On Sunday morning, before I was to depart for Rome, my friend Sabino asked what I wanted for lunch…read more Having had a spectacular pizza for dinner the evening before, I was keen to try something I'd not yet sampled. I suggested we go for bistecca alla fiorentina, or Florentine style steak. This typical Tuscan offering is the region's signature dish and for good reason! We hopped on Sabino's scooter and took a gorgeous ride through Chianti to get to Da Padellina. When we pulled up, a Porsche 356 1600 Super was parked in front. Porsches are really not my thing but this vintage beauty captured my attention. Not fancy, the restaurant's history is long and shows on all the walls. Sabino and I dined upstairs overlooking rolling hills. We split a huge slab of meat (you get to choose it before they cook it) and it was carefully explained to me that the cooking method for bistecca alla fiorentina is very simple: fire, salt, pepper, olive oil. Basically it's all about the meat, which is served very rare. We also got sides of beans and potatoes and plenty of red wine. Those in search of a proper Florentine steak will surely find it here. Two words to sum up my meal at Da Padellina: Buonissimo Bistecca! Definitely one of the more memorable meals I've had in Italy.

This place is...chef's kiss...molto bene...it slaps; however you communicate that the food is Just…read more That. GOOD! We stumbled upon this while driving from Florence city center to the Tuscan countryside (USA tourists;) and yelp led us right. A limited menu with a few different tasting menus, we went à la carte and had the exploding raviolis and boar tagliatelle and they were both SO SO SO DELICIOUS! Small-er, but well appointed art deco-type decor...with one waitress and one sommelier...the wine recommendations were perfect! Things that sounded 'different' than what we are used to, just worked...and worked perfectly. Don't negate this place for its limited menu or combinations that you might not be used to, give it a try bc EveryThing we put in our mouths was top notch. Truly deserving of its Michelin Star rating. It's really that good. A closed-minded me from my youth would have written it off based on its pretentious-sounding dishes, but older, open-minded me did me a favor. Yummy in my tummy. Satisfying. Delicious. Don't miss out!

Amaaaaaazing food here! House wine was wonderful. Cheese appetizer was perfect, and the gnocchi…read morespecial was beyond words it was so good. Very welcoming staff who stayed open late for us.

Went for dinner with my family. Service was very good! Very friendly and accommodating, recommended…read morewhat food and wine to order, chatted with us, just very nice. Also pretty fast! The food was very good we had pastas and steak and bruschetta all the best so far in Tuscany.

My favorite restaurant in the Greve in Chianti region of Tuscany. Warm and homey welcome to a cozy…read moreplace. The owner welcomes you like a long lost family member. OMG, the food is local and pastas and baked good are all house made. Prices VERY FAIR for the excellent quality. The wine list is deep on the local regional wines and the staff will recommend the best of the economical selections. Be sure to save room for the desserts...hint: the Tiramisu is world class! BTW, the hotel rooms above the restaurant are cozy and an excellent value.

From the outside looking in I was confused about this place. It sells items like candle holders,…read moredecor, etc as well as wine and fresh food options. They even have a small window where people on the street can order as well. Wasn't expecting much but everything was delicious. We got the warm pate which was basically a bowl of pate and unlimited bread. Delicious. My kids enjoyed their pasta and looking around the shop while we ate. Great low key place for a family.

Lunch with Andrea and Gregorio at their quaint Dispensary is pretty much everything you picture…read morewhen you imagine Tuscany. Nestled into charming, little Strada in Chianti, among the rolling hills of vineyards and olive groves, the restaurant/deli has a beautiful, cozy indoor space that you'll want to linger at for hours. They also have a gorgeous outdoor garden area, but it was a little too chilly to sit outside during our visit the first weekend in March. Upon arrival, Andrea and his warmly wife greeted us and our dog. (Have I mentioned lately that I love how dog friendly Italy is?!?) Once seated, we were told the offerings for the day -- there are no menus here -- and settled on a tagliere and pappardelle with wild boar ragu. Plus a local wine, because... duh... we're in Chianti, people! The tagliere that Gregorio presented us was the best selection of meat and cheeses that we've had during our time in Italy. (And, we've had A LOT of meat and cheese in our first 8-months here.) We ordered the board for 2 people but it could have easily served 5. The warm foccacia it came with was like little, salty pillows from heaven. Not to be over shadowed, the cinghiale pasta was also to die for! The ragu was so rich and savory, with hints of cinnamon and cloves. Mmmmmm! We wrapped up our meal with a couple desserts -- a cheesecake with chocolate and a mascarpone and pear dish. Both were light and airy, the perfect compliment to a heavy antipasti and primi. The complementary vin santo washed it all down and helped us start to digest. Perfect in every single way! We'll remember this meal for a long time to come. If in the Chianti area, don't miss a visit with Andrea and Gregorio!

I'm not even sure where to begin, so I'm going to start with gratitude. I'm grateful that I live a…read morelife where I was able to take a tour of this picturesque winery tucked into a Tuscan hillside, followed by an absurdly delicious four hour lunch complete with ALL THE WINE. Look, I've been wine tasting before. I'm cultured. I usually go to the bathroom in the bathroom. But I was completely unprepared for this lunch. Partially because my friends who booked it didn't tell us we were tasting wine at a Michelin starred restaurant (and partially because I was deeply hungover from all the wine I "tasted" the night before). In any case, I was not at my best when I arrived. But the hospitality here is unmatched. They welcomed us in like we were guests in their home, offering espresso and anything else we needed before the informative and interesting tour of the monastery where they make and store the wine, including the 1000 year old rooms where they used to smoke meat, and store food. The entire estate is absolutely gorgeous. We were here in May, and everything was blooming. They have an incredible garden in the back which I assume provides much of the produce for our meals, and you can taste the quality and the freshness in their "garden's fresh salad" which was one of the five courses on our menu (that in reality looked and tasted like no salad I've ever seen). This menu underpromised, and the staff overdelivered. While there were five courses, there were also several bites, and tastes, and dips, and even mini-sandwiches of anchovy and butter and dehydrated chicken essence that blew my mind. By the time we finished the incredible cannelloni with roasted beef sauce, and started on the duck l'orange, we were bursting at the seams. I cursed my mother for instilling in me a need to finish everything that was put in front of me, but I was never not going to eat that airy focaccia paired with the silkiest olive dip you've ever seen. One of my friends joked (I think), "If they bring us any more food I'm burning this place to the ground." And of course, every bit of this food was paired with a fabulous wine from their estate. That monastery is filled with bottles of delicious chianti classico, tignanello, barolo, and more. It was amazing. It was excessive. I loved it all. It wasn't cheap, but it was worth it.

Enjoyed lunch in early October 2023, the multi course meal was exceptional, the wines served with…read moreeach course were outstanding and, the service was impeccable.

Food was amazing - we didn't have a reservation but they fit us in - service was wonderful and I…read morewould highly recommend

We were so eager to try Osteria di Casa Chianti that we kept making reservations "Too early" (3xs…read moreto be exact). Nonetheless, getting a reservation within their allotted window was actually quite easy. As soon as we arrived, we KNEW the sunset would be unrivaled. It was the perfect Tuscan sunset. I'll start with the food: fantastic. We had the ragu, a beef filet, steak carpaccio, and marinated tomatoes. zero complaints - everything was perfectly simple and truly delicious. The service was next level: from the giant glass of digestif presented to my father-in-law for his birthday to the round of complimentary desserts and limoncello, the service was full of joy! As we left, our server was sharing some personal tales with us. He really bonded with my father-in-law and ended up gifting him a bottle of wine that had familial significance/connection between us! We were so grateful for this special experience and have the signed bottle sitting out still today. If you want a great meal, with an incredible view, and even better service, hurry over to Osteria di Casa Chianti!

If you have a car, please do yourself a favor and drive outside of Firenze for a truly authentic…read morecountryside meal in a charming place. The pappardelle al Cinghiale is absolutely superb. The noodles are cooked to perfection and there is enough meat on the sauce to know what you are eating. Go for a relaxing meal away from all those tourists before you continue down the road to Antinori for an afternoon of wine tasting!

Wow, this place is amazing. Our waiter was very friendly and he was super hilarious. He made jokes…read moreand it enlightened the room. He provided us with excellent service. We ordered the 2.6 lb dry aged Florentine steak and gnocchi. The Florentine steak is a must try steak here. It was very juicy, tender, and it was bursting with flavor. The meat was nice and chewy. The steak was gigantic and it is bigger than my head. They first bring out the raw steak and weight it in front of you. The steak is enough to share for three people. The gnocchi was also very delicious. It was cheesy and rich. It was also in a way creamy and the cheese just melted in your mouth. One of the best things I've ever put in my mouth and eaten. The cheesecake is very famous in this restaurant. We tried it and understand why. The cheesecake was super creamy and soft. I had a great time and experience here. Definitely will be back sometime soon hopefully. This is a place I highly recommend to everyone. Come and try it out for yourselves.

Another excellent spot we tried in Florence. We were greeted as soon as we walked in and seated…read moreimmediately. The staff was very friendly and our waiter was Nugo. He was awesome and had us laughing the entire night. We peppered him with a lot of questions about the menu, he answered everything and also accommodated my father-in-law, who is GF. He had his own GF bread basket and was able to order almost anything on the menu. We ordered a nice bottle of Montepulciano red for the table that was $48. Others had the Hugo spritz. For app I had the anchovies with roasted red pepper, sea salt and oil over grilled crostini, very good. I skipped first course and ordered the ribeye steak for my main course. Bone in, medium rare, sprinkled with sea salt and a side of onion marmalade. The steak was very good and had way less fat than I expected. The waiter suggested a huge steak for the table, but I was the only one ordering steak that night. Maybe next time. Others ordered the fillet and it was cooked perfectly, the angels and demons gnocchi, and the veal scallopini. Everybody was pleased Really cool spot with a very good wine selection, drinks, excellent food and a fun atmosphere that you don't find at many places. Nugo was an A+ server.

We luckily found this delicious place for lunch a quick walk from parking. Service was attentive…read moreand we enjoyed the local vibe. Great meatballs, just saying.

Nearly ten years ago on a warm evening in July, my very nervous husband (then fiance) and I…read moregathered at Villa Borromeo with my parents, siblings, friends and family. For many of them, this was the first time they met my American husband. We were seated at a long table outdoors, surrounded by green vines in the luscious garden of the villa. So why were we nervous? Because this was the night we announced our engagement, and we had chosen Villa Borromeo to have our (small) party. By European standards we were young to get engaged, though we had agreed to wait several years. I remember little of our dinner that night, but I will always remember our beautiful surroundings as we told our family that we were getting married. Four years later we returned to Villa Borromeo, this time with about fifty friends and family members, to celebrate my birthday and to welcome everyone as they arrived in Italy for our wedding. The villa opened up their rarely seen upstairs room for champagne, and we talked and laughed as I opened my presents and simply enjoyed having everyone together again in one place. After the drinks, we went downstairs into their beautiful cellar restaurant where they had set up large tables for our six course meal. And my god, the food kept coming: Crostini with porcini-truffle spread and chicken liver spread, delicate meats and cheeses, large plates of fresh pasta, meats, ice cream, fruits. A true feast that went down easily with a rich selection of velvety Chianti wines. We could barely finish all the food, it was wonderful. Everyone went home filled to the brim with fine Tuscan foods and wine (no drunk driving, my father had arranged a bus). Villa Borromea was a generous host that made both our special events absolutely perfect. We couldn't have chosen a better location to announce our engagement, celebrate my birthday, and welcome our guests before our wedding. A big thank you to all the amazing staff!

Went there on a Sunday evening with a party of 5. Ordered the lasagna which was a 5 star and…read moresurprisingly my favorite dish. Also ordered the Regina Margherita which came on wheat bread (surprising but good). The Sausage pizza was delicious! As an American who loves burgers I didn't love the 18 Euro hamburger which was rare, topped with a tomato and cheese and wedged between what was a crispy grainy bread. Overall a great local restaurant (with free wifi)!