Very delicious. Bruschetta was brought as soon as we sat down that was so fresh and tasty, we gobbled it up in seconds. My father had balsamic steak, I had peppercorn. Both amazing. We ordered the salad trio to pair with our meal. Caprese salad was outstanding. Lucia and Giovanni were both present and although it was busy, stopped to explain and ensure guests were happy. Busy restaurant and you'll definitely need to make reservations but very worth a visit! read more

Typical mediocre Italian restaurant. It was easy to get a reservation and they seated us as soon as we got there. I believe the woman who helped us all night was the owner because she did it all... she was answering the phone, seating people, taking our order, checking on us, and bringing our food out. She was on top of it all. We were 3 people and couldn't decide what we wanted. Luckily this place had a pasta tasting for 3! She brought out 5 different pastas. My favorite was the pumpkin pasta, followed by this spicy tomato sauce pasta. The pesto with pine nut was also great when I put chili flakes on top, and my friend loved the garlic and Parmesan one. My dad hogged the entire macaroni cheese one, so I can't judge, but it looked delicious and it seemed to be a popular dish. By the time we finished all of these pastas we were pretty full and we're all about the tasting menu...we ordered a 3 meat sampler. We had a simple tagliata, steak with a balsamic sauce, and steak with a blueberry sauce. I liked the traditional one best, my friend liked the balsamic, and my dad liked the blueberry. We finished with an excellent tiramisu! It was not expensive and was nice and quick. I wouldn't suggest this for a romantic night out as it was a little loud and crowded. read more

Acqua al 2 - Steak sampler for 1 person - blueberry sauce, traditional salt and pepper, and balsamic glazed - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

This was a quaint and accommodating restaurant recommended by our niece who found this to be one of her favorite Florence restaurants during her Junior year abroad. We found the food to be flavorful, delicious and varied. We had a sampler meal of different pastas and enjoyed every dish served. We called 30 minutes in advance of showing up and it worked perfectly. Definitely go here! read more

Must get the blueberry steak- it was such a unique dish, amazing. The waiter knew we would order them and said "so how many blueberry steaks". Definitely lives up to the hype read more

When people ask me what my dead bed meal would be, I say the balsamic reduction filet from acqua al due. Hands down the best steak of my entire life, and I worked at a high-end steakhouse for 4 years so that's a lot coming from me. I had the sampler; it was a balsamic reduction filet, a blueberry reduction filet which was a close second, and another cut of beef. I believe it was round 27 euro which was very reasonable for how much food it was. Came with a side of mashed potatoes as well. 10/10 would recommend this place, I dream about it. They also have a location in DC which I can't wait to try! read more

Acqua al 2 - Left is blueberry, right is balsamic - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

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Terrible service. I will never go here. Total waste of my time and money

Would avoid. The pasta sampler is the thing to get since we were served a variety of well-cooked pastas. The wine selection was also good, but our choices were met with a lot of unexpected judgment. The meat was not good; please avoid - either drowned in sauce or tasteless. The service was terrible. Our order for our mains was taken incorrectly, and no apologies were issued as we proceeded to wait while all the other tables were served for our mains as if we had ordered after them rather than about 1.5 hours before. I can hardly remember a time I've had worse service. read more

Very good tipical italien restaurant. You will Enjoy It. Do not hesitate ! read more

Acqua al 2 - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

One of the better steakhouses in florence. If you don't have anything specific on your mind, try the steak platter. If you want individual menu, blueberry steak is nice. The restaurant is nice and cozy but it's a bit touristy. Their house wine is a good 1L and tastes good with steak. The waiter doesn't like to speak English, especially to Americans who just assume everyone would speak English -- proud Italians but for me it was amusing rather than offensive. Say a word or two in Italian and they would be nice to you. read more

I love the first and second course samplers here and I believe the food is delicious. My first experience here was great-- I went with my boyfriend and we split each sampler .. it was the perfect amount each! However, I can't give a five star review because of my second experience. I went with five friends and we ordered three first course and three second course samplers (to split between two people each). The waiter didn't really understand and gave us 1 sampler to spit between all of us.. when we tried to get more he said it was three samplers in one TINY TINY plate (the same size as when I went the first time) he then went on to charge us for all three.. we were very disappointed .. luckily, he gave us the correct three second course sampler read more

It was my 2nd visit and disappointed compare with 1st one in 2016. 1. No english menu since they opened as they said. So you'd better study italian if you wanna see the menu. 2. We had a reservation but It took 45min to only 'order' even though we arrived 5min early. And assigned 'L' shape table for 4 people which is unusual. 3. They didn't ask the choice of side dish for a steak. We knew it later because we found the next table had another choice. 4. Not for sure, but they didn't give us some breads in paper bag not like other tables. We felt totally different from 2yrs ago. You'd better not expect good service from them. read more

Their specialty is blueberry steak and balsamic steak, both very delicious and very tender. They also have some good chicken with mushroom or artichoke dishes. The service was relatively fast and pleasant. They don't have english menus but the waiter patiently interpreted it for us. The place looked very cozy and rather charming. Make sure to make prior reservations. A day before should be sufficient. read more

Acqua al 2 - Assortment of blueberry and balsamic steaks with a third grilled steak with rosemary. - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

I informed our waitress that I had a nut allergy (as I have done at every restaurant I've ever gone to my entire life) and the waitress pointed out a few things that would be suitable for me to eat. I told her what I would like and the rest of my family ordered as well. A few moments later, the chef walked out of the kitchen and informed me that he would not serve me because of my nut allergy. I was fine with this (I'd rather be safe then sorry) however I didn't want to sit and not eat anything while the rest of my family of 9 ate. I went to a restaurant next store and got a pizza to eat while my family ate. As soon as I sat, the owner of the restaurant came running to our table and started actually YELLING that I could not do this. I tried to tell him that his chef refused to make my food (which the waitress told me I could order) because I was allergic to nuts. Before I could even finish telling him this, he ripped the pizza from my hands and stormed away WITH THE PIZZA I PAID FOR. I ordered a steak, and I told them they could leave whatever sauce or sides off of it. Apparently it is too hard for them to keep nuts away from a plain steak that they could not do it. The owner was extremely nasty and made a scene in the restaurant. Save your money and don't eat here. My family enjoyed their food, however we were extremely turned off by the lack of hospitality from the owner. I've been in Italy for over a week now, and this was the first incident I've had where a restaurant couldn't accommodate food allergies.i THE REPLY BY THE "owner" IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE. read more

I had the tortellini and it was okay but not anything special my friend had gnocchi and was very cheesy really good! Our waiter was really rude so that put a damper on the evening but on the bright side the toilet bowl was a mirror and the tiramisu was amazing, great way to end the meal. read more

This is by far the best food I have ever tasted ! Get the mushroom risotto and the blueberry steak and you'll be okay if your forever lonely! The memory of this food will hold you tight at night! read more

I LOVED THIS PLACE!! I heard about this place through a friend who highly recommended it and said that the blueberry steak was a must try. Figured hell, I'm on board with a combination like that! I thought it'd be a very weird taste but it was just genius!!! The meal began with a 5 vegetarian style small pasta plates, each one being better than the last. They also bring you a bag of bread which I didn't even think we'd touch since we wanted to save room for the steak, but we devoured it since the sauces from the pasta were heavenly! I don't remember all the types of pasta but it had it all from spicy to sweet to meaty without having any meat to tomatoy...all in all i felt like getting up to give the chef a hug. How we had room for blueberry steak...no idea (maybe the search of the place exhausted us and we were more hungry that we thought). Once the steak came out...well it doesn't taste as it looks. It looked kind of weird but tasted amazinggggg! I'm not that much of a steak person, but i would have this steak again on the spot!!! Finished the entire thing. After a meal like that we didn't think we could have room for dessert...but when the waitress told us its 4 small desserts on one plate...we had to give it a try. Great choice! Cheesecake, chocolate cake, tiramisu and a tart. I loved the sampling versions they served here! it was even available for the steaks. Like I said this place was kind of hard to find but all of Florence was like that for me. Once we made it there we didn't wait very long. With no reservations it was a nice surprise! It has a very romantic setting to it (dim lighting and small booth like tables). Waitress was very helpful (esp since the menu was all in Italian). Little tip if you're into jazz, once you exit make a left and head down one block...there a small little bar that plays live jazz music. great meal topped off with great music read more

So this restaurant was recommended by pretty much everyone we know before coming to Italy. There is one is San Diego as well and many of our friends have gone there too because we live in LA. During our trip plenty of other travelers suggested it too. So maybe we missed something but the hype seems to be false. We decided to get every sampler on the menu minus the cheese. We also did their house wine which sits on the table for you as you arrive. The house wine was actually very good and also rated DOCG which is Italy's finest wine rating. Molto Bono vino! However first course was the salad sampler. It was just ok. Sort of soggy because they pre make it and it sits there. They also decide what to bring you in the samplers so you have no say. We got the caprese, Apple, and Greek. Greek and caprese we're decent. Apple was ok. Have had a lot better and fresher in Italy. Then the pasta sampler came. They brought us 5 pastas. We were really excited because this was what everyone raved about however every single one was bland and terrible. You had to drench it in Parmesan. Which they put on the table for you prior which seems weird because no other Italian restaurant that we have been to does that so it makes it seem more tourist - like just throw Parmesan on our pastas because that's what you Americans do at Olive Garden anyway. Lol. Don't even know what pastas we had cuz they slammed them down and walked away. Some of the red sauce ones were decent. Pasta was cooked al dente though which Was great. Then we got the steak sampler which redeemed the restaurant. And why it gets a 2 star. The balsamic is the best. The sliced beef on a toasted bun was very good too. The blueberry was decent as well. All good sauces and meet was cooked perfectly. Then we did the dessert and it was very good too - cheesecake, tiramisu, chocolate cake and something that looked like Neapolitan cake. All were very good. They also only have water wine espresso and beer. Nothing else. So no soda if you don't drink and no spritz to start your meal. And at the end of the meal- no caffe or cappuccino. Either way. Disappointing because everyone talked this place up. I wish I could buy their table wine tho and take it home. Will have to go to San Diego and pick up some to avoid flying with the wine. Go with low expectations. Oh and by the way, not only do they charge you cover or coperto but they also charge you a 10% service charge which we have never seen in Italy and we've been in several cities in the last 2 weeks so basically tourist trap BS. We asked about it and they just said its tax. Which isn't even a thing in Italy so who the hell knows what they do with it. read more

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If you want a really bad dinner that you can easily get in NYC this is your place. I came here because a few friends who studied abroad here a few years ago said my husband and I had to get the pasta sampler and steak sampler. Well the place must have changed in the last few years. Our receptionist at our hotel said she would not recommend the restaurant but would have a couple years ago, we should of listened. The pasta was from a box. There was nothing fresh/homemade about it, and the sauces to go with them were not good. Then the steak sampler, bad bad chewy meat covered by good tasting sauces. The sauce on the steak was the only good part. I had to keep spitting the chewy meat out and hiding it on my plate. This was the most disappointing meal we had in Italy, a huge tourist trap and I do not recommend it to anyone who wants true authentic Italian food. read more

I'm struggling to understand how anyone who appreciates authentic Italian food would think that this place is anything to rave about. Food was barely average, service was dismal and the atmosphere felt like "Chevys". The pasta sampler that everyone raves about is nothing short of overcooked pasta in a Chef Boyardee type sauce. Do yourself a favor and skip it. read more

Very small restaurant but worth the wait. Their balsamic steak and the blueberry steak are amazing. The sauce really blends well with the meat to provide a great experience. The tiramisu is also amazing. read more

Excellent food in Florence. Great samplers of 3 salads, 5 pastas and 3 steaks. Very attentive staff. Would definitely return in next trip to Florence. read more

More like Acqua Al DONT... This was by far the worst meal we had while in Italy (Rome, Florence, Sienna, Venice). The house red wine tastes like it was carbonated and was barely drinkable. We were given a free appetizer that we did not care for at all. My wife and I both ordered the balsamic steak (which they're apparently known for) it was a filet cut absolutely drenched in balsamic (like 2 cups of it). My wife asked for hers to be cooked medium and it came out basically mooing (not a big deal we sent it back and it was fixed- with a new layered on drenching of balsamic). Then in the end the bag of bread that the waiter had given us that we barely touched was taken and put back into a big basket full of them, that was then taken out and given to another table of people that just sat down. That's disgusting and unsanitary. We were recommended this place by three other people, but upon arriving at the restaurant we saw on the door that the same restaurant is also in Washington, D.C. and San Diego CA. We should have known right then it was a bad idea. This is the first ever review I have written and I don't like to bash places but other people traveling should know about it. Eat and enter at your own risk. read more

THE best restaurant in Florence! Go with a big group and order the pasta sampler, meat sampler, dessert sampler, and a bottle of wine. It will change your life forever. The samplers are exactly what they mean and all wonderful but my favorite is the meat sampler. I'm not a huge meat eater but these cuts were absolutely fantastic and came with an assortment of sauces poured on top. My two favorite are the blueberry and balsamic vinaigrette. They sound strange but believe me that they are the perfect complement to the cuts. I've been to the restaurant in San Diego, California as well but nothing can compare to the Acqua Al 2 in Firenze! read more

The steak sampler and the pasta sampler are both amazing. I recommend this place to ANYBODY, either tourists in Florence or residents. The blueberry steak and the gnocchi were the best plates served. read more

Came here for the first time 15 years ago, and have been back a few times since. My first time I loved it, because I didn't know any better. I was impressed with the pasta sampler, but because I was a novice to Florentine restaurants, I thought it was good. Went back for the final time last week, a night after I went to La Giostra, and I was appalled with my original thoughts of this place. The food is so bland, and so basic. I mean, its fine, but it is like going to Italy and eating at the Olive Garden. Tourists, I know they have a reputation, but don't fall for all the hoopla, its so beyond average. read more

At the GREAT urging of a friend, I reserved a table at Acqua Al 2 in early Jan. I had some inkling this was a primarily tourist restaurant and I was underwhelmed by the concept of a blueberry steak, but decided to give it a go. Its Florence, its food, I'm sure its delicious. Indeed, this was 100% tourists, which is why the service being as inhospitable as it was befuddled me. I'm not an American who expects American service or American food or situations, I'm in Florence for a reason. But basic friendliness would be nice. I had a reservation, showed up on time and despite that, was given "a look" by the proprietor before being sat. (I travel/dine alone. It was a res for 1, not a surprise). Despite that, I surveyed the menu, used my passing Italian to ask for the steak and a suggestion for a starter, in Italian. She almost angrily recommended the pasta survey, which sounded great. I think she was perturbed I'd asked for a recommendation. I also asked if they had beer, and if she could tell me anything about it. She angrily said they had one beer (so I guess details are irrelevant?) I ordered it. Immediately, pasta dishes began hitting the table. The survey is 5 small dishes of pasta at the kitchens discretion. I don't know which was more disappointing: the speed at which they arrived (within 12 minutes I had 5 dishes at the table.) or the dishes themselves. An array of different pastas, each with a vegetable. It was uber simple.... nothing interesting or thoughtful. Hell, the pasta wasn't even that great, it was just as if it had sat with the vegetables for a bit in a sautepan. Hey... some dishes are meh. My next door neighbors were similarly unmoved. Moving on. The pasta hadn't even left the table before the blueberry steak arrived. This is the BFD here. The thing is, the steak was meticulously made. Tender, a great cut, well cooked to medium rare, it was the perfect consistency. Sadly, they'd drowned the living shit out of in a sea of blueberry sauce. First, lets not get all uppity about the wonder of the blueberry. Its a red wine reduction with blueberry, and it was, indeed, delicious. And it was even a good match to the steak. But there was SO MUCH OF IT, I couldn't really enjoy it. The meal took 37 minutes. It was the only meal in Florence I didn't finish, but things flew at me SO fast that I didn't have a chance to catch my breath. Atleast it wasn't expensive, the whole thing clocking in around 55-60Euro. Not only would I not go back, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. The proprietors clearly have a distaste for tourists, no matter how gracious you are to them. Bags of bread are dropped on tables from 3 feet up, as if this is charming. You are rushed through your meal, and the food itself is underwhelming. I had tons of charming meals in Florence, this was not one of them. read more

Do the pasta and steak sampler!! It's a good amount for two but if you have a big appetite you may be a little hungry after. You get 5 small samples of pasta and 3 small steak samples. Each one was amazing!! read more

Again, this is one of those places that almost every tourist that visits Florence knows about. A nice, yet casual restaurant that almost always has families, students and even some locals. Don't come here for pasta. Because it is not great here. And don't get sucked in to their stupid "samplers". You come here for one of 2 things, and that is it: Balsamic Steak or Blueberry Steak. Period. Both are fantastic. Great cuts of Filet Mignon, smothered in the sauce of your choosing. Some people don't like the fact that the steak is drenched in sauce and it ruins a great cut of steak. My thought on this is, eat your delicious steak and stop being an asshole. You can get a regular style grilled steak anytime...but when you are here, you come for one of these bad boys. I used to like it a lot more, now I'm kind of over both of them. Blueberry is obviously a bit more sweet, while balsamic is a bit more tangy. read more

After a LONG day of traveling, walking, and exploring Florence, we came here at the end of the night for diner. Amazing. Do not be alarmed, the staff speaks really good english ;) We shared the pasta sampler for two. The chef prepares 5 different kinds of pasta. Each one is a surprise. They were all good! I had the Balsamic steak which was probably the best meal that I had while in Italy! Overall, great experience. Make sure you get a reservation if you want to be seated in less than an hour. The line was out the door! read more

Near the touristy area, we tried this place on the recommendation from the hotel. Not that great but it had some decent food. Service was fairly good and friendly. The highlght was the pasta sampler. Perfectly al dente and some of the sauces (gorgonzola cream and a spicy pommodoro) were really special. The beef was ok ... slightly tough and the baked eggs with mushrooms was nice but nothing special. read more

Worth the stop. Blueberry steak and strawberry risotto were the highlights - must try if you come here. Orange steak was average. Pasta was above average. Meat was cooked well and of good quality. Service was good. read more

Well we had heard so many complimentary things about this restaurant but were very disappointed with food and service. We ordered the pasta sampler and a 2 out of 5 were worth the money. Compared to our other meals in Florence this was over priced and the food just wasn't anything special. Also, for the money the waiters should at least not act like jerks. read more

I LOVE this place!! One of my favorites in Florence. Make sure to start with the salad sampler - has 3 types including Greek, caprese, and artichoke. For pasta, order the maccheroni rose. It is to die for. If you prefer meat, get the steak sampler!!! only downside is there is no service inside the restaurant! read more

I was told by several people that I had to try the blueberry steak. It sounds very strange but I gave it a shot. Could be the best steak I've ever had! I actually got the steak sampler, which also includes their vinaigrette steak, which is also excellent, and a third steak, which was just a very good steak. I would suggest just going for the blueberry steak and enjoy. read more

Ate here 2 weeks ago. Directed to eat here by a friend who had been several years before. Give yourself time to find it if walking... but we managed to use our phones and walk there from the train station... getting great view of the Duommo along the way. We asked hotel to call to make reservation... thank goodness. Clearly everyone knows how great it is. We started with the 5 pasta, then we had the balsamic steak and blueberry steak. GOODness absolute goodness. The staff was great and friendly even when we were struggling to figure out a few items on the menu and helped us get a taxi for the late ride back to the hotel. If you are planning a nice meal one night... I highly recommend Acqua al 2. read more

This restaurant was recommended to me by one of my best friends who had lived in Florence and it did not disappoint! My family and I had an awesome meal, from the caprese salad to the pasta sampler to the blueberry bistecca and to the dessert platter. I would absolutely recommend! For all of the wine and food we had, it was a very reasonably priced meal! Excellent service as well. read more

Balsamic steak is to die for. Forgot what pasta I had but that was also amazing. Nice atmosphere. Definitely coming back. Best meal I had in Firenze. read more

Acqua al 2 was a welcome departure from the standard antique setting and atmosphere in many Italian restaurants. It has a fresh and comfortable decor. The food is delicious and the service prompt (especially for Italy). Many other diners had the tasting menus and I wish we would have tried that. Even so, we enjoyed our meal and did try the dessert sampler. Delicious! It was a very pleasant dining experience and we will definitely come here next time we are Florence. Visited September 2011 read more

It's a fun treat in Florence that offers a great way to experience more than one dish. They have an antipasti, pasta and dessert sampler. You may not love all three of the samples but you will definitely love at least one (if not two) and enjoy the remainder. The Blueberry steak is different but in my opinion a little overrated. Overall, I do enjoy this place and have returned more than once. read more

After another long day of being a tourist on a rainy day, we made our way here after seeing it listed online a lot. They opened at 7pm and we arrived at 7:30pm and still got a table easily. We ordered the pasta, salad, and dessert samplers. They were good. The pasta sampler had about 4-5 diff types, my fav were the risotto and the arribiata pastas. There were lots of decorated plates around on the walls and the place had a nice cozy feel to it ni would order a full plate of one type of pasta next time. read more