Recommendation Florence Restaurants
 

Please assist me with some of your favorite restaurants (and restaurants to not go to).I'm leaving next Friday,spending 4 days.thank you.

Quattro Leoni near Palazzo Pitti. Their signature dish is an primo piatti made with a special pasta, filled with a pear puree (yes!!!) and drenched in melted cheese and asparagus. It is to die for. Their cheesecake is also magnificent. Reservations recommended even for lunch!!!

Here are some we liked in Florence:

For a great view of the Duomo, try a rooftop café, at a nice little ‘department’ store. I think it’s called Ristorante Ottorino, via delle Oche, 12-16r.

Trattoria Garga on Via del Moro 48/R, phone 055 2398898: we had an amazing meal there, probably my best in Italy-- veal with avocado, which sounds odd (most really good dishes do, I think), and was mouth-watering. Our waiter was a riot-- singing and joking all over the restaurant. It was a friendly, lively, bustling atmosphere with excellent food. We paid 81EUR for two, with a half-liter of house wine.

Acqua Al 2 (pronounced 'aqua al duo'), Via della Vigna Vecchia, 40/R, phone 055 284170. They are known for their perfect steak with balsamic. I had it and was impressed. (They are now opening a restaurant in San Diego, believe it or not.) This restaurant is known throughout Florence, and is very popular, so it gets loud and crowded, but very worth it, even though the service was a tad spotty. We split a half-liter of house red wine, and we paid 50.70EUR for two dining.

Trattoria Za-Za, at Piazza del Mercato Centrale, 26R. It's popular with business people, and we enjoyed nice omelettes there. Lunch for two, with a glass of wine for each, was 25.50EUR.
:)>-

I need to look up the names of the restaurants we enjoyed, but I would like to disagree with the above poster about Za Za. It was recommended by the proprietor at our B&B, but we found it to be one of the worst meals of our trip, hands down. But we both ordered pizza, so that might have been part of it. Awful pizza. Maybe other items on the menu are better. Nice spot though.

Il Ritrovo. Order the appetizer called Fantasia and share it -- it's more than enough for two and many, many delicious items. Nice place, a little hard to find the doorway though because it's inset and down a few steps. Lovely family.

I've seen Za Za recommended by others, but I wouldn't suggest it for a special dinner, either. For lunch, it was fine, because it has a nice outdoor seating area on a piazza. So take my recommendation with a grain of salt: lunch omelettes, yes; fantastic dinner, no. I'm sorry I wasn't more specific.
:)>-

I've recommended this one before, and will again. La Giostra. Abundant and wonderful food.

Well we had a wonderful lunch at ZaZa's a little more than a year ago. Party of 8, sitting outside, we all had beef Florentine of one sort or another, wine, some pasta, and it was wonderful. It was a long time ago so I'm not sure about the price, but it was on the order of 40-50 € per couple.

KC

La Giostra!

Osteria Cinghiale Bianco, near Ponte S. Trinita and Ponte Vecchio (Lungarno). Friendly, welcoming, delicious Tuscan specialities as well as homestyle cooking (loved the ribollita). Excellent local wine suggestions from our server. A healthy mix of Italians and tourists. Call and reserve, though I have to admit they very graciously squeezed us in (on two separate occasions) without a reservation. Lots of animated conversation and even a bit crowded, but in a good way -- people enjoying good food and each other!
http://www.cinghialebianco.it/index.htm

I second Quattro Leoni (actually, you will see it as "4 Leoni"). We were there this summer and had dinner twice there. If Osso Bucco is on the menu--ORDER IT! It is SOOOO good, and it is not on the menu every day.

Follow Flame123's advice about the pasta - it is called "Fiocchetti alle pere con salsa di taleggio e aspara". It is to die for--we had it both nights we were there!

Here is what I posted on SlowTrav about this restaurant:

TRATTORIA 4 LEONI
via Vellutini, 1/r
Oltrarno
Firenze
Tel: 055 218562
www.4leoni.com/
Date of meal: June 12, 2006
Price of meal for two: €76


Included in the price: Two cover charges, one bottle of water, one bottle of Casa Emma Chianti Classico, two primi, two secondi, and 10% service charge.

Recommendation: We adore this place and the food. We came two nights later. The food is divine. The service, both times, two different waitresses was superb. Love it!

Another vote for Cinghale Bianco; cross Ponte Vecchio to "other side", make first right onto Borgo Jacopo. Restaurant is down the street couple blocks, on the left.

I agree with everyone who says Zaza's is a good lunch place. We have also eaten a late dinner there when we were too tired from a long, but great day to think about where else to go.

Maybe Ira will chime in but I thought I remember Il Ritrovo had changed hands and no one knew where it was still as good.

Another vote for La Giostra. Everything was wonderful---the food, the wine, the service, the ambiance.

And we had a nice lunch at Cinghale Bianco.

I don't know about ZaZa's, because we couldn't get in. We made the mistake of trying another place on the same square; they had a table open outside. My 6-euro Risotto Primavera looked and tasted like Minute Rice with Birdseye frozen vegetables (peas and carrots only).

La Griostra--yummy yummy! Check it out:
www.ristorantelagiostra.it.

My votes go to: (in no particular order)

Quattro Leoni
La Giostra
Cinghale Bianco

If only all decisions in life were this difficult! :)

Johanna

bkm

We had dinner at Cinghale Bianco. While the food was good, we were rushed and felt like they were looking for a quick turnover. It wasn't the type of place where you make a reservation, go into the restaurant at 8pm, and enjoy the table for the remainder of the evening. ((b))

Budman, I'm sorry to hear about being rushed. I'll be Rome beginning this Thursday and in Florence at the end of next week.I was planning on Cighale del Bianco for my last night in Italy! After expected great meals in Rome and Florence, I'd hate to have my last night feel lacking in Italian hospitality. Maybe I'll think about this choice a little longer before deciding to reserve.

Hi hdm,

When were you last at Il Ritrovo? It has changed hands since we were there in 2003.

We liked Cinghale Bianco - didn't feel rushed.

If you like Indian food:
Salaam Bombay, Via F. Rosselli 45r
Where the locals go if they want something exotic. A good, inexpensive Indian restaurant. Excellent nan.

((I))