Exé Restaurant

Should You Book Exé Restaurant?

Getting a table at Exé Restaurant is easy — and that accessibility is part of its appeal. Located on the ground floor of the Executive Spa Hotel in Fiorano Modenese, this is a restaurant where you can plan a special dinner without the months-in-advance reservation anxiety that defines the region's leading tables. If you are visiting the Motor Valley for Ferrari or the Maserati plant, or simply passing through Emilia-Romagna and want a reliably good meal with serious wine service, Exé earns the stop. Two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions (2024 and 2025) confirm it is cooking at a level above casual hotel dining — which, in a region this competitive, matters.

The Full Picture

The dining room itself is spacious, contemporary, and calm , the kind of room where a conversation can actually happen. If you are booking for a birthday dinner, a business meal, or a date, the atmosphere works in your favour: the energy is composed rather than lively, the room absorbs sound rather than amplifying it, and the overall mood reads as occasion-ready without feeling stiff. For diners who want to talk as much as eat, this is a more practical environment than the noisier trattorias you will find in central Modena on a Friday night.

The menu architecture here is deliberately wide. You are not dealing with a single-track tasting format , Exé runs a broad programme that moves from traditional regional dishes through raw fish preparations, dry-aged grilled meats (the restaurant ages the beef itself, which gives the kitchen genuine control over the product), and gourmet pizzas. That range means a table of four with different appetites can all eat well without compromise. For a special occasion dinner, the grilled meats and the more composed Italian dishes are where the kitchen's commitment shows most clearly. The raw fish options extend the menu's reach toward lighter, modern Italian territory without abandoning the Emilian foundation.

Wine programme is one of the strongest arguments for choosing Exé over a comparable hotel restaurant. The list is extensive, covers a wide range of labels, and , importantly , includes a meaningful by-the-glass selection. The sommelier's willingness to open bottles from the cellar beyond the standard list is the kind of flexibility that makes a wine-focused dinner genuinely interesting rather than formulaic. If wine matters to your group, this is a real differentiator. For context: a Michelin Plate venue in Emilia-Romagna with an accessible sommelier and a deep cellar is not something to take for granted. The region produces world-class Lambrusco, Sangiovese, and international varietals from its northern producers, and a good sommelier here can walk you through that breadth in a single evening.

€€ price positioning makes Exé one of the more accessible Michelin-recognised dining options in the province. You are not paying the €€€€ entry point of Osteria Francescana in Modena or Dal Pescatore in Runate. For a table of two at a Michelin Plate level with serious wine, Exé keeps the evening within reach without asking you to treat it as a once-in-a-decade event. That said, this is not a budget trattoria , the €€ bracket here signals mid-range fine dining, and you should expect and budget accordingly.

Hotel context does shape the experience slightly. Exé is a hotel restaurant, and while it clearly operates above the standard that implies, the setting lacks the architectural drama or the single-minded culinary identity of a standalone destination. If what you want is a room that feels designed specifically around the food programme, you may find the broader menu and hotel-adjacent format less focused than you prefer. But if you want a capable, occasion-appropriate dinner in Fiorano Modenese without a booking wait, Exé is the answer.

For more options in the area, see our full Fiorano Modenese restaurants guide, or explore our full Fiorano Modenese hotels guide, our full Fiorano Modenese bars guide, our full Fiorano Modenese wineries guide, and our full Fiorano Modenese experiences guide. If you are considering a creative step up in the broader region, Alto (€€€ · Creative) is worth comparing. For Italian fine dining further afield, Uliassi in Senigallia, Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence, Piazza Duomo in Alba, Le Calandre in Rubano, and Enrico Bartolini in Milan represent the tier above. For Italian cooking beyond Italy, 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong and cenci in Kyoto are reference points worth knowing.

Ratings at a Glance

• Google: 4.5 (496 reviews)
• Michelin: Plate (2024, 2025)

Practical Details

Reservations: Easy to book , no extended lead time required; contact the Executive Spa Hotel directly. Dress: Smart casual appropriate given the contemporary hotel setting. Budget: €€ , mid-range fine dining; wine additions will move the final bill upward, particularly if the sommelier opens cellar bottles. Location: Via Circondariale S. Francesco, 2, 41042 Fiorano Modenese MO, Italy , ground floor of the Executive Spa Hotel. Leading for: Special occasions, business dinners, couples, groups with varied appetites, wine-focused evenings.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Does Exé Restaurant handle dietary restrictions? The menu is broad enough , spanning traditional Italian dishes, raw fish, grilled meats, and gourmet pizzas , that most dietary preferences can be accommodated. Confirm specific requirements directly with the hotel when booking, as the restaurant operates within a hotel context and is generally set up to handle guest needs.
• What are alternatives to Exé Restaurant in Fiorano Modenese? Within Fiorano Modenese, Alto (€€€ · Creative) sits one price tier above and offers a more creative format. For the wider Modena province, Osteria Francescana is the obvious reference point but operates at €€€€ with a months-long waitlist. Exé is the practical choice if you want Michelin-recognised quality without the planning effort.
• Is Exé Restaurant worth the price? At €€ with two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions and a strong wine programme, yes. You are getting a kitchen that operates above standard hotel-restaurant level, a sommelier who will engage seriously with your table, and self-aged grilled meats that reflect genuine culinary investment. Compared to the €€€€ options in the region, the value gap is real.
• Can Exé Restaurant accommodate groups? The spacious dining rooms make it a practical choice for groups. The wide menu , traditional dishes, raw fish, grilled meats, and pizza , means a table with varied tastes can all find something without the kitchen needing to work around a single tasting format. Contact the Executive Spa Hotel directly to discuss group arrangements.
• Is Exé Restaurant good for solo dining? Yes, particularly if you want to eat well without the social pressure of a tasting counter format. The broad menu means you can order at your own pace and depth. The calm atmosphere suits solo dining better than a loud, group-oriented room would.
• Is Exé Restaurant good for a special occasion? It is one of the better options in Fiorano Modenese for exactly this. The contemporary, spacious dining room is quiet enough for conversation, the Michelin Plate credentials back up the kitchen's quality, and the sommelier engagement adds a layer of hospitality that makes the evening feel considered. If you want the top tier of the region, escalate to Osteria Francescana , but accept the waitlist and price jump that comes with it.
• Is the tasting menu worth it at Exé Restaurant? The database record does not confirm a dedicated tasting menu format at Exé , the menu is described as extensive and wide-ranging rather than a structured progression. If a tasting arc is central to what you want from the evening, clarify the current menu format when booking. For a full tasting menu experience at the leading of the region, Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler or Reale in Castel di Sangro are the relevant comparisons.
• Can I eat at the bar at Exé Restaurant? No specific bar seating arrangement is confirmed in the available data. The restaurant is located on the ground floor of a hotel and operates a spacious dining room format. Contact the venue directly to ask about informal seating options if this matters to your visit.