Note the seal of approval as you enter...You have to go here for the fabulous ambience as well as the food and solid service. This place has hosted intellectuals since 1824 and as soon as you step inside, you can see why...what a beautiful interior, like eating in a museum, right? Bring a great companion for a stimulating conversation...you won't be rushed because this is Tuscan slow dining. Relax with a house Chianti, which they will proudly show you the bottle...it is not swill that you get at the tourist traps. The green salad is very fresh, the sauteed spinach side is flavorful with just enough garlic to be interesting. Their ravioli with butter and sage is a classic. You won't regret it! read more

Paoli - These spiral stairs lead up to the W.C.! - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

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I visited Ristorante Paoli for lunch after walking to the top of the dome of Il Duomo, so needless to say I was starving. I ordered the Lasagna al Forno. It was some of the best lasagna I've ever had! The restaurant location is also very nice: on a side street, easy enough to find but away from the crowds in the square. Definitely a great place to go after some sightseeing. read more

Paoli - Front of the restaurant - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

This place is amazing. The food is delicious and the building is incredible. As you eat you're looking at all these old paintings really getting a feel for history. We had the best steak we've ever eaten here. The staff was also great. Met one named Giulio who was so pleasant and really made sure we were enjoying our meal. Definitely eat here when in Florence. read more

From the outside, Ristorante Paoli appeared like an unassuming trattoria. Inside you'll find the ceilings adorned with large arches and paintings as old as the early 1900s. Fantastic ambience and good service is what you should expect here. They claim the food is authentic Tuscan. I enjoyed the tagliatelle pasta although my dining companion likes his more al dente. Also ordered the grilled lamb which still included the bones. The flavor was good but it was chopped in a way that left too many tiny shards of bone in my bites. Willing to overlook this because of the duck carpaccio appetizer which tasted so buttery and flavorful. The best I can describe the flavor is if duck and ham had an offspring and made the best tasting meat you've ever had. This dish is genius. read more

Paoli - Duck carpaccio - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

This is a review of our visit to Ristorante Paola in April 2019. We loved everything about this beautiful restaurant - the location, beautiful murals, decor, delicious food, excellent service, and prices. We look forward to returning. read more

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This is a very nice restaurant. We made reservations, of course, for dinner at 7:00 p.m., having been to Florence and this restaurant several years ago. The service was excellent: very quick, attentive, and professional. Not like many restaurants in Florence where you cannot catch the waitperson's eye. My adult son and I shared the classic bistecca alla Florentina while my wife had a pasta dish with mussels, and her sister had a filet of beef. While everything was very good, I was disappointed with the bistecca. Although we ordered the premium chiamata cut and the steak was well prepared, the meat was very tough and the cut much more t-bone than porterhouse with a very small loin portion. read more

This was the most amazing food that I have ever had! All the dishes were exquisite and made with the best of materials. I would definitely recommend. Also the service was great! Everyone was so kind and delivered our food in under 10 minutes. Everything was super duper tasty and worth the wait. We ordered a steak and it was out of the world. It literally melted in your mouth. We also got the truffle pasta and you will never taste anything like this. It was so good and cooked perfectly! read more

Our first meal in Florence; a late lunch after adding by train from Rome. Recommended by our hotel. The restaurant was quiet - we arrived about 2:30. We were seated promptly and received efficient, polite service. My wife and I had the lasagna Bologna style and eggplant parmigiana style. Both were excellent. Overall a good start to our stay in Florence. read more

We were excited to try this restaurant because the reviews were good and we were looking forward to trying the steak. We ordered family style to try some dishes and would've ordered more if the service was better. As we sat watching other tables we got the feeling we weren't welcomed in this restaurant. read more

This is where I first tried Bistecca ala Fiorentina, back in 1995. I was really looking forward to repeating the magical experience I had then. The ambiance is still fabulous, but the food was a bit disappointing. The risotto was not al dente. My daughter and I had much better at another place recently. As for the Bistecca, my memory is likely inaccurate after 18 years, but I don't recall chewing quite this much. My memory was of a magically-tender steak. This was tasty, but not the religious experience I hoped for. Feel free to discount this part of my review because I may simply have had impossible expectations. The desserts were very good, and we enjoyed our time there. As did, best we could tell, a few large family groups there at the same time. read more

Wonderful service and great food. Best baccalao I had ever had. House wine is really good and fair price. read more

I call BS.... $100 FOR 2 people. Charged us for Everything that they didn't even ask us about. And the food was sub par

Been there a few times over the years! Always delicious, Don't judge this book by the cover, the exterior is nothing to write home about. read more

Had a wonderful meal here! The risotto with shrimp and artichoke was simply amazing! Desserts were also delicious! Very nice service and good prices. read more

This meal was average; honestly as I run through a stack of reviews from our 2 weeks in Northern Italy, not being able to even recall this establishment without asking the group kind of sums it up. Additionally, our wine was turned. With so many spectacular places in Firenze, we struck out on this choice. read more

Great experience! The wait staff was as good as the food. The food was delish! We had a mixed salad which was large enough for several people and the tomato soup for appetizers. We ordered the rich, creamy lasagna and spaghetti arribiata for dinner and we could not stop eating either! The atmosphere was upscale but casual with a historic Tuscan flair. This is a must visit! read more

Can I give less than one star? This place was dreadful. Rude staff, mediocre food, cheesy tourist-y atmosphere.

Lol the veal scaloppini in another review. Our waiter laughed at us when we asked if it was chicken. He claimed it was pork. "Scaloppini is always pork". Ok Had a pork dish. It was unremarkable. The sauce was gritty in parts. My dining companion liked her steak although it was typical rare and a bit underdone per her opinion. Wine list was nice. The potatoes were good and the waiter was hot so hence the 3 star review. read more

The design is a nice complement to the meal; it felt like we were dining in a museum. The grilled lamb with zucchini fries is delicious. The eggplant parmigiana is decent. The chicken liver crostini was underwhelming. All in all, nothing to write home about. The tray of desserts looked interesting but we didn't have room for it. read more

Like other reviews say, the atmosphere is very nice... old decor, frescos, paintings. The service and food was good, but a little overpriced. We had the lamp chops, which were fairly fatty. The truffle pasta was good, the tiramisu very good! You pay for the ambience for sure. Not sure if I'd come back, for first timers definitely an option! read more

We had enjoyed a wonderful meal the night before at another Florence restaurant and were exited to try Paoli, recommended to us by a tour guide. The food was average but the service was inattentive at best, bordering on rude at worst. We asked our waiter twice for additional crostini for our salami sampler, and the third time went over his head to the maitre'd who seemed irritated but did finally bring it to us. The waiter never checked back with us, and never brought us our check. Finally we had to again go to the maitre'd who gave us our tab. Avoid this place if you like decent service. read more

We stayed next door in Residenza della Signoria and they recommended this restaurant. It was nice traditional food in a good atmosphere.

yes it does look like some tourist trap but I promise you it isn't. I've been coming here since I was a child and I love it. The best things are the "tartara" which they assemble right in front of you and the "pappa al pomodoro", but really, everything's worth a try. The quality is high and the prices fair, the waiters are old fashioned and polite. Love it read more

Twice while staying in Florence we ate here. The Lasagne Bolognese and the Spaghetti with Clams are incredible. So good we ate the same thing both times. On our second trip we splurged for desert and also were amazed. The almond, meringue and cream with fresh strawberries is heavenly. Our two waiters spoke fairly good English so anyone with limited Italian, like us, would have no problem. Don't pass it up! read more

My boyfriend and I had the pleasure of eating at Paoli during our first night in Florence and it was fantastic. Located not to far from the Duomo you may miss it passing by but one look inside is enough to draw you in. We enjoyed the traditional Firenze bread, pork cutlet, a delicious pasta I could not remember the name of, and some very good wine. It somehow manages to have a high end and mom and pop feel with agreeable prices. I would certainly recommend. If you would like to hear more about our experience in Florence please feel free to check out our blog TheCoreyStory.com read more

We had the spaghetti (10) gnochi (14) and the fluorentine steak (50). Everything came out as expected. Like the reviews, the waiters are very classy and old fashioned. The ambiance is very classic and the proces are fair. The spaghetti was just as good as any other pasta joints I have been to in Italy, gnochhi was a little too salty and cheesy and the steak was pretty good! Heads up! They do not ask how you want your steak cooked and just bring it out for you. read more

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My travel guide "Florence & Tuscany Day By Day" recommends it and classifies it the best for traditional Tuscany cuisine. It's in an alley almost opposite Orsabmichele. The restaurant was established since 1812 and is in a 13th century building. The decor is pure Tuscany with beautiful navy blue flower tiles and 18th century frescoes. The vault ceiling is Renaissance style, the symbol of Florence's history at its highest (political and economy). It's very touristy though. We ordered Duck Caparccio with Truffle, Tortellini Carbonara, Spinach Ravioli in Tomato Sauce, Pan Seared Cod, and of course Tiramisu. The best is Duck Caparccio with thin slices of truffle. I didn't like tortellini because it was barely cooked. The ravioli was ok. I had best ravioli in LA, cooked by an Italian mama. The cod was so so. The Tiramisu was good. The ambiance and the decor were good for experiencing the true Tuscany traditional cuisine. It's pricey though if you order every course per person and it would be too much food. Recommend sharing starters and pasta. read more

Came recommended by a resident of Florence. Beautiful setting. Friendly service. Unfortunately, the food was only adequate. The traditional bean soup was adequate but, although this is a simple soup, it really was quite bland. The Osso Buco was tough and nearly tasteless. read more

Ate here tonight purely by chance! Staying in a B and B nearby. We lucked out and then some. Crackerjack service, professional staff who have obviously been at it for years. We started but sharing a plentiful house salad. Greens galore, olives, shredded ham, tomatoes. Why does oil and balsamic always taste better in Italy? Lemon veal scallopini to die for with fresh peas and veal oso bucco with fresh spinach. Not disappointed. A super dessert - Suppa Cotta Tuscana. A tradition here. Frothy meringue with whole almonds, egg custard smothered in fresh strawberries. Decor in this 200 year old restaurant includes frescos, tile work and painted dishes and serving pieces.......just go. read more

Wonderful restaurant, excellent food and atmosphere. Pasta with clam sauce and veal shin were great, as was a starter of thinly sliced beef, Parmesan cheese and arugula (rocket in Europe), superb olive oil used in starter and pasta. Wish we had such good Italian food back home! read more

the BEST #Italian food I have ever had, beef carpaccio!

Nice menu- prices are just a tad more than the tourist places in the square and the experience is 10x better- great truffle pasta!- the ceiling and walls are covered in murals - the restaurant is 200 years old read more

Had our last meal of our fantastic trip to Florence at this great restaurant last night, our tour guid to Pisa recommended it and both my wife and I were glad she did, the setting inside was great and what I was looking for our whole trip like jumping back in time,it was without a doubt the best meal we have had since we arrived, the carpaccio duck I had was just stunning, and the black shoulder of ham my wife had was super, I watched as the waiter carefully de bone my grilled sole with expert presission, he should have been a surgeon! Lol and it was the best fish dish I have ever had, the puddings were again very nice, the service offered was brilliant, I would recommend this great place to anyone. read more

Fifth time having lunch here. We were introduced by a tour guide who said it was a favorite. They always have the most delicious Ribboilia and I can't help but order it every time. Vthey have a wonderful mixed salad, I have observed a lot of diners ordering the Bistecca. I've had their prosciutto e melone a couple of times. Their dessert cart looks wonderful. read more

Authentic Tuscan food served in a charming setting. We have regularly tried it for lunch and dinner on every trip to Florence and it has always lived up to our expectations. read more

This restaurant left so much to be desired. While the venue was lovely, even on the patio, the service and cuisine was a huge disappointment. This restaurant was a recommendation of Frommers, so we were confident that it would meet our expectations, especially since all other Frommers recommendations had thus far. However, this was a huge disappointment. The sense that we got was that we were foreigners and clearly not worth quality cuisine or service, even though I tried to engage the waiter in italian since I am Italian American and speak fluently. After our food was served, which clearly was industrial, which we had hoped to avoid, the waiter was no where to be seen. Not once did he check on us to ask if all was ok or if we needed anything. I had to get up and go into the restaurant to ask for salt. The peas we ordered were mush, and the lasagna we ordered tasted as if it had been reheated several times over. Given the food quality and lack of service, this place was extremely overpriced. I will be writing to Frommers to tell them they need to recheck this recommendation, and until they do so, they need to take this off the list. Save your money...you are better off buying a piece of pizza from one of the many authentic pizza places and then getting a gelato at festival del gelato, another Frommers recommendation which did not disappoint us! read more