Osteria Francescana

Fantastic meal- the current menu is fantastic. As I’m sure many others have noted, the menu changes. Go in with the expectations of having an amazing dinner… not what you’ve seen on online. If you want online dishes (and they are amazing) go to the sister property.

My only critique is the atmosphere, while beautiful it was a bit sterile compared to many other modern 3 stars in Italy and elsewhere.

One of the best experiences I have ever had! We had been dreaming of coming to this place ever since we watched the first episode of chefs table. Loved the vibe that Massimo has with such positivity and passion for food and feeding people. We managed to get a reservation in January 2019 and it was the best dinning experience. Everything is carefully curated from the moment the doors open all the way to the end of the night. It does come at a cost but if you enjoy food and like the art of fine dining, this is definitely an experience like no other. Highly recommend if you are able to get a reservation. The experience is worth the amount you will end up paying.

It was a long wait for finally dining here. The 12-course tasting menu sounds exciting, though not all the courses meet the high expectations. There are some surprises and interesting tastes and my personal favourite is the desert. Also like the breadsticks. It is a nice experience and one of the bucket list restaurants checked ✅

Probably one of the best meals of my life!!! Just as you think you’ve eaten the best dish ever, the next one surpasses it and transports you to another place. This restaurant accommodated my special dietary needs. Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana is a memorable dining experience!

Our very high expectations were not disappointed. We were taken on a culinary journey between tradition and innovation. From the first to the last bite Chef Bottura expresses his stories through unique compositions of flavours. We are still dreaming about the lentil caviar and the golden bread. The only regret: we forgot to ask the Chef for a photo when we met him outside of his restaurant.

It is not often that a restaurant lives up to its high expectations. The food was delicious and the wine pairing was well done. We had a really nice experience with the staff before and during dinner. Fortunately, we met the pastry team out on the street before our dinner service began. Very friendly and welcoming. Meeting Massimo at the end of the meal was a nice touch. If there is something that I did not like - it was the room at the back that we were in as there were only 3 tables and no windows...maybe that is by design as it allowed us to focus on each other and our meal.

From the minute that you step into the unassuming door to the restaurant that is situated in an even more unassuming alleyway in Modena you are greeted with attention to detail. They know you from the start to the finish when you're lucky enough to converse with Chef Massimo about life, food, and everything. What a privilege to experience this. Next bucket list item is to ride motorcycles alongside Chef around the twisty roads that he so lovingly spoke about.

Met our expectations. Staff was friendly and welcoming, dishes were well explained and paired with interesting wines. Some courses were not as exciting as others, but all were memorable.
Beautiful tableware as well. Standout courses were the pigeon, dessert, "camouflage" and amuse bouche.
We left very full and satisfied. Definitely would like to return for lunch to try the a la carte menu as well.

The most special experience, an absolute dream. Service was out of this world, never experienced such a welcoming staff. For 4 hours didn’t feel the need to ask for anything and tempo of the meals and drinks was perfect.
I had the vegan tasting menu and my fiancé had a pescatarian tasting menu, both represented the same ideas though some dishes were totally different. As a vegan I’m used to get “good enough” dishes at fine dining restaurants, but here every single dish tasted and looked like much thought was put into it. Best fine dining vegan experience I’ve had, especially in a non vegan (Italian!) restaurant.

The service is superb like a 3 star is supposed to. The ambiance is very elegant and also on top level. The food was good but not completely excellent. Especially the fish and seafood is very good but lacks that stunningly freshness that you have at the seaside. If you have ever had a fish or shrimp at the coast you know what I mean.
I feel like attention Netflix brings is not good for restaurants.

A meal I won’t soon forget. We ordered the tasting menu but opted to forego the wine pairing. We also supplemented the tasting menu with the 5 ages of parmigiano, which the staff inserted towards the end of our meal right before the desserts.

This restaurant is one of the most bold and inventive dining experiences I’ve ever had. Everything was cooked and executed perfectly, but that is table stakes at this level of cuisine. More remarkable was how every dish looked and felt like a massive risk. The food was complex and often challenging, blending together textures and flavor profiles that I never thought could mesh.

Not everything hit. There were definitely a few courses that I struggled to fully appreciate. But when it worked (and it certainly did for many) the pay-off was incredible.

The dinner was approximately 3 hours and the service was immaculate every step of the way (as you would expect). My only wish is that they explained a bit more the story and the inspiration behind each of the dishes.

I probably would not recommend coming here multiples times, but I am so glad I got to experience Massimo’s artistry at least once in my life.

A lifetime dream come true. Incredible, creative food and knowledgeable and rather fun service, frankly the opposite of what was lamented in the comments. They even welcomed us to have a look at the wine cellar after the meal. The negative comments might originate from the fact that waiters are not super proficient in English and they might consequently be able to add humor and verve to the service.

Only one comment, the atmosphere of the place and the menu are a bit "mature". I think that Massimo's experimental phase is drawing to an end and he is now reflecting on his past experiences and this is reflected by the plates as well

A true unique gastronomy experience under the care of the great Massimo Bottura

This establishment likely has the most respected reputation for any restaurant in Italy. It's for good reason. They have won best restaurant in the world twice and continue to push gastronomic boundaries. The team has created a new menu for 2023 celebrating classic dishes of the Osteria but presenting them in a new way. Once you arrive at your seat you'll be offered to order the tasting menu or ordering a la carte. With prior notification you can even order a vegetarian version of the tasting menu which is its own unique experience. There's no bad option. The regular tasting menu is a beautiful experience starting of seafood and briney, moving into savory, and ending sweet over around a dozen tasting courses. Chef Massimo even visits with guests if he's working the kitchen. I won't spoil anything more other than the price as of September 2023. Expect to pay €325 for a tasting menu (same for vegetarians), €210 for a wine pairing, and €30 for a champagne appertif. Reservations of months in advance and you MUST book them the moment they become available. It's worth the effort because I was served the best meal I've ever had.

It was a dream come true to visit Osteria Francescana after seeing it and Massimo Bottura highlighted in many food programs over the years. We scored a reservation the minute they opened up (and glad we did as a few minutes later, all of the reservations for this month were gone...and this was about 6 months in advance.) With such a sought after place, make sure you put a lot of advanced thought into coming here or you just won't get in.

Honestly it was the Five Ages of Parmesan Cheese dish that brought us here. We added that to the tasting menu (after mortgaging our house to be able to afford this meal) and it was for sure the highlight of our tasting experience.

We enjoyed many other things, especially the incredible amount of artistry that went into each dish and its presentation. We especially remember the beet dish. We're vegetarians so got a vegetarian version of the tasting menu and they did, we think, a pretty good job of matching up flavor profiles with the meat versions of the dishes they came with. We also thought the Eggplant all San Domenico was one of the best presentations, taste and texture of eggplant we've ever had.

The atmosphere was a little bit of a bummer...it was INCREDIBLY FORMAL AND SERIOUS to be in there. The staff in particular, I don't think ever smiled, and the overall ambiance was kind of heavy. I guess this makes sense for one of the most famous fine-dining restaurants in the world, but it didn't quite match the playfulness of Botturo's on-screen personality, or the same playfulness that went into the naming of the dishes.

And although we enjoyed everything, even a few weeks later with pictures of everything, it's hard to pull out highlights...maybe because the meal had so many courses...just thinking about it, it kind of all ran together...whereas at many other restaurants we dined at throughout Italy on this vacation, we can call out specific tastes flavors and joy at being in the places.

If we were to do it again we would just order a-la carte. The 5 Ages of Parmesan dish that brought us in wasn't included in the tasting menu and we would have been VERY happy with it and a couple other items and the food, likely would have been more memorable and we would have saved hundreds of dollars.

Massimo...you're a super-fun guy. Let that reflect in the experience one has in your most famous restaurant.

The best dining experience of my life.
Had the tasting menu and added "oops I dropped the lemon tart". The menu and wine pairings are magical! The service, exceptional. To top it off I met Massimo!! What an honor.

Osteria Francescana is an experience that can not be fully described, it needs to be lived.
Upon arrival, guests are welcomed and served by an elegant, skilled, kind, professional, and extremely prepared staff, that will guide and advise you during your permanence. Each dish is presented as a journey inside the chef's mind and vision, and the tasting menu particularly - which I highly advise to try - describes an entire cooking philosophy.
Chef Bottura's dishes are exquisitely unique, and represent an Italian food experience like no other. I can't wait to see where his genius, accompanied and supported by a team of visionaries, will take him next.

Behind the Fact that he is my Idol Chef , for he’s, personality, kindness, creativity, craziness.
Chef Massimo and he’s team build an amazing group that give us Extraordinary experience, i felt ,balanced between the creativity ,culture, flavors, storytelling .
With you will reach the third time the best restaurant on the world you deserve it .

It's quite weird trying review the restaurant or the experience here.
Eating in such a restaurant is a privilege and a gift that cannot be explained. Like getting to a whole new world of tastes, excitment about food and spectacular event.
The dishes we tried were innovative, different, and new.
We came for the classics, those dishes that made this restaurant so famous and popular, and just understood it all.

Experience cannot be fully described and be understood, you just need to try it yourself.

Of course it's not worth the money but this is a once in a lifetime experience and we all had an incredible time. Fun, tasty and great staff that will ensure a good high end fine dining experience