"Luca Marchini's Modena star since 2008, where the fillingless tortellino bugiardo rewards the curious. Book it for a special birthday dinner."
Luca Marchini opened L'Erba del Re in 2003, a Tuscan who grew up in Modena cooking in the city that gave the world tortellini. Five years later the kitchen earned a Michelin star, and it has held it ever since. Behind cream curtains on Via Castel Maraldo, the room hides from the street: a handful of tables, quiet service, and a menu that pulls in two directions at once, toward Emilian memory and toward the new.
Marchini's signature is the tortellino bugiardo, the lying tortellino, an old recipe for a sealed pasta square with no filling, poached in broth and then dressed with mussels, cocoa, coffee and sour cream. It reads like a provocation and eats like an argument about what Modenese pasta can carry. The other dish to know is his beef fillet in sweet-and-sour sauce with broccoli and smoked herring. Tasting menus run from €130 for the classics up to €165 for the Espressione, with wine pairings from €70.
The restaurant sits at Via Castel Maraldo 45 in central Modena and has held one Michelin star since 2008. See it against the best Italian restaurants worldwide, the full Modena dining guide, or the three-star Osteria Francescana a few streets away.
The dining room is small and deliberately private, screened from the street by pale curtains, lit low, with tables spaced for confidences rather than crowds. Sound stays hushed. The service is precise without being stiff, and the wine list leans deep into Emilia-Romagna and beyond. Dress smart; the room rewards it. Seating is limited to a few dozen covers across the evening.
Book L'Erba del Re for a birthday because a Michelin tasting menu in a hidden, candle-low room turns a date on the calendar into an event. Marchini's pacing gives the night a shape, from the tortellino bugiardo to the final balsamico dessert, and the sommelier can build a pairing around the guest of honour. For more milestone tables, see our best restaurants for a birthday guide.
Not for a quick or casual meal. The format is a long tasting menu from €130, the room seats only a few tables, and the pacing is deliberate.
Is L'Erba del Re worth it?
Yes, for anyone who wants a serious tasting menu without the months-long wait at Osteria Francescana down the road. Marchini cooks with technique and a sense of place, the room is intimate, and a star has backed the kitchen since 2008. It is a splurge at €130 to €165 per head, but it delivers a complete evening rather than a string of clever plates.
How hard is it to book L'Erba del Re?
Easier than Modena's three-star landmark, but still book one to two weeks ahead for weekends, and earlier during the spring food and motor events. Reserve through the restaurant's own site. The dining room is small, so prime evening slots go first. Weeknights are the most flexible if you want a quieter table and the chef's full attention.
What is the dress code at L'Erba del Re?
Smart is the right call. There is no jacket requirement, but the room is refined and low-lit, and most diners arrive dressed for an occasion. A jacket or a tailored dress will not feel out of place. Avoid anything too casual; the setting and the price point both lean toward a considered evening rather than a drop-in dinner.
What should I order at L'Erba del Re?
Choose one of the tasting menus rather than ordering piecemeal, since the kitchen is built around them. The Espressione at €165 shows Marchini's newest work, while the classics menu at €130 covers the dishes the restaurant is known for, including the fillingless tortellino bugiardo. Add the wine pairing from €70 to follow the kitchen's intent.
Booked for my husband's birthday and it was the highlight of our Modena trip. The tortellino bugiardo is as strange and brilliant as promised. Service was warm and the pairing perfectly judged. Quieter and easier to book than Francescana.
Took two clients here and the room was ideal for talking business between courses. Refined without being stuffy. The beef fillet with smoked herring was the dish everyone remembered. Worth the splurge for an evening that needed to land well.
Reserve direct through L'Erba del Re. The dining room is small, so weekend evenings book out first.
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