Antica Moka was quite simply resplendent. During our first visit to the Amelia Romana region of…read moreItaly, this restaurant achieved the very finest meal of all the fabulous meals we enjoyed during our stay. The quality of the ingredients, the perfect balance of flavors, and the exquisite preparation/display exceeded any expectations prior to our dinner here. The service staff is exceptional, and in addition to their patience wading through our minimal Italian they had complete command and delivery in English. While the owner and front end manager did not speak English, communication with them was also easy. The wine list was extensive and greatly expanded our experiences with Emilian wine styles. The restaurant is easy to locate, just east of Modena. Access is simple, whether by driving yourself or taking a taxi. In interior is well appointed, with much greater space among tables than what we commonly experience in the US. Not only will we certainly come back. I encourage anyone visiting Modena or Bologna to make Antica Moka a must-stop among your dining plans. Reservations will absolutely be necessary!!

Passion and tradition is their motto. We would never have encountered this wonderful experience if…read morenot recommended by Casa Maria Luigia. All the servers are women dressed in dark suit except their son. Amazing food and service. The vegetable pie is a must try! We wished we had a chance to go back before we headed back to Bologna. The beauty of their stories is that they can be told to taste each time..........it was just that good!

A beautiful remote restaurant with what appears to be farm to table food. One of the best meals we…read morehad in Italy by far! We had Bolognese and pumpkin tortellini with Bolognese sauce. Service was fast and they had excellent suggestions along the way. The entire dinner was a lovely experience. Prior to its opening, we walked the grounds and found a cart full of squash that was used in the Tortellini dish. It is in the outskirts of Modena and worth the travel.

One of the best meals I have ever had. We had the fresh pasta with porcini mushrooms - amazing!…read more The service was welcoming, everything was perfect. I can't recommend this restaurant enough, an unexpected gem.

Feels like a very old timey traditional Modena restaurant for locals but the staff speaks English…read morewhich was a surprise. The tiny Tortellini in broth was amazing & I haven't had tripe italian style for a long time. Wonderful place.

Enzo was delightful! You'll walk upstairs to get to the dining room - a very homey, calm vibe…read more Nothing crazy & no surprises. Just really good pasta! Service was good.

Once in a lifetime meal in an intimate environment! Top notch service, inventive menu, carefully…read morecurated dishes what else can you ask for? All the courses were perfect in every bite, unbelievable experience! Pro Tip: try to snag a lunch reservation. P.S. It may be easier to get :)

This was our first stop for Massimo botturo in Modena…read moreAbsolutely the Emilia burger is the best hamburger known to man The aged Negroni was absolutely delightful and delicious and instilled a sense of peace The pasta with clams was luxurious sauce and only the completion allowed satisfaction beyond compare The dessert was constructed perfectly Service as always is attentive and constant and. The restaurant is cozy and comfortable A must visit to Modena before his classic three star restaurant Francescana at casa Maria luigia

From the owner: Il pregio e la rarità del locale creato da Anna Maria Barbieri, profondamente innamorata…read moredell'arte della cucina, consistono nel situarlo al più alto livello della bontà e della finezza dei cibi, ma tenendolo allo stesso tempo radicato nel cuore della tradizione sapienziale popolare e nel modo di porgere tutto emiliano. La millenaria storia dei sapori, che inizia miticamente da Dionysos e che eleva il semplice alimentarsi alle forme superiori del banchetto, trova qui, un punto di riferimento: il carattere autentico dei piatti padani è infatti la base sulla quale la signora Anna Maria coltiva il sorprendente giardino delle sue mirabili elaborazioni" La tradizione e la cucina per Anna Maria e' un amore profondo, dalla Caffetteria Moka, vecchio Bar di quartiere, era il 1974 in via Emilia Ovest, ad oggi Antica Moka in via Emilia est. Dal Gnocco fritto di prima mattina, alla semplice cucina di trattoria, per giungere alla cucina attuale, la ricerca della materia prima nel territorio, alla t

I fortunately stopped in right at opening because the restaurant was full within the hour. It would…read morehave been a little difficult to find, except that there was a line waiting to be let in. This was a good sign. I had two types of pasta, a glass of Lambrusco, mineral water and espresso macchiato for a grand total of €21. The menu said pasta "tasting". Each serving would have been more than enough on its own, and it was all delicious. Things to note: -Stairs to 1st floor; there is no elevator -Cash or banc card only, so make sure that you have cash on hand -indoor seating only, but there was air conditioning and Celine going fans. - it gets very busy at opening

This gem came recommended by a local we met today. It's upstairs, unassuming and absolutely…read moreamazing! Friendly staff and many options for both carnivores and vegetarians

Great evening with my wife. Sat outside on the plaza and had a couple drinks followed by a simple…read moredinner with Lambrusco. She had the tortellini in broth, I had the lasagna. Both were excellent. Going back before we leave Modena. Servers were polite and on top of our wishes. Very nice experience.

This was a perfect dinner. "Rooster mushrooms" with both the perfect fresh pasta and the tenderest…read moresteak I have had in years, full of beefy flavor. The bruschetta was fine. Eggplant parm was letter perfect. Wonderful service

Just finished eating here. Pasta with porchini mushrooms and osso bucco. Both were excellent…read more Since the last review is so long ago, wanted to update that service and quality of food is still excellent. Prices are reasonable. Five steps from Duomo. You can actually see it if sitting outside. Very pleasant. And some street musuans are playing right outside ans are very very good.

What a delicious restaurant! Came here at 7:30 PM on a Saturday night and it was empty. Italians…read moreeat so late, it's weird. Anyway, we ordered the gnocco fritto to start, which was mind blowing. Imagine a sweet puffy dough pillow that was halfway in-between a crossiant and a donut. And then imagine putting nice prosciutto and salamis and what not on it. It was an awesome, life changing meal. For our mains, we had the gnocchi with sausage and the cheese and spinach tortilini with balsamic dressing - two awesome dishes. Perfectly sized, great flavors, not overly salty. Water was only 1 euro per bottle, and coperto was 2 euro each. Our waiter spoke great English, and even put up with my dad's sad attempt to speak Italian (by attempting to pronounce the names of the dishes). I prefer the "point to the menu" method myself. Really really pleased with the quality, price, and level of service. It's a little bit hidden down a small street, but keep searching it's worth it I promise!

I had my heart set on Hosteria Giusti after thorough research on Modena (credit to Katie Parla's…read moreblog with great recommendations). Modena feels like a sleepy small town that hasn't changed much in the last hundred years, and this meal was the perfect way to experience just a bit of it. A must try is the Gnoccho frito - puffed fried dough impossibly thin and literally light as air, and yet somehow chewy in a satisfying way, topped with an assortment of salumi (you are in a salumeria so of course it's amazing). I am glad to have tried the Cotechino, appetizer-sized, to have a taste of a very traditional food. We were warned that it was strong, but I found the pickle-y sauce perfect to cut through the richness, and it was not gamey. The slices were so thin they melt away in your mouth. You cannot come here without trying the tagliatelle with ragu. Fresh tagliatelle, delicate and thin and eggy, paired with a rich tender ragu (the meat was left in large stewed chunks, not ground or minced). I gained a new appreciation for pasta. Hearty and comforting but also refined. Our other pasta, strichetti with vegetables, was good but not necessary. Perhaps stick with meatier options, which it seems Modena excels at. Like the suckling pig with balsamic vinegar and the sweetest most unctuous stewed onions. Definitely get that - I only wish there was more on the plate. Book well in advance. With only 4 tables, it is exactly like eating at someone's house - being surrounded by family heirlooms and photos, being taken care of by (extremely kind and friendly) family members, eating traditional dishes from this area. This is the kind of meal that's worth traveling for and was incredibly memorable.

One of the rare times where expectations were high, but not met. I had been crushed when the place…read morewas closed my first visit to Modena in 2015. Determined, I returned to the city in 2017, and HG was my first call (in fact, I confirmed they were opened before booking the hotel). I love all the intrigue in entering through a secret door from inside a high-end meet and cheese shop. There are just 4 tables, so it's very intimate too. The menu is concise, and offered in English. But the food didn't "wow" me. The "dried cod cream with toast" appetizer was like hot fish dip. It was, I can't believe I'm saying this, a little gross. And it was 18€! My table of 4 was playing "hot potato" with it. The 12€ fried dumplings with cold cuts was one of the better items. Both pastas (macaroni with duck and linguini with pork cheek sauce) were enjoyed by all, but at 18€ each, were also a little shocking. The 26€ main courses were mostly fine, but again, way too expensive and too small. Nothing even worth describing in my usual exhaustive detail. Oh wait: the "fried cotechino with zabiglione sauce" was also gross. So another big strike out in the secondi to go with the hot cod dip. For a place with such a fanatical foodie following (FFF), I would have much preferred the weekday lunch at Strada Facendo (a multi course lunch for the price of a single dish here).