Best Home Cooked Italian food I have ever had in my life! My Grandmother would slap me with a…read morewooden spoon but I telleth the truth! Went 2 nights in a row! Freshest selection of everything! It's this type of place that makes life worth living! I continue to fantasize about this wonderful eatery Every now and then! Bottom line it's worth flying here just to smell the fabulous cuisine wafting from the kitchen! Do they deliver?

Il Fornacino has an adventurous menu that I was excited to try. Like every restaurant in the area…read moreit offers the traditional Tuscan tagliata di chianina (is there a law?) but there's also rabbit stuffed with veal and truffles and a very on-trend Swiss chard, ricotta, and truffled egg raviolone. I started with the latter, which was delicious -- but the powerful flavour of cheese and the egg yolk drowned out the chard. My wife's potato flan was quite nice, but it arrived buried under a heap of truffle shavings that tasted of nothing in particular. My main was a special of roast suckling pig with potatoes and a savoury tuile made with the pork drippings. The tuile was gratuitous -- a chef-y touch that didn't actually taste very nice. The suckling pig was beautifully cooked but the potatoes were weirdly inconsistent; some crisp and others mushy. Il Fornacino is a good restaurant that would be the best restaurant around in most places, but the five-star bar is set pretty high in Tuscany. But the prices were very modest and the wine selection was great. It's a tremendously good value for what it offers.

Last night, we had one of the the top 10 restaurant meals of our lives. This morning, I'm…read morereflecting on why. This place had no "stars". It's not in any guidebooks. The setting was unlikely...the ground floor was a neighborhood bar. Definitely NOT fancy. The locals were hanging out, outdoors on the cobblestone street if they were smoking, inside if the temperatures were a bit too brisk. The dining room was upstairs. Pretty, spotless, but definitely not fancy. There were no tuxedoed waiters or rows of silverware. No fancy China. The service was by the owner, who miraculously flew from table to table. He was fast but never felt rushed. There were no menus. He charmingly explained 6 starters and 7 mains. The only problem was deciding....each and every option sounded incredible. Wine service was equally casual, but lovely. He deposited multiple bottles on our table and instructed us to "test". We did. All great, and we made a selection. After all that, he brought a different bottle. "You'll like this more." He was right! The food came quickly and it was amazing. Fresh, locally sourced, and absolutely delicious. No fancy presentations, no edible flowers, no frou-frou. We barely were able to finish (but we put our minds to it, and did). I have no idea about dessert...we simply couldn't. We felt like we'd made a new friend and had dinner in his home. He cared deeply about the enjoyment of every guest. He was passionate and loved every minute of serving us. And that's why it made our top ten. If you find yourself within 50 miles of Il Barrino, in Montisi, it's not to be missed.

This restaurant is a hidden gem. It's upstairs of the bar; lovingly chosen food offerings,…read moregracious host, a slow food delight. We loved the pasta, and the duck; all the other dishes were equally good!

One of the best meals we ever had in Italy. The service was friendly and not rushed but the star of…read morecourse was the food. Everything was absolutely scrumptious but we were vowed in particular by their peposo which I recreated once we got back to the US. Will definitely go again next time we are in Tuscany!

Really nice place. The Chef makes sure you are happy with your meal. I would definitely come back!…read moreMy husband and I shared a steak..it was delicious and huge! No English menú but thats ok. Chef will help you. You MUST try the their tiramisu.

By far the best dinner I've ever had in Italy, and that's really saying something. Don't do what we…read moredid and waltz up with no reservation and hope lots of smiling and high school-level Italian will score you a table -- even on a Wednesday night the restaurant was fully booked. We did manage a table in the end, very luckily for us. The menu here (which changes annually) is pretty hefty but is dwarfed by the wine list, which is so thick it -- no kidding -- has a table of contents. There's a lot of wonderful things on that wine list, including a number of bottles from the Montefollonico area and neighbouring Montepulciano. The food, which started with a surprise complementary amuse bouche, was nothing less than exquisite. A number of the things I wanted to try (like the Filet and sirloin of wild boar, eggplant, chocolate sauce and raspberries) were sold out for the night by the time we'd sat down, but what we did get was truly top-notch. I'd put La Botte Piena up against any fine dining restaurant in London. The biggest surprise of the night was the bill. After a good bottle of wine, four plates of food, a dessert and coffee, we hadn't even managed to spend 100 euros.

We chose to eat a la carte, as we were 6 adults with different food needs. If I say perfetto!, do…read moreyou know what I mean? La Botte Piena aspires (correctly) for a Michelin star, and it shows in the whole dining experience. Obviously, from the name of the restaurant, they know wine. The small touches that Michelin seeks are all there. Our amuse-bouche was a delicious pasta chip with flavored cheese and a spoon of bean soup. Our primi were perfectly prepared - pastas, ricotta gnudi, ravioli. The secondi were also delicious - beef cheeks and (for our birthday boy) bistecca fiorentina. I dolci delighted us, as did the dessert wine we chose to finish our 4 hour meal. We chatted with the sommelier and the owners, which rounded out a great evening. Highly recommended!

So behind on my reviews...having to much fun and phone service was out for a few days…read more Dining at La Taverna di San Giuseppe is was one of the coolest dining experiences ever. Our server told us that this previously a cave. How often do you get to dine in a cave? The inside of the restaurant is of this stone like space. We were immediately captivated. While it does not currently have a Michelin rating, we were told it previously had a Micheline rating. The atmosphere is that of a cave...cool, a little damp, and intimate. San Guiseppe has wine cellar, according to staff, date back. We felt totally and complete immersed in history and that was only the building. centuries of Sienese life. The cuisine honors Tuscan tradition while elevating it through precision and care. Each dish showcases excellent ingredients and confident execution, embracing regional flavors rather than reinventing them. San Guissppe feature traditional dishes such as handmade pasta, rich sauces, and tenders meats showcasing distinct flavors with bold seasoning. We order lasaguna and cheese salad...absolutely superb! Our servers were superior...waiting on you hand and foot. You did not ask for anything as it was already there. Our server, Marco, was kind, humorous and knowledgeable. Since it was our first time to the restaurant he was super patient and informative regarding menu items. La Taverna di San Giuseppe has s long-term Michelin recognition for a reason...superior food and excellent service in a very unique space. We savored every bite and sip we consumed in San Giuseppe. When we are in Tuscany again, we will make a beeline for this restaurant.

Taverna di San Giuseppe was a disappointing meal for us, especially in a city with so many great…read moredining options. We ended up here by mistake (confused it with another spot), and unfortunately it didn't live up to expectations. The restaurant fills up with reservations for two seatings, and from the moment we sat down the pace felt rushed. We ordered drinks and a starter while deciding on the rest, but multiple staff members kept coming by trying to take our full order. It felt like they were pushing to move things along quickly. There were a couple positives. The chicken livers to start were quite tasty and something we didn't see often on other menus. The primi were underwhelming. The pasta didn't taste fresh like many other trattorias in Siena, and the dishes overall were just average. The lasagna in particular was mushy, and the sauces didn't stand out. The secondi were slightly better -- pork ribs, Barolo-braised beef, and a "small chicken" -- but still nothing that justified the higher prices. They do have an underground wine cellar built into a cave, which is interesting to see, but there are other places in Siena with much larger and more impressive cellar spaces. Also worth noting, they add a "10% tax" charge rather than the typical €2 coperto per person. Overall, a rushed and fairly mediocre meal at a higher price point. With so many better places to eat in Siena, this is one I'd skip.

We stopped in on our first day in Montepulciano after checking in to our Airbnb. We had the most…read moreincredible, delicious, and memorable meal of our entire trip. Plans on returning next year!

Hands down, this is the best place that I ate at while I was in Italy…read more The restaurant was very unique with a vibrant interior that you can't help but love. The salad, pasta and vegetables were nothing but amazing. The pasta was fresh and the tomato sauce was indescribable. The freshness was out of this world. What also made this experience perfect was the hospitality shown by the owners. They were extremely kind and friendly. The male owner also goes around and sings to the guests, which is a great surprise. It's a very family oriented restaurant with home style cooking and beautiful ambience. 5/5!

wow! This restaurant is nothing but amazing! The menu is so intricate and the dishes are so…read moreexquisite. I had the eggplant parm, the tagliatelle, and the lemon chocolate ganache cake! The owner was so cool and nice, he sat down with us at the end of the night just to chat about our beliefs and virtues on plant based eating and health, and we met his wife! She is the master mind behind all the creative cooking! You can tell this restaurant is a true, family owned restaurant that puts passion and flavor into each masterpiece of a dish . I wish we had this place back home. It was phenomenal. I would love to come back again.

Piatti immangiabii! Con dentro mille spezie non scritto sul menù, per chi soffre di allergie ci…read morerimane....roba industriale.

Amazing dining experience in this small rustic Osteria! Chef Julio masterfully cooks Bistecca Alla…read moreFlorentina to perfection in his wood fired oven! Pici Con Ragu Di Cinta Sense e Tartufo is a must try. Authentic Tuscan food! Atmosphere is very cozy with shared tables.

The steak was amazing! It tasted like real meat. The owner was so nice and the service was great. I…read morehad to wait a little while because it was so packed. Worth waiting for.