We ate at a wonderful Florence restaurant on our trip a year ago. I had picked up one of their postcards to put in my album but as I was doing that the other day I discovered that I can't find the postcard anywhere and I can't remember the name of the restaurant!

The main things I remember is that the outside is rather unassuming with a small display window. You can't see inside the restaurant at all from the street. Once you go inside it is huge with a large mural of the countryside on the wall and the walls and ceilings are exposed brick with the ceilings vaulted but not too high. The only other thing I can remember is they brought the desserts around on a cart, we had some delicious stewed prunes and pears, and the waiter was very nice.

Can anybody help me or is this a lost cause with so little information?

Sounds a little like Osteria No. 1.

Sounds like Ristorante Paoli to me.

Do these things sound familiar?

As you walked in from the street, there is a bar in front on the left side. Walking farther into Ristorante Paoli there is a host/waiter stand in the middle near the back with the kitchen opening on your right (looking into dining room - every once in a while a chef would pop their head out to look for the "late waiter" got a great picture of that!). Vaulted ceilings with murals painted between them. Also this restaurant had a salad that the waiter would bring to your table to chop / mix their "house salad" at your table? And to finish the meal it was a long desert cart with those fruit items (I had the pear) as well as cakes, tiramisu and other goodies.

Can't recall the street it was on, but Ristorante Paoli is just off Via Calzuaioli (between the Duomo and Uffizi). Not too far from Orsanmichele, just around the corner from Coin department store.

Hope this helps!

I'm with Grinisa. Your description is very much like Osteria Numero Uno.

Byrd

If you don't know the street, do you remember which side of the Arno it was on, Duomo side or Pitti Palace side?

Hi Type A,

Don't obssess over it. It probably has a different name, new management, and they painted over the mural.

Sounds like a lot of places, but it sure does sound like Paoli to me also. If the location described above is right, I'll be that's what it is. I took one of those postcards too.

my first thought was Paoli because I've been there and it does have the vaulted ceiling and a mural, but that doesn't mean it can't be some other place with similar interior.
address is via dei Tavolini 12/r

YES! That's it! Thank you so much for your help!

We just stumbled upon this restaurant one evening while wandering around so I couldn't even remember what part of town it was in! It was our last dinner in Florence and we had a nice time there.

Exxxcellent, now my album is complete. :^