Restaurant in Modena, Italy
Nine tables, four menus, one hard booking.

L'Erba del Re holds a Michelin star in a nine-table palazzo near Modena's medieval centre. Four menu formats — including an Emilian heritage tasting menu and a chef's creative option — make it the strongest alternative to Osteria Francescana in the city. Book four to six weeks ahead minimum; lunch slots are more available than weekend dinners.
Picture nine tables in a restored period palazzo, contemporary paintings on pale walls, and a menu that moves between centuries of Emilian cooking and the chef's own current thinking. That combination, housed in a €€€€ room steps from the medieval church of Santa Maria della Pomposa, earned L'Erba del Re a Michelin star in 2024. If you are planning a serious meal in Modena and Osteria Francescana is unavailable or out of budget, this is the first name to consider — not a fallback, but a genuine alternative with its own distinct identity.
Nine tables is a meaningful constraint. The recently restored interior manages to feel modern and restrained rather than cold: minimalist in its proportions, with contemporary paintings that give the room a specific point of view without demanding attention. The setting inside a palazzo near one of Modena's oldest churches gives the room its bones, but the fitout keeps things firmly in the present. For a food-focused traveller, this is a room designed to keep your attention on the plate rather than the décor. For anyone booking as part of a Modena deep-dive alongside, say, Al Gatto Verde or Antica Moka, the spatial contrast across those venues is part of what makes the city's dining scene worth spending multiple days in.
This is the question that matters most for planning. L'Erba del Re opens for lunch Tuesday through Saturday (12:30 PM–2:30 PM) and for dinner Monday through Saturday (8 PM–10:30 PM), with Sunday closed entirely. The kitchen offers the same range of menus at both services: the historic Emilian tasting menu (tortellini in capon broth, tagliatelle in Modena-style ragù and similar), the chef's current creative menu, a vegetarian option, and an à la carte. That means the quality ceiling is identical regardless of when you sit down.
Where lunch wins is on booking access. Michelin-starred rooms at this price point in Italy tend to be somewhat easier to secure at midday than in the evening, when demand from visiting diners concentrates. If you are flexible, a Saturday lunch at L'Erba del Re is likely easier to land than a Saturday dinner, and it leaves the evening free for a different kind of meal, perhaps something lower-key at Erbavoglio or a walk to one of Modena's bars. Check the full Modena bars guide for options after a long lunch.
Dinner has a different rhythm. With service running until 10:30 PM, there is no pressure on pacing, which suits the longer tasting menu formats. If the Emilian heritage menu is your reason for coming, an unhurried weekday dinner is the format to aim for. Monday is dinner-only, which makes it an option if you arrive in the city and want to eat well on your first night without competing against weekend demand.
Four formats give L'Erba del Re more flexibility than most rooms this size. The historic Emilian menu is the clearest statement of intent: dishes like tortellini in capon broth and tagliatelle in Modena-style ragù are not nostalgia exercises here but the core of what the kitchen wants to say. The parallel creative menu reflects current thinking in a more contemporary register. The vegetarian option is structured, not an afterthought, which matters if you are booking as part of a group with mixed dietary needs. The à la carte includes the house specialities, making it a practical choice if you want to eat at your own pace without committing to a full tasting sequence. For food-focused travellers comparing this to Emilian tasting experiences elsewhere in the region, see also Dal Pescatore in Runate or Le Calandre in Rubano for different takes on the northern Italian tasting menu format.
At nine tables and with a Michelin star earned in 2024, L'Erba del Re is a hard booking. Book well in advance , four to six weeks is a reasonable planning horizon for a weekend evening, somewhat less for a weekday lunch. The restaurant is closed Sunday, which removes one potential booking window entirely. There is no phone number or website listed in current data, so check availability directly via the restaurant or through a reservation platform that covers Modena. If you are building a broader Modena itinerary, the full Modena restaurants guide covers the full range of options across price tiers, and the Modena hotels guide is useful if you are staying overnight. The Modena experiences guide and wineries guide round out a longer stay.
For context on Emilia-Romagna's wider creative dining scene, Casa Maria Luigia operates outside the city centre and offers a different format. Beyond the region, the creative tasting menu format is well represented at Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence, Enrico Bartolini in Milan, Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico, and Piazza Duomo in Alba. For European creative cooking at a similar or higher ambition level, Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen and Arpège in Paris provide useful reference points.
Quick reference: Via Castelmaraldo, 45, Modena , Lunch Tue–Sat 12:30–2:30 PM, Dinner Mon–Sat 8–10:30 PM, closed Sunday , €€€€ , Michelin 1 Star (2024) , 9 tables , Google 4.5/5 (385 reviews) , Book 4–6 weeks ahead minimum.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| L'Erba del Re | €€€€ | — |
| Osteria Francescana | €€€€ | — |
| Al Gatto Verde | €€€€ | — |
| Hosteria Giusti | €€€ | — |
| Casa Maria Luigia | — | |
| Franceschetta 58 | €€ | — |
What to weigh when choosing between L'Erba del Re and alternatives.
Groups are possible but the nine-table format means availability is tight and large parties will effectively take over a significant share of the room. Book four to six weeks in advance for any group of four or more. Sunday is closed, so plan around the Tuesday-Saturday schedule.
Yes — the menu structure here is more flexible than most rooms at this price point. A dedicated vegetarian menu sits alongside the historic Emilian tasting menu, the chef's contemporary menu, and à la carte options. Confirm specific dietary needs when booking.
At €€€€ with a 2024 Michelin star, it earns its price tier if you engage with the tasting menus rather than treating it as a casual à la carte stop. For comparison, Franceschetta 58 (also Bottura-adjacent Modena dining) runs cheaper and more casually; L'Erba del Re is the choice when you want a more considered, structured meal in a serious room.
The restored palazzo setting and Michelin star signal that neat, polished dress is appropriate — think smart rather than formal. The interior is minimalist and contemporary, not a white-tablecloth throwback, so a jacket is sensible for dinner without being mandatory.
The historic Emilian tasting menu is the clearest reason to book here: dishes like tortellini in capon broth and tagliatelle in Modena-style ragù in a Michelin-starred setting deliver real context for the region's cooking. If you want to compare, Hosteria Giusti does traditional Emilian formats at lower cost but without the creative range or modern room that L'Erba del Re offers.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.