I am travelling to Florence with 4 other women for a long birthday weekend in March. I have made reservations at La Giostra but have been reading that the restaurant is very, very expensive. Has anyone eaten there lately and have any comments? We want to have a lovely meal but not at the highest prices in town. Thank you in advance for any suggestions/comments

Hi H,

What's your budget?

Dear Ira,
Our budgets are moderate...not 100E per person, but not 10E p.p. either. Have you any information about Osteria Belle Donne or Cavolo Nero??
Thanks for the reply

Here's a restaurant we liked in Florence (from my trip report):
". . . the Trattoria Garga on Via del Moro 48/R, phone 055 2398898. We had an amazing meal there, probably my best in Italy. My dish was 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."
>-

If ira replies to your question, I would definitely trust him. He answered my questions 2 years ago and is one of the most helpful people on this board.

We went with Rick Steves' recommendation for Il Ritrovo. Really wonderful. Small, romantically lit, family-run, wonderful food. For two of us with wine it came out to 75E or so - and they threw in a couple of shots of limoncello.

a

La Giostra is amazing...please go there! it was abit pricey, but not 100E per person. DH and I ate there for 127 E for the two of us. worth every penny!

I always try to eat at Osteria Belle Donne. I enjoy their slightly unusual and very delicious menu. I have had some dumbfouningly simple yet delicious dishes there. The only downside is that some of the chairs are stools, so if you require back support, get a seat by the wall. It is moderately priced--very reasonable to my mind.

I agree about Belle Donne; it is a cute, casual place with good food and less-than-comfortable seating. They do not take reservations.

I would do some research on restaurants in less central locations, south of the river...Cavolo Nero is lovely and has excellent food. Good idea.

Il Cibreo

We had dinner at La Giostra in October. As I remember, without wine, we paid about 55€ per couple. There is so much to eat before your order comes out that you can order lightly. The dinner was memorable.

Check out
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34943236

I used to live in Florence and spent a lot of time eating out. I have not heard of some of these places people are talking about, which makes me think they are touristy (doesn't mean they are not good). La Giostra is kind of pricey and I think there are better places to go. Cibreo is FANTASTIC but expensive. However, they have a trattoria right behind it that serves some of the same menu for a fraction of the price. I have a list of places that were my favorites while I lived there that I can email you if you want. My email is [email protected].

I would agree that Cibreo is quite expensive. Their trattoria is excellent but they do not take reservations so you must get there before opening time to be assured of a table, or risk waiting quite a while. (Or you could eat towards the end of dinner hour). The other thing you must be aware of is that they do not serve pasta, nor do they serve many of the dishes you may be familiar with.
It would help if you would be more specific about what kind of place you are looking for...

ooops, meant to add this:

Veronica, would you mind posting your list of favorites so that we all can have a look? Thanks!

Hi H,

Unfortunately, Il Ritrovo is under different ownership and is no longer what it was.

See my trip report for what else we found interesting:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34451044

Hi everyone,
I appreciate all the information and suggestions, thank you. I did read through all the reports and have taken down the restaurant suggestions. It was interesting to hear the different interpretations of La Giostra's prices, but one thing that is certain is that it is a wonderful restaurant.
Perhaps if we drink enough prosecco and eat the large appetizers, we can share a couple of main dishes.The other nights we are in Florence we are booked into Buca Mario, Il Latini, Acqua 2 and perhaps Sostanza for lunch after San Marco.
Again, thank you, I love this forum!

Wherever you go, we wish you <i>bon appetit</i> (how do you say it in Italian?), and please return here with your evaluation. Thanks

We also ate at Acqua Al 2 last May:
&quot;We returned to our hotel, to get ready for dinner, again at one of my daughter’s favorite restaurants, 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 with the study abroad crowd, and it's very popular, so it gets loud and crowded, but is worth it, even though the service wasn't very attentive. We split a half-liter of house red wine, and we paid 50.70EUR for two dining.&quot;

A nice place for lunch with a view is:
&quot;The afternoon we arrived, my daughter took me to a rooftop caf&eacute;, which overlooks the Duomo. It is on the top of a nice little ‘department’ store. I think it’s called Ristorante Ottorino, via delle Oche, 12-16r. We enjoyed wine and salads, on the sunny afternoon, with a close-up view of the Duomo. A very nice introduction to Florence for me.&quot;

Enjoy Florence with your friends!
&gt;-

I am working on my reviews of the restaurants in Florence I recently visited. This is what I have so far http://www.bombasticlife.com/pe_italy_florence_rst.html (It's not done yet so you may want to check back)

Good Luck! Have a bombastic time!

This is a great thread! I'm pulling this information for my trip in 3 weeks! Thanks all.