One night in Florence- Dinner Suggestion Needed
 

Hi,

I'll be spending a Saturday in Florence in September-- staying at a hotel called "Loggiato de Serviti located at P.za SS. Annunziata n° 3 Firenze". Can anyone recommend a really good restaurant for dinner? Also looking for a really nice pair of leather shoes and a leather purse. Any recommendations on where to purchase?

Thank you.

La Giostra has had nothing but rave reviews for dinner. I think there is info on them in the "restaurants" section here on Fodors.

Il Latini (spelling may be wrong. Its a wonderful place!! The line gets very long to get in at night but so worth it. I think they have a website.

Just returned from Il Latini. Yes, very touristy but food really is good. Any of their beef meals are excellent. Owner even came out at the end (and to all other tables) to chat, gave us complimentary dessert wine. The night before, we ate at Il Ritrovo. Excellent meal with daily changing menu. Also, the owner/chef came out and gave the entire restaraunt free limoncello (sp?) and dessert wines. Both excellent meals but would give the edge to Ritrovo because it was a more relaxed-intimate atmosphere. CIAO

Hi jenny,

Another vote for Il Ritrovo. It's less than 10 min from your hotel.

Via dei Pucci 4/A 055.281688
Best food for the price Has fish. Full dinner w/wine abt 40E pp
Closed Monday
From Pzza San Giovani (NW corner of the Pza del Duomo) walk one blk East to Via dei Martelli. Go left to Via dei Pucci. Turn Right. Look very carefully on left. No sign. Door could be locked. Ring bell.

I think I have to go with Il Ritrovo....given the raves on the board... along with it's close proximity to my hotel... it sounds like the place for me!

THANKS IRA... and everyone else.

I wouldn't recommend Il Ritrovo. It had a busload-of-tourists atmosphere. Everybody had a Rick Steves/Fodors/Frommers book at their tables.

The food and atmosphere are below the standards of Cibreo or La Giostra.

Although I haven't been to those restaurants that ezlivn mentioned, I do know that they are a bit more expensive. Il Ritrovo does not have a touristy feel- actually have you been there ezlivin?

Its excellent.

La Giostra!!! It is amazing, I lived right by there for 4 months, and it is just fab.

SashieZ:

First of all, I can't make out anything in my earlier response about not having been to Ritrovo. It's certainly insulting that you resort to questioning my post.

Apparently, your fondness for this mediocre restaurant easily tells me that you've never been to any world-class establishment or even the reasonable-cheap ones that beats Il Ritrovo by a mile.

Jenny I think you choice of Il Ritrovo is a very good one.

Have a great time!

Oh and ezlivin maybe you could give us all a list of the reasonable, cheap restaurants that beat Il Ritrovo by a mile. I'd like to have them for my next visit and I'm sure others would be interested as well

sahie:

There's no way in hell that I would ever give you a restaurant advice.
With that negative demeanor and etiquette of yours about questioning validity of other's posts that disagrees with you and your obvious penchant for cheap and mediocre places,I wouldn't want have people like you in the same restaurants that I go to.

I did what I had to do with this thread - even as I had every right to dismiss a restaurant that I thought was horrible, I provided my input with a couple of restaurant advices to the OP. You, Sashie, don't have to heed my suggestion as they are, in your own words "I haven't been to those restaurants that ezlivn mentioned, I do know that they are a bit more expensive."

I've been to Cibreo once and Il Ritrovo eight times.

We've been to Cibreo (twice in the Trattoria and once in the Restaurant).

We've been to the the underground dungeon of Il Ritrovo once. We've no intention of going back.

After 10, I stopped counting how many times I've been to Cibreo. It wouldn't surprise me if 20 is the correct number. I've saved all the receipts.

I've been to Ritrovo and Latini twice each. Never again for either.

We had a fantastic meal at Garga last summer. If you click on my name, you can read a full (as in, minute-by-minute :-) ) review in my Italy trip report.

We had an amazing meal at Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco. Check out their webite www.cinghialebianco.it

Enjoy!

Until this year, I would have agreed with you about Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco. I ate there again in April, and although the food was still very good, it is the first time I can remember feeling pushed for time in an Italian restaurant. Whether this was because of the time (Sunday lunch) and the staff thought they could get in another "sitting", I don't know.

Oh boy... didn't mean to start a controversey... maybe I'll just have to eat my way through Florence for a day. I'm definitely going to check out Il Ritrovo... but does anyone have the address for the others-- Cibreo and La Giostra. Are they near my hotel?
Is everything in Florence walkable? I am clueless.
Thanks again.