura—his philosophy, his early struggles, and his rise to the well-deserved success he enjoys today. During our visit, we experienced the tasting menu “Miseria e Nobiltà.” The location is charming: it feels like a neighbourhood restaurant, yet once inside you’re welcomed by iconic design pieces and artworks that lead you through a series of small, intimate dining rooms. The atmosphere is elegant, though perhaps a bit too silent—everyone seems to whisper. The experience: The front-of-house team presents and explains each dish beautifully; they are truly exceptional and extremely well prepared. The dishes themselves are works of art. However, in my opinion, that’s also where they remain. The cuisine has become so conceptual and idealistic that, for me, it loses some of its soul. The plates are stunning—you want them to give you warmth and emotion, not only a narrative of technique and culinary intellect. It all felt a bit too conceptual, almost like a performance designed for art lovers and fellow chefs. Personally, I would have wished for a little more food and a bit more heart on the plate. Of course, this is just my humble opinion. Perhaps I am simply not experienced enough to fully grasp this mesmerising culinary show. P.S. I fully understand I was dining in one of the best restaurants in the world, but if an “aperitivo” is offered at the beginning of the experience, it would be appreciated to specify that it comes at an additional cost—€80 for two glasses of Franciacorta (Ca’ del Bosco Annamaria Clementi).

This lunch was 2 years in the planning. With 3 Michelin stars and the anticipated financial outlay, (350euro +240 wine pairing x2)it is fair to say expectations were high. Whilst the service was impeccable, and the atmosphere, decor etc. very good, you go to such a restaurant to eat outstanding food. Unfortunately this was not the case. Apart from the “Jazz Duck”, which was exceptional, and one of the desserts, no other dish had the expected WOW factor. For a restaurant of such reputation, you expect every dish to sweep you off your feet. Unfortunately this just didn’t happen with many of the dishes. When paying 240 Euro for a wine matching, I did not expect to get a local beer as one of the pairings. When paying 1200 Euro for the meal, I would expect not to be charged 20 Euro for water. Having said all of that, I am glad I came. Happy for the experience, if not the dent in my wallet. As my partner said, I will not die wondering.

This is Italy's most famous restaurant in the world. I had the privilege of dining at an affiliated hotel, but the meal was almost identical, so I'm posting it here. Their signature dishes, which have revolutionized relatively conservative Italian cuisine, are still excellent even after all this time. While the dishes are all original and not all are perfectly delicious, many of them have striking combinations and visual impact, so you never get bored. The Parmesan dish at the end of the meal was so moving that it ranks among the top three dishes of my life. I would love to come back just for this dish. If you're there, I recommend visiting Modena's Parmesan and balsamic vinegar factories, as well as the markets and trattorias in the city before enjoying this dish.

We’d always wanted to visit this restaurant, so we finally made a special 2-day trip to (stunning) Modena to eat lunch here: frankly we were disappointed. Although the restaurant is nice enough and the staff very capable, the food was not exciting and frankly a little insipid: we had the full chef menu at €350 each (without wine) and sadly for us it didn’t compare to similar restaurants we’ve been to. The presentation for most of the dishes wasn’t very nice leading to the eye (except the desserts) and the flavours were all rather similar: meat consommés and broths galore, an insipid corn pasta in, what else, a broth, bean pasta (nothing special in our opinion) and sweet and savoury combinations such as the duck meat cornetto and truffle sweet, which just didn’t work. The menu was called Misery and Nobility: we left feeling a little miserable and with our wallet much lighter.

Osteria Francescana — When Food Tells Stories, Not Recipes Modena, Italy • Michelin 3-Star • Visited November 2023 Dining at Osteria Francescana isn’t eating — it’s listening to Massimo Bottura speak in flavors. Some restaurants feed hunger. This one feeds memory and identity. 🧠 Concept: Italian Tradition, Taken Apart and Rebuilt Bottura doesn’t create dishes; he dismantles childhood, landscapes, and emotions, then serves them back to you. You don’t just taste Italy; you confront it. 🍽 Highlights (Not Just the Menu) Five Ages of Parmigiano Reggiano Not a pasta dish — a thesis on cheese. Different textures, temperatures, maturations, like reading chapters of a book. Oops! I Dropped the Lemon Tart A broken dessert that turns mistake into beauty. Too famous? Yes. Still poetic? Absolutely. The Crunchy Part of the Lasagna Every Italian child’s favorite corner of the pan, elevated into architecture. 🍷 Wine & Service The wine pairing is bold, intellectual, sometimes risky — expect unfamiliar Italian regions, not cliché Barolos. Service is elegant but playful; they speak about food like literature, not gastronomy. 🎭 Who Shouldn’t Go? People expecting huge portions. Guests who want obvious luxury (gold, caviar show). Anyone who treats Michelin dining as a checklist. 💶 Prices & Philosophy It’s expensive, but you’re paying for a cultural document, not dinner. It’s a museum of edible ideas. ⭐ Final Thought Osteria Francescana is not the best restaurant for everyone. It’s the best restaurant for anyone who believes cuisine is art, not appetite.

What more can you say about the best restaurant in the world… absolutely AMAZING! Service, spot on, intimate, warm, inviting, friendly… what else can I say. Food, WOW. The only thing I struggled with the was how much food but that’s not a real problem! It was all amazing.

La mia sufficienza per l’esperienza è semplicemente legata a degli imprevisti nel servizio. Azzardata la scelta degli abbinamenti per la degustazione Miseria e nobiltà. Inaccettabile la reazione di uno dei sommelier al problema sollevato riguardo lo stato di conservazione di uno dei vini. Annotazione fatta da un sommelier altrettanto qualificato seduto al mio tavolo. Il ragazzo ha sostituito il vino ma con supponenza ha manifestato il suo disappunto senza assaggiare il vino in questione e dicendo palesemente che non era d’accordo. Mi limito a dare un piccolo consiglio a chi segue la sala: il servizio di un ristorante di così alto livello dovrebbe essere supervisionato da qualcuno con più esperienza. Ammirevole la presenza di tanti giovani ma la gestione di questi inconvenienti non può essere affidata ad un personale così giovane semplicemente perché “acerbo” nel gestire questi inconvenienti. Piccolo consiglio all’architetto che ha curato gli interni: togliamo le tende oscuranti che dopo quasi 5 ore di pranzo con la luce artificiale mandano in tilt il cervello????? Lo chef resta intoccabile.