FroNYC

Il Latini – Good value for food. Horrendous waits. Mobs of people outside. The food is good but I’m not sure if it’s worth the hour to hour and a half wait. The roast beef and the T-bone are good bets. I went twice. The second time I declined to order the appetizer sampler they almost insist you eat (a mix of cold cuts and bruschetta). The waiter was not happy about that and was very rude during the rest of the meal. Overall, good value but not so good service. Price was still the best value in the city. About 70 euros per couple with a big bottle of wine included. Atmosphere is festive and comfortable.

ekscrunchy

I do not like Il Latini at all, but I am pleased that you had a good experience. I take issue, however, with your statement that it is the best value in Florence. I ate in several places last winter that, in my opinion, are far better than Il Latini and we paid far less than 70 Euro for a multi-course meal for two with a bottle of wine. And we did not have to share the places with mobs of tourists.

nukesafe

Ekscrunchy,

Give us your list of Florence restaurants, please, or at least a link to your trip report.

ekscrunchy

Here is my report from last January; it contains only the places that we ate in Florence during that week, of course..there are many other restaurants that I have enjoyed on previous trips that are, of course, not included here but it will be a start for you, I hope.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...nchy&fid=2

i_am_kane

Our family ate at Il Latini two weeks ago and, yes, there was a long line outside waiting to go in. However, our wait was only about 3-4 minutes. The Hotel Casci kindly made dinner reservations for us, and we were admitted quickly.

I'm not a big eater, and the huge quantity of food doesn't impress me. My sons and husband have bigger appetites and enjoyed the meal immensely.

Two of my younger grandchildren (ages 5 and 7) had no interest in the food, and they just picked. Our waiter spoke with the owner or manager of the restaurant and we were not charged for their meals.

All-in-all a good experience. If you don't like loud and noisy, this restaurnt isn't for you.

handmaiden

I saw a T.V. program with Rachel Ray dining at Il Latini. She looked like she was having an epiphany while she was eating her soup. She is so disgusting that way she mugs for the camera. I wouldn't eat there just because a slob like her recommend it.

Christine

ekscrunchy

I don't think many locals eat at Il Latini....I can't really imagine why anyone would go there since there are so many better, less expensive places in the city where you do not have to stand on line with swarms of tourists.

Eloise

I don't think locals eat there either, but I know tourists from other parts of Italy do. I was wandering around that area one day when a young Italian couple asked me if I knew where Il Latini was. I had just passed it a few minutes before, but since my sense of direction is lousy, I sort of waved them off in what I hoped was the right direction.

maitaitom

I must put in a good word for Il Latini. I've told this tale before.

We went in 2001 and had a 9:30 pm seating. We were in a back room, and when a table of American early-eaters left, we were the only four Americans in the room with all the rest being Italians (now, they might not have been locals, but they were Italian).

At some point (after consuming way too much Chianti), I started singing (I thought not too loudly), "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie.." When I got to that part of the song, the whole room breaks into "that's amore," and for the next hour or two, we were all singing Dean Martin tunes and conversing (it's amazing how much better the four of us spoke Italian after consuming wine) with one another. Thankfully, the Italian contingent spoke better English than we did Italian.

Our room full of people were the last to leave (I think my singing might have caused other rooms to empty faster). To this day, it was one of our most memorable experiences we have had on vacation. The night we were there, the food was good, our waiter was hilarious and we had a blast.

Obviously, it was just luck of the draw as to who was in the room that evening, but for that one night, it was magical in that room. Although odds are that wouldn't happen again (which is why we didn't go on that last trip - we want to savor that memory forever), you never know until you try.

Fine dining...perhaps not. Fine time...you bet.

Attitude is everything. Enjoy the journey. That night was a good example of how it works.

swalter518

I have to throw in my two cents for Il Latini too. We were there 3 years ago September and had a great time. We too were at the 9:30 seating and next to us was a couple from Philly and on the other side a couple from elsewhere in Italy (I can't remember where). When the Italian couple heard we were from Chicago, they kept asking us if we knew their relatives in Chicago (at least 30 of them) and it became a big joke as they listed each one by name. They then proceeded to give us an Italian "lesson" which proved to be quite humorous. We all had good laughs(which got louder and louder with each glass of wine) and they gave us tips on places to each and things to see which ended up being some of the best we encountered on our trip. When I raved over the ribollita, which I had never had before, both the woman from Philly and the Italian woman promised to send me their recipes. When we arrived home I had 2 envelopes waiting for me! Yes, I understand that this experience didn't really revolve around the food but the waiter was great, the people were fun, so really, who cares what we ate!

maitaitom

"When I raved over the ribollita.."

That reminds me that Tracy has raved about Il Latini's ribollita ever since we went.

swalter518

Maitia, Tried both recipes and neither do Il Latini's ribollita justice. If Tracy has a good recipe, I'd love if she shared it!

maitaitom

"If Tracy has a good recipe, I'd love if she shared it!"

Unfortunately, we haven't found a good one either. We bought some packaged robollita mix at a wine cave in Pitigliano, and it was actually pretty good. I'll see if we still have the name of it. But alas, it too, did not live up to the Il Latini test.

Eloise

This recipe from a cooking school in Florence sounds work-intensive enough to be authentic:

http://www.divinacucina.com/code/ribollita.html

TRSW

Another thumbs up for Il Latini. When I went I met up with another Fodorite and her husband (travelphile). We were seated next to local woman and her German boyfriend.

Adealade pulled our tables together and told the waiter we were 'with' her. It was a fun evening with lots of translating in three langueges, tons and tons of food. At the end of the night we were charged the 'locals' price.

Tom

LCBoniti

We also had a great experience at Il Latini. Our waiter was very cordial and we had a wonderful time. Thoroughly enjoyed both the food and the wine. We were there for lunch and it was not crowded at all (of course it was February )