Which restaurant would you choose when dining in Florence: Il Latini, Il Guscio, Buca dell'orato, or Acqua Al 2? I have seen all of them mentioned on Fodors, but am wondering if anyone has a particular favorite.

Not Il Latini unless you want to be in the midst of many tourists eating decent but not memorable food.

I would go to La Giostra over any of those. Of those, Acqua Al 2.

Another vote for La Giostra!

greene

If you are a meat lover, you must try the bistecca di florentine at Osteria di Benci, must sure you book ahead!

Then go back to La Giostra for tiramisu!

Enjoy!

s

sorry, I was meant to say 'make' sure you book ahead.

Il Latini is not noteworthy in any way.

Aqua al 2 was fine, but IMO there are much better choices in Florence.

I have not been to La Giostra and it is not high on my list, simply because I have so many other spots I prefer.

With all the great places to eat in Florence, I am always surprised how the same few places always seem to turn up here..(I am not including Il Guscio in this comment because it is almost never mentioned here...)

Ekscrunchy, I actually think I saw Il Guscio on one of your posts so I thought I'd try it out (I am borrowing many of your Rome picks), but if there are others you'd recommend instead...

I have two dinners in Florence and one lunch. I love food (I will have just spent a week in CT taking a cooking course) and am not at all into the trendy, hot-spot restaurants that attract tourists (I have NYC for that).

kfusto: so what are your favorites?

I also recommend La Giostra (the goat was fabulous) and Za Za (the artichoke appetizer was fantastic). These were our two favorite places when we went to Florence in April. Il Latini is good but don't get suckered into ordering all the courses they offer. You don't HAVE to eat everything they want you to. Just order what you want, share some courses if you want also. Your bill will be adjusted accordingly. It is a fun place with decent to good food.

Greene, as you could see in my report, I liked Il Guscio very much. Another place I like a lot is Alla Vecchia Bettola, also in the Oltrarno near Piazza Tasso. These two are a bit out of the central historic/tourist area but both are within easy walking distance from the Ponte Vecchio, for example. The food at Cibreo (I ate only at the trattoria, not the main restaurant) is interesting enough to make a visit worthwhile, (not the typical modern Florentine fare) but the trattoria does not take reservations so you may have to wait.

Other places to consider would be Sostanza and Tranvai. The second is also in the Oltrarno, south of the river and near Alla Vecchia Bettola.

Another vote for La Giostra for a memorable dinner.

Can anyone clear up a confusion i have? We just returned from Florence. I remembered eating at Paoli's on a previous trip...Rick STeves speaks about the same restaurant. This time we walked past a Paoli's and I'm almost certain it was on the same street as the Paoli's I visited earlier. We ate there but nothing about this place seemed familiar. Are there two Paoli's in Florence and are they on the same street? I feel like I'm losing my mind...I hope someone can enlighten me.