Gucci Osteria: Florence welcomes Massimo Bottura, the best chef in the world

By Thibaut Wychowanok.

Published on 6 September 2020. Updated on 29 June 2026.

“Can the tourists just stop with their cappuccinos, pizzas and kebabs?” Massimo Bottura declared jokingly during the opening of the Gucci Osteria on January 9th, 2018. The best chef in the world, according to the 2016 Fifty Best ranking, with 3 Michelin stars for his restaurant in Modena and star of the first episode of the Netflix series Chef’s Table, has a whole new ambition for visitors to the Tuscan capital. Joining forces with the house of Gucci, he is promising the essence of his cooking in a series of small sampling dishes available throughout the day, costing between 20 and 30 euros. Custumers can expect creamy risotto with mushrooms, tortellini Parmigiano Reggiano, but also a brioche filled with pork belly, “the best hot dogs and burgers.”

Despite the small number of tables at Gucci Osteria, it won’t be necessary to make a reservation a year in advance, or send a cover letter as was the case at Osteria Francescana in Modena. In the kitchen, Massimo Bottura’s signature dish is waiting for you — tortellini with Parmigiano Reggiano matured for 36 months. “My secret? I create a sauce with Parmigiano Reggiano and water. Just water. It’s the truth. If I use butter or cream, you lose the real flavour of the product. A taste that has been locked in my memory since I was a child and that I wanted to reproduce here. If you want to promote cooking that is good and healthy, you have to pay a lot of attention to the fats you use,” the chef shared. The result will no doubt seduce foodies as much as those looking for something a little lighter.

“My secret? I created the Parmigiano Reggiano sauce using water only.” — Massimo Bottura

Installed in a palace opposite the famous Palazzo Vecchio, the Gucci Osteria is also trying its hand at upscale fast food featuring burgers and buns. “The most important thing is the balance with the food,” explains Bottura. The brioche bun filled with pork belly is the idea of sous-chef Taka Kondo, who’s in charge of cooking in Florence. “The brioche is prepared Chinese style,” Massimo Bottura told us. “When you have it in your mouth, it feels more Japanese, with the taste of pork that penetrates deep into the throat,” he added. Here it’s a collective approach, with starters by Ana Karime Lopez Kondo and a chocolate dessert conceived in tribute to the son’s chef.  

“As an Italian, I am naturally nostalgic. I like looking to the past, to traditional cooking. But I know how to have a critical eye and how to renew myself.” — Massimo Bottura

“My son gives me lots of grief, but he has a great quality. And that is his love of chocolate,” Massimo Bottura said jokingly. “The dessert that we offer is made of Venezuelan cacao, accompanied by ice-cream, something like Tiramisu. We can detect a Nutella flavour. But without the palm oil and saturated fats,” he continued. “As an Italian, I am naturally nostalgic. I like looking to the past and to traditional cooking. But I know how to exercise a critical eye and how to renew and create new traditions. Here, like everywhere we do, we want to offer a real cooking experience, using local ingredients, even though inspiration comes from around the world.”

Inspiration comes above all from the culture and world of art and music for Massimo Bottura. Like his cod fillet in calamari ink broth served in Modena, named Tribute to Thelonius Monk by this keen jazz fan and owner of 12,000 vinyl. Since the opening in 1995 of Osteria Francescana, the venue has welcomed works by Maurizio Cattelan and Matthew Barney, among others. His famous lemon tart exploding on the plate — “oops I dropped the lemon tart” — is a tribute to Ai Weiwei‘s work. So, it really comes as no surprise that Massimo Bottura accepted the invitation to an 18th century palace in Florence revamped by Alessandro Michele to welcome his own rich works and those of other international artists.

Gucci Osteria by Massimo Bottura, from midday to 8.30 pm on reservation. The galleries in the Gucci Garden are open between 10 am to 7.30 pm.