What I know now:
1. Borderline tourist trap, proceed with caution! (details posted below).
2. There are options for prix fixe menus that are more economical than ordering à la carte
3. Available for online reservations!
When in Florence, Florentine steak awaits! Before traveling to Florence, bf and I found this restaurant on Tripadvisor for a taste of traditional (and hopefully authentic) Florentine cuisine. Unfortunately, we were a little disappointed.
Food: we ordered one of the pre-set three course meals for two- highly recommended as it is portioned well for two and economical! To be honest, other than the main course, star of the show- Florentine steak (porterhouse cut)- the other courses were quite forgettable so I won't be writing home about it. For the steak, we ordered medium rare. However, perhaps due to the size of the steak, the entire piece of steak ranged between well-done (to even beyond well-done) to medium rare in the center of the great piece of meat. This was quite disappointing because about a whole inch of the outer edge of the steak was firm, sometimes rubbery, and slightly dry. With that said, the part that was truly medium rare was that perfect pinky burgundy of meat, tender and well-seasoned with salt and pepper- that part was what we came for! Though it pains me to say that even the most tender and truly medium rare part of the steak cannot be described as juicy.
Location: this was a very easily accessible location as it is right next to the train station. We also picked it because it was walking distance from our Airbnb. However, we did wonder if being close to the train station would render the restaurant as a "tourist trap." Was it a tourist trap? Tripadvisor said no, but I'm still not sure.
Ambience: we arrived at 8pm for our reservation, and the place was bustling, though still with a few empty tables. The restaurant was a pretty decent size, however tables were very close to one another, most likely to accommodate the large dinner crowds. We were seated next to another couple and were probably only 1 foot apart- we could've shared food with another table easily! In terms of diners, there was a mix of tourists and locals alike, which slightly eased our concerns of the place being a complete tourists trap. It was quite loud, not a great place for a romantic, intimate dinner.
Service: friendly, professional, servers spoke English
Overall, I would recommend this place if it is the most convenient highly rated place for Florentine steak around you. Otherwise, I'd recommend to give another place a shot. If you do end up trying this place, online reservations are available through Tripadvisor. I don't think it is necessary, but you never know- better to have Florentine steak booked than to miss out on it! read more