We had a lovely dinner at Trattoria Giovanni. We loved how cozy, spacious, and genuinely local it…read morefelt, like eating at your grandma's house. It's close enough to the lively, bustling part of Firenze to feel connected, yet just far enough to escape the city's never-ending wave of tourists. The service was incredible, and the owner (I'm pretty sure it was the owner?) brought so much energy that he single-handedly turned the whole place into an eclectic little spot during the "rush hour" of the evening. The menu was solid, if a bit "generic" at times. While everything we ordered was delicious, nothing at Trattoria Giovanni felt like a dish you couldn't find elsewhere... and honestly, that's perfectly fine! It was traditional, comforting, and exactly what we were craving. The plate of cured meats and cheese was phenomenal, a great start to the meal. The pastas were really good as well, though one of the meat dishes had a slightly off texture, with the chunks of meat a bit overcooked. All in all, we loved our meal and would definitely recommend this spot if you're in Florence.

Wow wow wow!! Dined ar Giovanni's 4 out of 7 nights while in Florence. Hands down the best…read morecarpaccio in Florence!!! The prosciutto & Melone also amazing! Tender and tasty ossobucco. To top it off the tiramisu was just as spectacular as every other dish. The manager is super nice, cool and welcoming jamming out with an amazing playlist of aid & hard rock, dance & classic tunes. Definitely recommend the walk over the Arno to visit and enjoy the flavors and friendly staff.

I literally can't say enough good things about this place. Main takeaway: make a reservation!! I…read morecalled day-of and they squeezed us in at 6:15 (which was perfect) but everything before 9:30 was booked up. We were welcomed warmly by the staff (he literally said "ah yes I remember you" ) and guided to our cozy little table in the corner. Were ordered a bottle of Chianti Classico to start, as well as a few pastas plus the steak and cod. I can safely say the spaghetti pomodoro with burrata was the best pasta dish I've had in Italy - the pasta was perfectly cooked and the cherry tomatoes was so sweet, the kind of thing that reminds you why you came to Italy in the first place. Overall: great service, great atmosphere, and fantastic food. Just be sure to make a reservation!!

Beautiful inside, about of twists and turns and we were in the patio , at the back of the…read morerestaurant. Amazing experience ! I highly recommend this restaurant as a stop in Florence . As recommended by Stanley Tucci , we had to stop here and enjoy their amazing delicious dishes. Reservations are highly required! The staff goes out of their way to make sure you have the opportunity to enjoy your meal in Florence . Everything was delicious from the veal lombatina to the pappardelle cing, to the onion flan , to the filetto Chianti ....just delicious . Of all of Florence this was my favorite restaurant.

I can't even fathom a spaghetti with tomato sauce being that good. Made in house was absolutely…read moresublime. The pork chop was okay and the mushroom pasta was fantastic but man everything got outdone by that tomato sauce. 100% need reservations as it's a small place.

Having been coming to Florence over 20 years this is definitely one of the best restaurants in all…read moreof Tuscany. The food, service and ambiance is beyond. I highly recommend a visit. You have to call to make a reservation but it is easy to do even if you speak little or no Italian.

Hole in the wall place with a ton of charm! You 100% need a res to be seated, they had to turn down…read morewalk-ins. The zucchini salad was underwhelming but my pasta with saffron and zucchini flowers was actually to die for. I kept saying "wow". Lamb chops were pretty good, a bit too fatty for my liking but the few and far between non-fatty parts were fantastic.

This was, without question, one of the best meals of our entire life--possibly the best of the…read moretrip! We ate here on our first night in Florence and spent the rest of our trip talking about it. In fact, we came back to Florence a night early from Cortona and tried our luck at getting another table. They were completely packed and couldn't fit us in, which honestly tells you everything you need to know. If you want to eat here, make a reservation. You might get lucky if you show up right when they open, but May in Florence seems to get busier every year and I wouldn't count on it. The atmosphere is exactly what you hope for when you picture a fun night in Florence--great music, laughter, conversation, shared tables, excellent wine, and people genuinely enjoying themselves. It's lively without feeling touristy and somehow manages to feel both energetic and intimate at the same time. Our server, Lorenzo, was phenomenal. He helped us select a bottle of 2021 Vigna del Sorbo Chianti Classico, which ended up being my favorite wine of the entire trip. We started with buttered toast and anchovies. It sounds incredibly simple, but it was one of the most memorable bites we had in Italy. We shared the duck ragù pasta, lasagna, osso buco, and lamb chop. Every dish was excellent, but the duck ragù and lamb were standouts. We finished with a raspberry tiramisu that was the perfect ending to the meal. The food was fantastic, the wine was fantastic, the service was fantastic, and the ambiance was everything you could want. P.S. If you can't get in, don't panic--the restaurant across the street is also very good. But if you can get a table here, do it.

Great place! Food portions are generous. Food was delicious. You can add truffle to any dish for 10…read moreeuros. Husbands steak was super tender and better than any others we have had around Rome and Florence. Friendly service, good AC, big, clean bathroom. Would recommend.

I booked this restaurant through Google and arrived early for my 7:30 reservation, expecting the…read morecozy, atmospheric trattoria shown in the photos -- the one I had reserved. Instead, without even asking for my name or checking my reservation, a young host walked me out the door and across the street into a completely different dining area. The room I was placed in looked nothing like what was advertised: it was brightly lit, with paper napkins, cheap silverware, and visibly dirty walls. The whole place felt like a low-end lunch diner -- not a charming Florentine restaurant. They were blasting Highway to the Danger Zone and I Wanna Dance with Somebody while the main restaurant -- the one I thought I had booked -- played soft Italian music that actually fit the fine dining experience. The contrast was insulting. I was dressed in an upscale outfit appropriate for a refined dinner, yet I was treated as though I didn't belong. It felt discriminatory and dismissive. To make matters worse, at the end they tried to pressure me into tipping on the card machine -- in Italy, where tipping isn't even customary. The entire experience felt like a bait-and-switch, and I left feeling disrespected, singled out, and completely disappointed.

This was my first meal in Florence, and it was a beautiful welcome to a beautiful city. It felt…read morelike a lively party in someone's home. The room was packed, and the owner was walking around and holding court, sitting with people, moving chairs, dropping plates. Our friend who lives around the corner took charge (she may or may not have a slight crush on the owner), and she ordered it all. We started with finocchiona and head cheese and prosciutto with melon and continued with the rigatoni alla condatina and riso ai funghi porcini, and more pasta I don't remember. We were already full at this point, and then the secondi started arriving. Lombatina di vitello, braciole, beef carpaccio...I ate till I hurt, and drank entirely too much of the house wine encased in the straw baskets known as fiascos. It was a fiasco in every way, and it kicked off a great week.

I was shocked how many people were there before opening. We got there about 15 minutes before and…read morethere were a bunch of people waiting to get seated. Thank goodness we made reservations beforehand. I highly recommend. We ordered the prosciutto with melons, penne alla bettola, pappardelle alla rottanculo, crocchetteal limone, and tiramisu. The food was SO GOOD and tasty. The flavors were remarkable. I highly recommend coming here if you are in Florence.

Osteria Santo Spirito is an intimate little Italian restaurant tucked away in a corner of Centro…read moreStorico in Florence and I cannot recommend it enough! We spent three days in Florence and ate here twice, and cut our tour of the Acedemia out of our schedule to make sure we could make it for lunch before heading on to Rome, that's how awesome the food was! The people running the restaurant are so amazing, they truly treat you like family while you are there. They were always attentive, but never lingering. Unlike restaurants in the US where you are expected to eat and leave as soon as possible, in Italy food is mean to be enjoyed over conversation and camaraderie, which means unless you wave someone over or your glasses are empty you are left to enjoy yourselves. Osteria Santo Spirito is no exception to this rule. You'll be warmly greeted and well cared for but never hovered over. You will absolutely want to make a reservation, a wait for a table inside can take a bit to get if you just plan to stroll in off the street, but the seating outside is just as beautiful and a bit more plentiful. If you visit Florence and are looking for a place that doesn't take advantage of the tourists, and serves up amazing food, this is your spot for

After seeing lines night after night at this lovely little corner gem, we managed to secure a…read morereservation for 5 people & let's just say, it did not disappoint! We each got a primi and shared the Florentine Steak which was divine!!! The corner establishment looks tiny but not only is there outdoor seating and a small first floor dining but a second floor dining room with domed ceilings! Quaint!

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 weren't in Florence for so long so really needed a solid place to try Florentine steak and this…read morewas a great option. The vibe itself is cool (automatic door walking in, dungeon-like walls with cute decorations). Walking to your table you walk by a huge wine selection, which can be overwhelming. We started with the asparagus and peas salad. This was pretty solid, simple but it worked. We grabbed the spaghetti with the cream of asparagus-normally wouldn't order so much asparagus but this was the pasta that sounded the most interesting to us and we did ultimately end up enjoying the sauce quite a bit and it was one of the better pasta dishes we had in Italy. Got a side of the white beans which we probably didn't need but didn't mind. The steak: first of all it's very sizable. The Florentine way is rarer than I would ever order a steak and while I'm glad I tried it, I probably wouldn't choose it again. It's an interesting ordering process as you're essentially given the sizes they have left there for the night so you never know walking exactly how much you'll pay. I do appreciate that they cut it for you but I did feel like some of the meat was still on the bone (not that we really needed MORE meat I just didn't want to waste any). The flavoring is pretty good but there are definitely bites that are better than the others. The service was a bit mixed. There were times they were interested in talking with us while others they didn't seem so interested and a bit aloof. This was especially true when we went to check out. Ultimately, served its purpose in introducing us to a style of steak we hadn't had before and did so in a way that we enjoyed.

Fantastic spot to try Tuscan regional specialties! Our fellow dining room companions were tourists…read more& locals alike so I feel like that was a good sign. It didn't start getting super busy until ~9pm - which is the usual Italian dining hour. We had the: *Prosciutto del Casentino - Le Selve di Vallolmo (Specialty Tuscan Ham of Free Range Grey Pork of Casentino, Tuscany (Slow Food Awarded Ingredients)) - MOVE OVER IBERICO. This was incredible - just melt in your mouth. You have to get this! *Ravioli di Peposo di Manzo al Burro e Timo (Ravioli Stuffed with Stewed Peppered Beef and Tossed in Butter and Thyme) - Peposo is a classic Tuscan dish that's usually tough cuts of meat cooked down in Chianti wine. Loved this 'twist' on a classic dish. They also so kindly split this portion for us which was perfect. The Peposo was perfection; if they just had Peposo as a dish, I'd order it! *Bistecca dell'Osteria (House Specialty Bone In Steak) - the star of the show!! While this isn't Chianni cattle or anything, this was fantastic piece of steak. Perfectly executed at medium rare. Love that the menu states "If you prefer your meat more so well done we would be happy to recommend another dish to you." Ha. Make sure you order a BOTTLE of wine! They have GREAT local options at super reasonable price points.

Looking for a place to eat, found this gem and realized I wanted to try it. Everyone had told us…read moredinner reservations were a MUST here, but didn't think about it. Not many places actually have yelp reviews, but this one had so many with great feedback. The food looked amazing. When we arrived we thought they were closed, but that is because they moved to a bigger restaurant a few doors down. When we arrived at the front, the gentleman asked if we had reservations, which we didn't. He directed us to the line with no reservations. The line was a bit long, but doubled in size almost immediately. It also started pouring rain during this time and we were ALL getting drenched even with an umbrella. The non reservation line was not really moving unless people left the line. We waited a good hour. As we inched closer and closer, the lines were now both outrageous and getting seated seemed like a distant memory. The staff came out and gave out Sangria and Bread bites to help those in line feel welcome. We did finally get seated and we were so glad we waited, it was worth it! We ordered the Spaghetti Carbonara, the lobster spaghettini and the chicken breast with roasted potatoes. We also ordered sangria. Everything was so good and our total was 83 €. Prices were unbelievable! We were amazed at the quality, the service and how large the restaurant they relocated to was. It was like a well oiled machine. The food coming out quickly and efficiently. I will 100% be back if I return to Florence!

I usually love dining in Italy because the service style is relaxed. You're not interrupted every…read morefive minutes with "How is everything?" and can actually enjoy your meal. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case here. Once seated, the service was chaotic. One waiter who wasn't even serving our table spent much of the evening yelling at other servers. Food was constantly being brought to the wrong tables, and servers were asking us if dishes were ours because they genuinely seemed confused about where orders belonged.A waiter also spilled a tray of drinks near me, splashing my coat. To be clear, this is not affecting my review because accidents happen. What did stand out was the lack of consideration afterward. There was barely an apology or acknowledgment, which felt representative of the overall attitude we experienced throughout the meal. As for the food, it was just okay. The Florentine steak was good, but not memorable, and I'm sure there are plenty of places in Florence that do it better. We also ordered a pasta dish that was completely average. If the food had been exceptional, maybe the service would have been easier to overlook, but that wasn't the case. What stood out most was how miserable and disorganized the staff seemed. Looking around, we weren't the only table having a poor experience.