Restaurant in Corte de' Cortesi, Italy
Forty years of goose, wine, and local produce.
Gabbiano 1983 is a Michelin Bib Gourmand-recognised Lombardian restaurant in Corte de' Cortesi with over 40 years in operation, built around local goose dishes, traditional boiled meats, and glass-poured wines from a dining-room trolley. At €€, it is the clearest case for quality-driven regional cooking in the Cremona countryside without the price tag of a starred destination.
Yes — and if you are making a special trip into the Cremona countryside specifically to eat, this is the clearest case you will find at the €€ price point. Gabbiano 1983 has held consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in both 2024 and 2025, which in practical terms means Michelin's inspectors consider it to deliver quality that punches above its price bracket. With a Google rating of 4.6 across more than 1,000 reviews, the broader dining public agrees. For a food or wine enthusiast visiting Lombardy's Po Valley, this is the kind of deeply local, long-established restaurant that rewards the detour.
Gabbiano 1983 has been operating for over 40 years on Piazza Vittorio Veneto in the small town of Corte de' Cortesi con Cignone, in the province of Cremona. The kitchen runs under chef Panupong Songsang and the focus is resolutely on Lombardian tradition — not a reinterpreted or modernised version of it, but the real thing, grounded in the agricultural identity of the surrounding land. The area is historically known for goose farming, and the menu puts goose dishes at the centre. Traditional boiled meats , bollito misto in its regional form , are another constant, and all sourcing is described as local. This is a kitchen that has been cooking the same territory for four decades and has a Michelin credential to show that consistency pays off.
The dining room has a wine trolley from which bottles are served by the glass, which is worth knowing before you arrive. For a wine enthusiast, this format allows genuine exploration of the cellar without committing to a full bottle, and the selection is described as carefully curated. The atmosphere here is not a loud, buzzy trattoria. Expect the ambient feel of a considered, unhurried provincial dining room , the kind where conversations carry easily, where service is attentive rather than performative, and where the pace is set by the food rather than the turn time. This makes Gabbiano 1983 a poor choice if you want a quick meal and an early night, but a strong one if you are planning an evening that stretches through multiple courses and a properly worked wine list.
On the question of late hours: this is a rural Lombardian restaurant with a traditional format, and you should not arrive expecting a late-night operation. The kitchen's rhythm is dinner-service-driven, and the experience is better suited to an early reservation that allows the meal to unfold on its own timeline rather than a late arrival rushing against kitchen close. If you are travelling from Milan or Cremona, plan to arrive by 8pm at the latest to get the full experience without pressure. Check current hours directly before booking, as opening times are not confirmed in available data.
Gabbiano 1983 is a natural fit for food and wine travellers making a wider Lombardy or Po Valley itinerary , the kind of trip that includes [Dal Pescatore in Runate](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/dal-pescatore-runate-restaurant) or [Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli in Verona](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/casa-perbellini-12-apostoli-verona-restaurant) at one end of the budget and wants a genuinely local, non-touristy anchor at the other. At €€, the price per head is accessible, and the Bib Gourmand credential means you are not trading quality for economy. It is also a good call for anyone specifically interested in traditional Lombardian cooking , goose, boiled meats, local sourcing , who wants to eat in the region where that cooking comes from rather than in a city restaurant interpreting it from a distance. For a broader look at what is available in the area, see [our full Corte de' Cortesi restaurants guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/corte-de-cortesi).
Reservations: Booking is rated Easy , this is not a difficult table to secure, but given the rural location and relatively contained size of a traditional Lombardian restaurant, booking ahead is still the sensible approach, particularly for weekends or if you are coordinating travel around it. A week's notice is a reasonable buffer; two weeks out is comfortable for any date. Budget: €€ , priced accessibly for the quality level, with Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition confirming value. Wine: Available by the glass from a trolley service in the dining room. Getting there: Corte de' Cortesi con Cignone is a small town in the province of Cremona; a car is the practical choice. Address: Piazza Vittorio Veneto, 10, 26020 Corte de' Cortesi con Cignone CR, Italy. Phone and website details are not currently confirmed , check via Google or local booking platforms before your visit. For accommodation, see [our full Corte de' Cortesi hotels guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/hotels/corte-de-cortesi). For bars in the area, see [our full Corte de' Cortesi bars guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/bars/corte-de-cortesi). Wine enthusiasts planning a wider trip can also explore [our full Corte de' Cortesi wineries guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/wineries/corte-de-cortesi) and [our full Corte de' Cortesi experiences guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/experiences/corte-de-cortesi).
If you are building a Lombardian itinerary and want to compare local-tradition restaurants at a similar price point, [Al Gambero in Calvisano](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/al-gambero-calvisano-restaurant) and [85 Bistrot in Sesto San Giovanni](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/85-bistrot-sesto-san-giovanni-restaurant) are worth looking at alongside Gabbiano 1983. For broader Italian reference points , particularly if you are assessing where a Bib Gourmand venue sits relative to Italy's starred restaurants , [Osteria Francescana in Modena](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/osteria-francescana), [Piazza Duomo in Alba](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/piazza-duomo-alba-restaurant), [Quattro Passi in Marina del Cantone](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/quattro-passi-marina-del-cantone-restaurant), [Reale in Castel di Sangro](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/reale-castel-di-sangro-restaurant), and [Uliassi in Senigallia](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/uliassi-senigallia-restaurant) give useful context for what Italy's upper tier looks like at a different price bracket.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gabbiano 1983 | €€ | Easy | — |
| Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Dal Pescatore | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Enoteca Pinchiorri | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Enrico Bartolini | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Le Calandre | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
How Gabbiano 1983 stacks up against the competition.
Goose dishes are the reason to come here — the Corte de' Cortesi area has a long-standing reputation for goose, and the menu puts it front and centre. The traditional boiled meats are also a strong order, all sourced locally. Wine is served by the glass from a trolley in the dining room, which makes it easy to pair course by course without committing to a bottle.
The venue data does not confirm private dining or specific group capacity, so check the venue's official channels before planning a group booking. Given its position on Piazza Vittorio Veneto in a small Cremona province town, this is a contained traditional trattoria format rather than a large-event space. Smaller groups of four to six are the safer assumption.
The menu is built around meat-forward Lombardian tradition — goose and boiled meats are the core offering — so this is not a natural fit for vegetarians or pescatarians. Those with specific dietary needs should call ahead, though phone details are not currently listed publicly. If dietary flexibility is a priority, a larger city restaurant in Cremona may offer more options.
There are no documented comparable restaurants in Corte de' Cortesi itself — at this level of Michelin recognition it is the only option in the immediate village. The nearest meaningful comparison for traditional Lombardian cuisine at a similar price point is Al Gambero in Calvisano. For a longer itinerary, Dal Pescatore in Canneto sull'Oglio is the regional benchmark, though at a significantly higher price and booking difficulty.
Yes, if the occasion suits a traditional, locally rooted setting rather than a formal fine-dining room. Two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand awards (2024 and 2025) confirm the kitchen is consistent, and the €€ price range means a special dinner here will not require the planning or spend of a starred restaurant. It works well for a milestone meal where the food and setting matter more than theatre or prestige.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
