We spend a week in Florence and La Giostra was one of our highlights. At first I was hesitant due to some of of the reviews saying it's a tourist trap etc. So glad we experienced Giostra. Food was amazing. The Florentine Steak was buttery tender full of flavor. One of the best steaks I've eaten. Waiter recommended medium rare and it was perfect. It was the most expensive meal but highly worth it! read more

La Giostra - Florentine Steak medium rare - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

Quite overrated. You will find a lot of tourists here so other than the servers it feels very American like at home. 3 tables around us were from Jersey and New York, all trying to impress their significant other. The service itself was a bit average and the male servers with the pony tails didn't seem very inclined to help explain the menu very much. In fact they were a bit arrogant and patronizing and the servers kept swapping in and out so it was hard to keep track of who was your server. We had the salads and 3 pasta dishes, all which were fine. While they offer complimentary antipasto and Prosecco, it all feels a bit like a ruse. The ambiance is pretty, as you will probably see in the photos but a bit claustrophobic toward the back where we sat. read more

La Giostra - Complimentary antipasto plate. Chicken liver pate not so good. - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

Excellent restaurant! This was recommended by a few of our friends and it did not disappoint! From the moment we walked in we were greeted by the beautiful host, Natalie. Not only was she beautiful she was very friendly and helpful! Our server, Isabella, was awesome as well! Her recommendations were on point and we had the most amazing meal at La Giostra and of course, amazing vino as well! Highly recommend the restaurant and you want to make reservations so that you are sure to get in! read more

This is my favorite restaurant in the entire world with the best food. The service is amazing, the waiters are so sweet, and the feed was the best food I've ever had. I would 100% recommend the pear ravioli because it seriously is some of the best pasta and also the artichoke appetizer. Definitely make a reservation on their website ahead of time, but this restaurant is a must if you ever come to Florence. read more

Probably my favorite restaurant in Florence. It has the perfect warm cozy environment and the food was incredible. Trust me on this! You have to go read more

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This is one of the very few restaurants that actually live up to the hype. I came here one night with about 15 others for my roommates birthday. I have always heard that this restaurant was "one of a kind" but I never experienced it until then. Upon entering, I noticed that it was pretty dark and it had such a romantic ambience. We were sat fairly quickly and the staff the entire night was so attentive to us. The food was out of this world. I ordered the Filetto Kalvill con fegato d'oca e mele all'armagnac. We also ordered multiple appetizers and it was like each thing was better than the last. If you are looking for somewhere to have a beautiful date night or celebration, this is your place! read more

La Giostra was recommended to me by several friends that claimed it was the best meal they had in Italy. Well...I totally agree ! We stayed with pasta dishes like Pear Ravioli, Carbonara and Burrata and the spinach with butter and Parmesan. The dinner was our best in Italy! Thank you read more

Great restaurant with great service. Came here after looking at reviews and recommendations and was not disappointed. One of the best in Florence, a lot of celebrities have come. The servers were very friendly and helpful, unlike a few places I went. My fiance and I had the pear ravioli and pappardelle with wild boar to start off and was great. The cheese in the ravioli may be strong for some people though. For our main my fiance had the balsamic steak, I am not a fan of balasmic vinegar but that was really good. The garlic and rosemary was a more subtle taste. We had the tiramisu to finish and it was great, considering I don't even like tiramisu, a must try. Experience here was great, this place will not disappoint. read more

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Ristorante La Giostra was beautiful, with the best ambiance of any restaurant in Florence. So romantic for our last night in Florence while on our honeymoon. The amuse bouche was a nice touch, the bruschetta was so fresh and perfectly portioned. We also ordered the burrata appetizer which was delicious, and the pear and pecorino ravioli which was the second one we tried on the trip to Florence and the single best thing we had the entire six days in Florence. The boar tagliatelle was good--the pasta and flavor were delicious but the boar seemed slightly overdone and a little tough. We also had the osso bucco which was delicious, tender and falling off the bone--though I was so full by that point I didn't have much! My husband ordered the tiramisu for dessert and that was great too. Skip the house Chianti (not good) and order a bottle of Chianti Classico; we had a delicious 2018 from a Tuscan winery. Service was great--several servers assisted us, including the owner--really wonderful. read more

La Giostra - Splitting the boar tagliatelle and pear ravioli (soo good!) - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

La Giostra is my favorite restaurant I've visited in Italy. The city of Florence has many fantastic options, but La Giostra stands out as a memorable dinner every time. I loved the pear ravioli and bistecca fiorentina; the limoncello to finish the night didn't hurt either! read more

Was here again last night and it did not disappoint. Another amazing dinner with my wife and family. The food was incredible and the vibe in the restaurant has amazing energy. Wish I lived closer would be there all the time. read more

La Giostra - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

Best meal in Italy from Como to Rome. I do not write reviews often. Let's be honest, people generally do not write good reviews. This place is worth the time to say something positive. Go here. Try it. It's not cheap. But it's vacation, and it is excellent. First, the decor is pretty cool. The string lights across the ceiling have a completely different look and feel in person than in pictures. They work and set a nice ambiance. The owner is a tad eccentric maybe and has things around the restaurant he likes, but it works and makes more sense after you meet them. I like seeing an owner that rolls up his sleeves (or here, bracelets) and gets in the weeds with the staff. They are constantly moving, pumping out quality food, and running it to tables. I went to dinner with my wife at the suggestion of a shop owner. We sat down with Sammy, who immediately provided us with Prosecco and a gratis plate of mixed apps. They're great, especially the eggplant in oil and Modena balsamic, but don't let them fill you up. The best is yet to come. We started with the burrata and fried artichoke. The breading on the artichoke was light but well seasoned. A spritz of lemon juice later and I was in heaven. The honeyed burrata with a bit of olive oil and pepper was excellent. We split a primi of white truffled carbonara. The pasta was fresh, cooked slightly al dente and split into two plates for my wife and I to share. It is good they split it for us or I would have eaten it all. Mostly full already, the secondi came out. We went for the bistecca florentina. Europe is not known for the best steak in the world. But Florence is known for a particular cut (what I refer to as a porter house) that comes from a particular breed of cattle. To prepare they char on each side and then grill on the bone to finish cooking. It is served no warmer than medium rare and should be served rare. This is an impressive piece of meat that comes out sliced flanked with carrots and potatoes. My wife loved the sides; I couldn't look past the steak. It's a porterhouse that you can cut with a fork. The wine list is extensive and perhaps a bit overwhelming, especially if you are unfamiliar with Italian wines. Sammy helped us pick a Chianti we loved. If you are unfamiliar, look it up online before you go or tell them a price point and type. In all honesty, we have had some great meals across Italy. But this one was one of the special ones. My Italian is not the best so I Google translated how wonderful I thought it was and spoke with the owner. He said he'd teach me Italian as long as I liked the food. He gave us some suggestions of wineries to visit on our next leg of the trip. I told him we ate at osteria francescana a few days ago and it does live up to its fame. But I think I preferred the simplicity and goodness of this meal. Don't get me wrong: I'd gladly eat at both of these restaurants again, but I'd only gladly pay for this one myself again. It was reasonable, delicious, and more of a true meal than an experience. Go to La Giostra. You're welcome. read more

As a party of 2 we came in at 10:40pm for a reservation at 10:45pm. We did not get seated until 11:05pm. But they allowed us to sit at the bar and get a drink while we waited. Food wasn't the best we've had, but the pear ravioli and magnifico steak together get a 7.7/10. Service was alright whilst we had food on the table. Our perspective of this restaurant turned around when we asked for our check around 11:55pm/12am. We were waiting a whole 15-20 minutes to get our check before we asked another server for it and it got there 5 mins later at around 12:15am. When we finally got our check, the price of our cocktails were €20 each, which is the most I've spent on a Negroni and Hugo Spritz in Italy. We waited 10 more minutes with the check while the server passed by at least 3 times. Leaving was so tempting because we've already wasted around 45 minutes total combining the time we waited for our reservation, waited for the check to hit the table, and the time it took to cash out. As someone who works in the food-service industry it does not take 15 mins to drop the check nor does it take another 10 mins to ring a table up. read more

Excellent food, excellent service, and the ambience was spectacular. Great wines! Friendly service. Could not recommend more!

Our first time visiting. God willing it won't be our last. A wee treat while holidaying in Firenze from Scotland. The decor is beautiful and the atmosphere was fantastic. The quality of the food is first class and our friends serving us brought a complimentary tasting starter plate from the kitchen and limoncello to finish off a fantastic meal read more

The single worst restaurant experience I had in Italy. Every single person dining at the restaurant was American. Not even the restaurant staff was Italian. The pasta was overcooked and soggy with very little flavor and the spinach was very oversalted. The whole table preferred a cheap trattoria we had eaten at for lunch. The waiter couldn't answer any questions about the steak which ended up coming out overcooked. That fact was mentioned to three waiters over the course of our meal, and nothing was done about it. Restaurant management didn't even bother to come over to apologize despite the that I had to cut the outside of the steak off to be able to eat the part that remained edible in the center of the steak. Each time I mentioned it to a different waiter or waitress, they implied that I should have asked for my steak to be cooked differently and it was not the restaurants fault. At the end of the meal, the waitress asked each of us to clear our own table because it would be easier for her if we handed everything to her. There is no list of wine by the glass, but I don't think it matters because they offer things like Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc obviously catering to people who don't want a traditional Italian experience. They did offer a Chianti, which could be best described as mediocre table wine anywhere else in Italy, and only the free bottles that hotels gave us ended up tasting worse. The three euro glass at the corner wine shop was much better than what this place offers. I felt very bad because my wife had done a lot of research because I was very excited about Florentine steak, and we all expected this to be my favorite meal of the trip. The people at the table next to us thought their radishes were parmesan cheese, and I'm sure they'll be writing a positive review, but if you read this review hopefully I've helped you avoid a horrible mistake! read more

La Giostra - The nasty tasting gray parts of the steak I had to cut off because the steak was improperly cooked, and didn't taste right at all. - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

Hands down the best meal I had in Florence, definitely up there in one of the top meals of my life. This is a cozy, dimly-lit restaurant with walls covered in photographs - mainly of the restaurant owner and his guests over the years (like Will Smith??). It's a really nice ambience with twinkly lights on the ceiling and candles on every table. Would recommend making a reservation in advance. They provide a glass of complimentary prosecco per person and a free appetizer. We ordered the pear ravioli, wild boar pappardelle, and the florentine steak for 2 (1 kg!!). The pear ravioli is no joke - it could be the best pasta I've ever had. The wild boar is also superb and super savory. The florentine steak is massive - we ordered medium rare but it was still really really rare. Be prepared for some extremely red meat. After sharing this between 2 people, we were absolutely stuffed and couldn't finish it all. Pasta was by far the best - don't skip the pear ravioli. read more

Wow Meal! STOP everything and book a trip to Florence. If you asked me yesterday where the best food in Italy was, Florence would be on the list, but after my experiences La Giostra has moved to top three. I only say top three because it was my first time, I'm not THAT easy... However, when a restaurant has a synergy of esthetics & ambiance, hospitality, amazing cuisine then it's hard really hard not to fall in love at first bite. I still think about my meal at La Giostra, especially that Burrata with Honey, Walnuts, and fig jam. The raviolis are a must. read more

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Possibly the best restaurant I've ever dined at in my life Everything is absolutely perfect from the ambience to the cuisine If your in Florence by all means, don't miss this Gem of Tuscan cuisine Reservations we'll in advance are a must read more

The best Pear ravioli Antinori wine the ghost of the owner father walking up and down as his sons bracelets ring on his wrist. He never thought he would still be there running the restaurant but he is there every nite as he pulls up a chair and shares a glass of wine. read more

Best meal we had in Italy! The pear ravioli was outstanding. Service was impeccable and loved meeting the owner!

Everything was perfect. The griller octopus was amazing. The portions was great. The seafood was seasoned to perfection. The pasta was delicious and the service was awesome. ​ read more

My first review of 2019 after going on my honeymoon over the holidays, and I've been chomping at the bit to give high marks for my favorite restaurant of all of last year! Heck, La Giostra might be the best restaurant I've ever been to, period. First note, make reservations in advance. The place is popular and really small so if you don't plan ahead, you might be stuck just salivating over the Yelp reviews and photos of this place during your time in Florence. We had the Balsamic Steak and homemade ravioli topped with truffles. If you look really closely at the photo my wife took of me and the food during our dinner, you can see a tear of tastebud joy trickling down my cheek. Everything we ate was everything I ever dreamed a fancy place in Florence would be. Really, no words I could write about it would do it justice. Additionally, of all the service we had in 10 days traveling through Italy, this was by far the best. Extremely attentive servers who were all multilingual and cultured. I actually left a nice little gratuity here and they earned every bit of it. If you find yourself traveling through Florence, skip the museums and see the edible works of art at La Giostra. You won't be disappointed. read more

La Giostra - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

The ambiance and energy of La Giostra is wonderful. The wait staff is attentive and welcoming. The complimentary presseco and appetizer plate are unexpected extras. Our ravioli with pear was maybe the best I've ever had, and I am an Italian and have had ravioli all my life (what a life) The florentine steak on the other hand was 80% fat, the parts that weren't were cold and undercooked. The char of seasoning and natural flavor was missing from every bite. I have put away full steaks on my own without issue but I was actually getting tired from trying to cut the slices into bites and my jaw actually felt sore from chewing to the point that, less than elegantly, I had to just spit out 3-4 different mouthfuls in disgust. I'm my mothers son so when food is left over and it's delectable we always bring it home for seconds but tonight we just sent it back. It was very disappointing as this restaurant was on our list of must do while in Florence for 3 years, even reorganizing tours and trips around it. It was also my wifes birthday. Any one can have a bad moment in the kitchen and any steak can be the one that probably should have been discarded rather than served. But after seeing a half left steak platter head back to the kitchen and a full 3 large pieces half chewed sitting on my plate and advising 2 staff members of our disappointment, there was no response at all. Now I am from America so maybe my expectations of customer service are too high when it comes to customers always right but some acknowledgement, an offer of something else, re-try at discount another day, anything would have been appreciated. But, no response, just the bill after sitting with water only on our table for 30 mins. I don't write reviews, I loathe most that I see on here but I felt compelled to vent and offer an opinion on my experience rather than just bash a restaurant for no reason. If the steak had been 50-60 euros I would have written it off as bad luck, not our night, but at 100 euros I feel like I payed that much money for a side of carrots and delicious potatoes. The no response from staff or owner also was a little disappointing. But, this is a 5 star restaurant for sure, we had a 4 star experience with a 1 star steak so in fairness I give it a 3 anyway. I would still love to try a properly cooked way less fatty florentine steak at la giostra but at the moment I'm just a little disappointed in the experience and let down by the response to our displeasure Thank you for everything else. read more

La Giostra - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

The food and service is top notch. The atmosphere is also great, but it would have been better if I was with my wife. read more

"This place was AMAZING! What really impressed us is how the owner was always jumping in and helping the other staff, waiting on tables, bussing tables, talking with the guests. The food was out of this world! 10 out of 10!" read more

No words can describe how amazing our experience was at this establishment. Best spot to eat in Italy . Highly recommend this spot. We ordered beef and pari carpaccio, porcini mushroom tagliatelle, and fillet mignon w/ foie gras and candied pears.... And every bite melted in our mouth! read more

Food was good. Spicy seafood with spaghetti, just wasn't spicy. We would have complained earlier but we didn't see our server.

Ended up leaving before we even got to order. We had a reservation but were sat in the back corner next to the bathroom door, and were never greeted by a waiter. We must have sat there without attention for 15+ minutes before deciding to leave. You can tell this is a tourist trap with overpriced food, and I would highly recommend finding someplace else where you will be treated better and have a more enjoyable meal. read more

This was one of the best meals I had in Florence! A friend recommended it for the balsamic steak and pear ravioli. I actually liked the ravioli a little less than I thought I might - the filling was a bit gritty - but the steak was absolutely perfect. We loved the appetizer platter and sparkling wine we received upon entrance, and the ambiance is cute, if not very romantic at lunchtime. Would definitely recommend for a special meal in Florence. read more

La Giostra - Pear ravioli and balsamic steak! - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

We had a great dinner here. The atmosphere is intimate and the lighting and restaurant are very romantic. The restaurant offered a welcome glass of Prosecco and delicious bruschetta. Our meal was 5 stars but our server Paola elevated our experience and we wish would could rate it an additional star for her welcoming and helpful service. We'll make sure to come back on out next trip. read more

Excellent food and attentive service. A festive and friendly environment that does not lose focus on the quality, preparation and presentation of the meal. read more

Finest dining establishment in Florence, must experience! From our host, server, table staff to every meal and drink, we were wowed with our dinner. read more

Very average, only meal we really didn't enjoy in Florence. Pasta was undercooked, everything was pretty mid. Ambience was cool and staff was friendly. Extremely slow waited forever for our entree. My opinion is it's a little overhyped. read more

La Giostra - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

This is the Italian food I wanted to experience the whole time in Italy. You can pick anything in the menu and you will be more than satisfied. read more

The atmosphere is great, but I think it's a little over-hyped. We were in Italy for three weeks and had many meals that were much cheaper and just as good- often better- than here. read more

Brad Pitt ate here. Seriously, that's enough reason to dine at La Giostra. They start you off with a complimentary glass of prosecco then your free appetizers follow suit: it could be a plate of sundried tomatoes, olives, bruschetta or cold cuts. We had the carpaccio di polpo e patate, a plate of thinly sliced octopus with lots of fresh tomatoes, basil, lemon and olive oil. What I like about Italian food is the simplicity of ingredients and yet, the impact on your taste buds is outstanding! The Spaghettone pomodoro e basilica is another simple dish that shines because of the fresh, sweet tomatoes and fragrant basil. Sprinkle a bit of parmeggiano and you're done! I made sure to come to Italy in October because you know what that means? TRUFFLE season! I was in love with my Nodino di tartufo di Bianca alba. Perfectly cooked veal just bursting with the luxurious earthy flavors of the truffles. Bellisimo! The only weird thing was that the tiramisu was served at room temp, (and it was warm that night we went) and I'm used to having it slightly chilled. We still finished it! ;) The staff was a bit harried because it was a packed house so we didn't experience the same friendly, warm hospitality that most people did on trip advisor. read more

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This restaurant is an experience! It was recommended by a friend and it exceeded our wildest expectations! We were greeted with a glass of proscecco and apertivos on the house! The owner was eccentric and kind-serving wine and ever present. The food, arrive and ambience was the best we've had in Florence! It was built in the 1700's-the ceiling was dazzling! So not miss this restaurant if you are in Florence-but make a reservation-it was booked full! read more

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Made a reservation for a 'go all out' date night and boy was this the place to do it. So romantic with the lights and the service was amazing. Upon arrival we were greeted with two glasses of champagne & an appetizer platter on the house. Octopus Carpaccio : this was underwhelming. Very thinly sliced and almost tasted like nothing. Florentine steak : huge piece of prime meat cooked to perfection. Only comes in one temperature - rare. I never eat my meat rare but I absolutely devoured it. Was very surprised that me and my boyfriend were able to finish it all! Definitely enough for 2. read more

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An extraordinary dining experience. Service, food and atmosphere were all top-notch. If we could just reduce the number of American guests seated at any one time, I would feel like I'm in Florence. Chef was kind enough to come by our table for a visit - this was after the New Yorker at the next table sent her steak back - oh, honay, no: this is why you have no man. read more