Friends back home had recommended Acqua al 2, but they may not have been in a while...it's starting to feel a little stale. While the vegetarian pasta sampler was fine and the house red was decent, I'd advise you to hold out for more. You ARE in Florence, aren't you? Make those vacay carbs count! Also, the atmosphere was a little lacking: think tiny tables crowded with tourists and walls oddly decorated with doodles on plastic plates. That being said, service was friendly and the wait wasn't too long. read more

Best food I had in Florence! I was there many many years ago and still remember the taste! I had the rigatoni !! Highly recommend!

Great atmosphere, perfect service, and amazing pastas and fillets. I recommend this to anyone looking for a great dinner with their special someone or close family. Prices are reasonable and the quality is exceptional. Must visit when in Florence! read more

Hmm, not a local flavor but definitely a place to get some comfort food- their portions are very satisfying & the restaurant is mainly oriented to serve American clientele (who make up to 90% of the guests). They have 2 more locations, both of which are in US. There are some interesting items on the menu such as the Primi or Secondi Sampler (shareable)- for the Secondi you get a beef steak prepared in 3 surprisingly different ways - fun to try but not a dish I would want to order again. Primi is a pasta sampler. Just be prepared to wait, at 10:30 pm we had to wait 20 min before being seated. They are open late though - until 1 pm. read more

I'm not going to write a long review telling you the same thing everyone else has said. I just want everyone to know they can go ahead and believe the hype. If you get the chance to eat here, do it. You will not leave disappointed. read more

Reviews are about on point and 3 stars is all we can do. Gracious host and meal was good but not great as other nights in Florence have been. Odd as the place was really busy with a steady stream of customers all night long. Menu in all Italian but that's not a negative as we are in Italy, more of a warning but wait staff there to support. Tasting menu is the way to go so you can skip the translation and taste a variety of dishes. No soft drinks, only water, wine, and beer. Fair price but may not return based on better options. 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

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

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

Such a romantic restaurant - ordered spinach frittata as a break from all of the pasta I had been eating during my month in Italy. The multi dessert platter was absolutely incredible as well! Cannot wait to return again! read more

anyone going to florence definitely needs to plan a dinner here. they have reservations for 7:30 and 9:30 pm. we had the house salad, which is a variation of the caprese and AMAZING! the house wine is very good. i took eric g's advise and got the secondi sampler, which had their blueberry steak, balsamic steak, and a kind of glorified, gourmet hamburger. the blueberry steak is worth the hype, but the best part was the balsamic steak. hands down the best steak i've ever had!! all 4 of us at dinner completely cleaned our plates. we also had the dessert sampler, which had 4 types of dessert, all amazing. during our entire trip around italy this year (venice, florence, rome), this was the best meal we had. read more

Not your typical Italian restaurant. It's very different! Casual yet elegant with the candles and pretty decoration. Great for friends, family or for going on a date. The food and the service: excellent! It's the restaurant you want people to try. I highly recommend it for anyone who's a good food fan like me. read more

One of our better meals in Florence, I had been to the Acqua Al 2 in Washington, DC and wanted to try the true Florentine version. We weren't disappointed. We shared a salad, a pasta and each had a steak. The filet with the balsamic reduction is incredible. And don't be afraid to just order a bottle of their house red wine. For about 20 Euros, it is a bargain and very good. read more

I had the salad sampler and the pasta sampler and was incredibly pleased and so full I had to take the last pasta to go. Cute place, great food, reasonably priced. read more

Some of the best pasta I've had in Italy! Must try the pasta sampler. The house wine is also a great addition. The seating is a bit cramped, so I would not recommend going with a large group, but 4 or less is perfect. The menus are in Italian, but the servers speak English and are very helpful. Definitely recommend! read more

Nice place in dowtown of Florence. The atmosphere is ok but you are not going to taste typical Tuscan cousine. I had the selection of five pasta dishes and I was a little disappointed... nothing really special. My wife had a soup that was better. Good for international tourists, Italian visitors could be disappointed. read more

Supposedly a popular tourist spot - saw a lot of Americans and they were able to speak english even though the whole menu is Italian. They were packed when we arrived, so we wrote our name down to return in an hour. It was still packed, but just a little wait to be seated with our reservation. Very bustling, loud environment - waitresses moving fast to keep up. We had the pasta sampler, which was a nice way to try different items. We weren't starving so we split their house dish - the blueberry steak. Sounds weird, but it came highly recommended by others who had been there. It's like fruit sauce over the steak - very good and not too sweet. read more

I ate here at the recommendation of a local friend, and I am so glad I did! The food was seasoned, cooked, and prepared perfectly. Ingredients and technique are so important in Italian cuisine, and it can make a significant difference in the taste. Though the ingredients are simple, the way it was prepared made the biggest difference. Eat here for an authentic experience. The chef knows how to handle the ingredients properly and you will be amazed with the taste. read more

Very good pasta and good service (once you are seated). Tends to be booked up with reservations, so be prepared to wait if you don't have them. We have heard that you should get the fiorentina steak with blueberry sauce here. It looked amazing, but we were in the mood for pasta. Many choices and probably all good. Dessert was delicious, you can get a sampler. Overall good restaurant in Flo town. read more

Pasta was good. The fresh pasta didn't seem to be fresh in my opinion. Had a filet mignon drowning in balsamic which I did not enjoy, as a meat lover this just wiped out any taste of the actual meat flavor. Was cooked well but just couldn't get past how the meat had been so drenched in the balsamic. Came to the table looking like tar. House wine was good, menu was only in italian. One of the people in the party said the risotto was amazing, the other said the blueberry filet was better then the balsamic. read more

We made reservations for Acqua al 2 because it was highly recommended, but we were very disappointed. Our waiter was rushed and uninterested in providing a nice experience. This was in contrast to other busy restaurants we enjoyed in Florence without reservations. He essentially forced the house wine on us. It was bottled for the restaurant and on the table when we were seated. We didn't order it. He just opened it without the slightest regard for our interest in hearing about it or choosing a different one. He walked away when we had a question about the menu. He just didn't listen. He eventually returned to help us in a condescending and brusque manner. On the other hand, the Greek salad was very good and the atmosphere was nice. The second course, designed for two people, was marginal and not generous. We did enjoy the balsamic reductions. We left wanting.... and simply can't recommend this restaurant in a city filled with wonderful food, excellent wine, and warm people who make you feel welcome. read more

I loved the dining experience at Acqua al 2. It came highly recommended by a coworker back in the States, so I had to check it out. The bottle of house Chianti was delicious and fairly priced, and the blueberry steak that my coworker ranted about was something to behold. The steak was a rather nice cut and prepared great by itself, and the blueberry sauce was a yummy, extra touch. Alone, the sauce tasted a lot like barbecue, though the blueberry flavor really popped out on the steak. It's nice to see they have a couple U.S. locations that I will be sure to stop by if ever in the vicinity. read more

Lovely casual comfortable friendly atmosphere Great service delicious food Excellent wine worth the visit read more

Probably 3.5 stars based on high expectations. We went on a friends recommendation who raved about the blueberry steak. We had a smoked swordfish app with green peppercorn that was incredible. The steak was perfectly cooked and the blueberry sauce was great but honestly it was too much. Maybe I'm just a purist but I prefer a great cut of meat with just salt and pepper. House wine was excellent. read more

Our party of seven enjoyed a wonderful evening at Acqua al 2! We had children in our group and the service catered well to all in the group. We opted to order the featured pasta of the day which featured a ragu that was delicious. We ordered the caprese salad and fennel salad and finished our meal off with both the balsamic and blueberry steaks. The steaks were cooked perfectly to our liking in the rare range and all were satisfied. read more

Let me be extremely clear before making any caveats or exceptions: this is NOT A ROMANTIC RESTAURANT. If you are looking for a classic "romantic" dining experience, or a vaguely traditional italian experience, this is not your place. There are 5 osteria on that very street that would be better suited for a romantic dining experience. I looked at the yelp reviews for this restaurant and noticed several others mentioned taking their girlfriends/wives here and that it could be a romantic experience, and it deceived me into believing that this would be a nice place for me to take my girlfriend. Believe these reviews at your own peril, because it is most definitely not. The decor is kitchy; inside it was loud and packed full of American tourists with unattractive northface jackets. I was clearly with my girlfriend and had made a reservation for 2 people, but we were initially placed at a table for 3 with a random gentlemen who appeared to be eating alone. Never seen that before. The style of cuisine was based on these random samplers of 5 different plates. The result was that one tries many different pastas or entrees, but none of them are particularly memorable. This is not to say the food was "bad" -- it was okay, hence the 2 stars and not 1 -- but worse than many other restaurants in the same neighborhood. I can see how this restaurant and its "unique" style might be "fun" for some individuals. For example, this restaurant is probably a good option for a group of students studying abroad in Florence, a terribly homesick American with mediocre taste, or a journalist taking cultural commentary on obnoxious tourist culture in southern Europe. But do not come here with your significant other and expect anything but a kitchy tourist trap. read more

Great meals, excellent service, nice surroundings.

GREAT food and service. I really enjoyed the Assaggio d'Insalate (chef's choice tasting of three salads) Antipasto Toscano (assortment of cold cuts, cheese, bruschettas on a bed of greens) and the pasta sampler but the highlight of my meal was the Filetto al Mirtillo (A hand carved filet mignon topped with a blueberry sauce). This is a absolute MUST try! The house wine was also a great addition. The seating is a bit cramped. The decor was pleasant. The menus are in Italian, but the servers speak English and are very helpful. Definitely recommend! read more

Comfortable place, good food just prepared differently. Staff was helpful but not overly friendly like most of my favorite places to eat. I love the food, but it's not for everyone. The blueberry steak is phenomenal read more

Two different friends, each of whom has spent a lot of time in Florence, had recommended this place so we were eager to try it. Our table for 3 was super tiny and crowded very, very close to other tables on either side of us. Every time a party comes to or leaves from a table in this area, all the people sitting around end up helping out to make sure they can pass. Perhaps other rooms further back have more elbow room but the front room, just as you enter the restaurant, affords very little space per person. I docked them one point for this part of the experience yet, we didn't come for the space, we came for great food and it was very good indeed. The menu features sampler platters in each of the categories so one of our party got the meat sampler and two of us got the pasta sampler. The pasta sampler was brought out one choice at a time so everything stayed nice and hot. The first impression pasta was AMAZING - bow tie shape with what they called pumpkin sauce (though we suspected it was butternut squash); yummy & creamy & flavorful. The pasta shells with spinach sauce were delightful - a fresh sauce almost like cream of spinach bright green so you know it was cooked to perfection - yum! I was surprised that the pasta sampler included a risotto which, not being my favorite, was initially a disappointment but it turned out to be well prepared with a creamy mushroom sauce and swapping with others in the party made it all work out. In fairness the risotto was in the same part of the menu with the pasta so I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was. I got a taste of the blueberry steak and the balsamic steak from the meat sampler. Both were extremely tender though I thought a bit salty. The person who ordered it was well pleased. The Tiramisu sealed the deal for dessert. It's really a great place in a super location practically next to the Bargello between the Duomo & Palazzo Vecchio/Uffizi. read more

Really really delicious food. The owner is very sweet and also owns the diner in Florence.

Blueberry steak served rare even though ordered medium; choked on it and dinner companions had to perform Heinrich maneuver. Pasta served was salty; probably catering to tourists. Lemon dessert insipid while Tiramisu very good. read more

The blueberry balsamic steak is a must. It is amazing. The caprese salad is also a really good starter. I have a nut allergy and they were very accommodating which was nice. read more

Anyone who raves about this restaurant probably thinks Dick's Last Resort and Chili's are their faves at home. One of the most touristy restaurants in Italy, and NOT worth it. Come on, you are in ITALY! read more

The macaroni grill of Tuscany. Caveat, if you enjoy eating Italian food at the mall ignore this review. Yelp needs to warn me when there is a restaurant I'm ever considering that received a positive review by anyone who told me to visit Acqua al 2 or provided a glowing review for blueberry steak. This seems harsh but the opportunity cost of this wasted dinner in Firenze was too great. My review in no particular order: Pasta was not fresh, maybe fresh out of the barilla box. One pasta dish was just creamed spinach with noodles. Another was pumpkin pie filling with noodles. We got the chicken in tawny port - or as it became quickly known at our table as caramel corn chicken. No maraschino cherry on the mashed potato ball? Do not order the house white - not drinkable - wait, this is Florence right? The salads were fine but no one cares about salads. And then there's the blueberry steak. Anyone that purposely orders this dish probably also likes their steak well done. This almost destroyed the lingering taste of Florentine steaks from days past. Oh, and can't fail to mention that the maitre'd was an absolute douche canoe - something so refreshing about a false sense of arrogance. Was hoping Ashton was waiting in the wings to surprise me. And I don't like Ashton. read more

In Florence to attend a culinary class, I was surprised that the organizers chose Acqua al 2 for our welcome dinner. The food was subpar, and the restaurant was filled with other tourists. While the farfalle with pumpkin was delicious and could have made this meal a highlight if that were all that we ate, the other dishes and courses were mediocre or worse. The antipasto consisted of a hummus-type bean dip traditional in Tuscany and a rather sorry bruschetta, given that March is not the season to be serving fresh tomatoes in this region. The other pastas were fine but unmemorable. The spectacular failure was the i Secondi course of "char-grilled" chicken strips on a bed of fresh greens. The char marks seemed fake, what one would expect if Tyson or Sysco made a delivery to a restaurant of ready-to-heat chicken strips to toss with salad. The meat was tough and flavorless, and while the arugula on which it rested was fine, it was fine like Trader Joe's ready-to-eat arugula is fine: not what one travels to Florence to eat. Dessert consisted of four of the restaurant's signature desserts, but they, too, lacked flair, and the plating was a turn-off. Smears of raspberry ended up in the tiramasu, and it was clear that the kitchen staff was rushed and likely over-worked when it came to dumping desserts on plates and getting them to customers. The experience reminded me of Elizabeth David's remarks in the Preface to her masterful _Italian Cooking_ and how tourist expectations of Italian cuisine and restaurateurs' lack of motivation to challenge such expectations results in perpetual mediocrity. The place is designed to make tourists feel less foreign and ill at ease, and that does serve a purpose; however, for really wonderful Tuscan cuisine, it is necessary to venture out and beyond. For example, the Restaurant Cafaggi, at Via Guelfa, 35/red, offered superior pastas, and its fish and seafood were some of the best I have ever eaten. It's not off the beaten path, but it is a quiet and unobtrusive gem whose food can easily speak for itself. read more

Acqua Al 2 was recommended to me by the owner of the hotel I was staying at. I entered the restaurant down a small side street into a nice cozy warm restaurant. I must of timed it perfect, because I was sat without waiting in the full restaurant. The menu was very good and has the option of a sampler dish for all courses an offer which is great if you want to try more than one dish. I had a great meal which started with the pasta sampler, each pasta dish was cooked perfect with a different delicious sauce on each one, with my favorite being one with a garbanzo bean sauce. For my main course I had the Filetto al Mirtillo a house specialty a wonderful Filet Mignon topped with a blueberry sauce, a recommendation of the server and it did not disappoint. The steak was cooked perfectly and the sauce went perfectly with it. From my seat there was a TV monitor on the wall where I could watch the action in the kitchen, what a extra treat. read more

Quite possibly the worst meal of my life. I didn't know in a city with such great food you could stumble upon such awful food. The ingredients were poor, presentation sub par and selection minimal. The food had no taste and they even screwed up risotto. How can risotto be bad? I couldn't tell you. read more

What a delightful place and great find, excellent food and reasonable priced. My husband and me shared a sample plate of salad, main entree and dessert. Plenty of food and so flavorful, a nice break from pizza !! read more