Maranello-Restaurant Review, Cavallino
It may look like any Italian Trattoria, but “Cavallino” Restaurant in Maranello is anything but!
I had a chance to dine here on a Sunday evening with Alessandro and a couple of friends and was immediately greeted by the professional staff and incredible setting.
For reasons that I’ll tell you later, Cavallino Restaurant is one of the biggest openings of the year 2021 in the city of Modena; I mean in Maranello town which is about 20 minutes’ drive from Modena. So, as you can imagine, there was a lot of talk in the city. Therefore, curiosity certainly did not fail to assault me. Consequently, the decision to test it during its first opening days was almost obvious.
That being said, let’s see now what is so special about this.
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The heart of Cavallino.
Address: Via Abetone Inferiore, 1, 41053 Maranello MO
Cavallino, a historic restaurant at the premises of the Ferrari car factory in Maranello, underwent a renovation in 2021 both in terms of design and food. To be more clear, it is to be run now by the World famous Chef Massimo Bottura and the interiors are designed by one of the best interior designers of our times: India Mahdavi.
The Cavallino Restaurant in Maranello was the place where Mr. Enzo Ferrari, the man who established Ferrari back in 1950, used to dine with friends, guests, and colleagues.
The new look of the restaurant in Maranello run by Chef Massimo Bottura is not only about the food, but it’s mainly an attempt to remember this familiarity of Enzo Ferrari to Cavallino. It’s reconnecting to the technology and quality that Ferrari represents without forgetting the real meaning of the Italian Trattoria.
How is the food at Cavallino Restaurant?
I guess that this is your second curiosity. Here in Maranello, they offer fine traditional cuisine with a modern flair. The food portions at Cavallino Restaurant are not massive so to fulfill your stomach I recommend that you start with an appetizer and end with a desert. All of us did so.
I ordered the Cavallino beef tartare as appetizer; wood oven baked Roses Pasta (rosette al forno di legna) as my first course, cod fish with potatoes as my main course, and sorbetto as desert. And what can I say? It is a real delicacy, and this rare delicacy is a real culinary treat.
Besides a menu of exceptional dishes, there is also a great wine selection that you can easily pair your dishes with.
Service and staff at Cavallino Restaurant.
The high-quality food of Cavallino in Maranello sits at par with the standard of the service of the staff lead by Chef Massimo Bottura. Mr. Luiz Diaz, the restaurant manager, accompanied us with explanations on the place and on the food in a very professional manner.
Along with Mr. Luiz Diaz, who by the way was awarded in 2016 as the best young maître d’ in Italy, the main team under Chef Bottura’s supervision is formed by Chef Riccardo Forapani, who has been trained for over 13 years at the Osteria Francescana, and sommelier Silvia Campolucci.
Something about Chef Massimo Bottura.
Who doesn’t know him? Chef Massimo Bottura is one of the world’s most successful culinary figures. He became even more famous in the year 2016 when his Osteria Francescana in Modena, a three starred Michelin Restaurant, was chosen as number one on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
Cooking is not only about the quality of the ingredients but also about the quality of the ideas, he says. In fact, his dishes walk between tradition and innovation. And it is not a coincidence that he is to manage this new face of Cavallino in Maranello.
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Cavallino Restaurant, design.
And while the food is the primary reason why you should eat at Cavallino in Maranello, the design is the strong second.
From the floor to the wall, everything recalls the heritage of the Ferrari and the relationship that Mr. Enzo Ferrari had with the Italian culinary traditions.
Overall, as I already wrote in my first paragraph, the thing that will truly amaze you is how perfectly they have managed, despite all this innovation and modernity, to maintain the appearance of the real Italian Trattoria.
And, why not, let me also say that The Trattoria Cavallino in Maranello is certainly one of the most instagrammable places in Modena.
Something about the designer: India Mahdavi.
India Mahdavi was born on April 4, 1962. She is a Paris-based Iranian-French architect and designer. Since the opening of her studio back in 2000, she has developed her own exclusive brand focusing on colourful, high-end, chic elegance. Her work has quickly become a reference to many international projects such as restaurants, bars, hotels, clubs, retail concepts, airport locations, and residentials. Her interior design works remain today among the most photographed ones.
And here we are to admire her latest work right in a town very close to our home: Trattoria Cavallino in Maranello. So glad we were able to do so.
Cavallino Restaurant, prices and reservations.
This new restaurant in Maranello is especially perfect for couples wanting more than a standard location, but at the same time, its plentiful outdoor and indoor seating is also suitable for catching up with a group of friends or colleagues.
Compared to the Osteria Francescana in Modena, prices here at the Cavallino in Maranello are more accessible. To give you a better picture, I can say that eating and drinking well, you will spend around 100 Euro per person. I’d say it is a gastronomic experience which is well worth the price.
I’ll tell you even more, now that the food tour in Modena has started to blast off, the Cavallino in Maranello is definitely something that you may want to consider for a better food experience. You should really make your way to Cavallino when visiting Modena.
The menu card can be consulted on Ferrari’s webpage and reservations can be done easily online.
Now, this is a spot that I’m happy to have in my neighbourhood. I won’t fail to go once in a while. Actually, by the end of the meal we were planning our next visit already.
