Il Fantino

About Il Fantino

Via Donzi is a narrow street in the old quarter of Modena — not the tourist quarter of porticoed arcades and Piazza Grande, but the working residential quarter where the city eats dinner on a Tuesday and does not make a reservation until the afternoon. Il Fantino occupies a room on this street that is decorated with racing jerseys and photographs of cars: this is the motor city, after all, and Ferrari's factory is close enough to supply the fantasy that sustained Modena's identity through the second half of the twentieth century. The name — Italian for “jockey” — makes a different kind of racing reference, but the atmosphere of speed and energy in the room is the same.

This is a restaurant ranked by Tripadvisor at number 39 among 679 in Modena, which places it substantially higher than its position in this guide's ranking would suggest. The Tripadvisor score reflects a room with more than 3,300 reviews, an extraordinary volume for a restaurant of this size and price point, and it reflects what those reviewers are describing: a genuinely enjoyable, generous, unfussy Emilian trattoria experience at prices that make the evening uncomplicated.

Gnocco fritto and tigelle — the two fried bread traditions of Modena and the Apennine foothills respectively — arrive as the correct opening to any meal here, accompanied by cured meats from local producers and a Parmigiano-Reggiano that would be served at the same table in the same way whether the guests were Milanese businessmen or Modenese factory workers. Pumpkin tortelloni stuffed and served with butter and sage is one of the best pasta courses in the city at this price. Ricotta tortellini appear in lighter form and are ordered as often. The menu does not surprise; it rewards.

The room fills quickly and stays full. The noise level rises in direct proportion to the generosity of the Lambrusco orders, which is to say it rises substantially. The tortelloni-yellow tablecloths are a design choice that communicates something about the kitchen's relationship to what it is cooking. Il Fantino does not pretend to be anything other than what it is: a lively, good-natured, reliably excellent Modenese trattoria in a city that has set an extremely high floor for exactly that category.

What to Order

Order gnocco fritto first — the fried bread that should arrive at every Emilian table before anything else, hot and blistered and accompanied by culatello or prosciutto di Modena if available. Tigelle follow naturally for a group that wants to extend the beginning of the meal, filled with a mixture of lard, rosemary, and Parmigiano that the Apennine villages have been making for centuries.

Among the pasta courses, the pumpkin tortelloni with butter and sage is the dish most associated with Il Fantino and should be ordered by every first-time visitor. The ricotta tortellini is the lighter alternative. The ragù di carne, whether on tagliatelle or stuffed into pasta, is correctly made and correctly priced. Among secondi, grilled meats and the daily preparation — whatever the kitchen is slow-cooking that afternoon — are the correct choices. The wine is local and abundant; order more of it than you think you need.