Osteria De' Benci - Firenze

Our Florence airbnb host was a flake. He didn 't show up to meet us as scheduled and when he did show up he left us with the wrong set of apartment keys. He was managing upwards of 75 rental units and doing the job poorly. When we found his list of restaurant recommendations in the apartment we were skeptics. Could we rely on this unreliable man to point us towards good food? We could and we did and all was (almost) forgiven. When you sit in Osteria De ' Benci for any length of time you 'll hear the phrase welcome back uttered often. It was said to us on our return visit, several days after our first visit, and I heard it said many more times while there. This is a place whose food and attitude inspires a return visit. A specialty in Florence is a Florentine Steak, here so enormous that the staff brings it out to show you in an are you sure you want all of this? gesture. The table beside us on our first night, sisters from Boston, first agreed then rose from the table 5 minutes later to cancel that order. On another night the table of 4 beside us looked satisfied that they 'd agreed to share it between the table. As delicious as it looked, I couldn 't handle that volume of meat. Instead, we began with a cheese plate which, by volume alone, made us giddy; This could have been a meal in itself. Accompanied by honey and a spicy compote made of red bell pepper and jam (delicious), the offering was glorious but that was only the beginning. Next up was fresh pasta with cherry tomatoes and parmesan. Split evenly between two plates, my son and I could not stop raving about this dish the entirety of our trip. This pasta was so fresh that it tasted unlike any pasta we 'd ever before tasted. From there we moved on to a beef dish, perfectly prepared and drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. This was food of the gods. We knew we must return here. Osteria De ' Benci is casual and reasonably priced. Their wait staff are friendly and welcoming. On our second visit, we consumed exactly what we 'd had on our first, but my son also ordered something they 're supposedly known for, a pasta cooked in red wine. Truthfully, this dish was one-note, didn 't excite us at all, and I 'd not get it again. Why bother? What we 'd already discovered on their menu was pure perfection. We loved this place.

My favorite in Firenze. The small Osteria close to church Santa Croce is very nice. The two guys running these restaurant are friendly, helpful and have good recommendations. Most of the guests are local people. Their special is the Spaghetti dell 'Ubbriaccone , which means drunken Spaghetti. They are cooked in red wine. Unbelievable good. Also the Bruschetta as the starter is fresh and tasty. Their risotto is excellent. Finally the wine menu is top. You need a reservation as in every restaurant in Florence.

This restaurant was recommend by a coworker who went 1 month prior. It's a cute place with good quality food! We arrived right at 7pm and the restaurant was empty but within 20-30 mins it was full. Almost all the tables were ordering the Florentine steak however as I was just with 1 additional person we knew we wouldn't be able to finish it so if you do have enough people I'd suggest ordering that as everyone looked quite happy! We shared a bruschetta with white beans garlic, tagliatelle with Ragu I had the tagliata with rucola and parmigiano (a good choice if you don't have enough people the florentine steak. Also I made an update to the map of google. The restaurant is now located at the end of the Borgo Santa Croce street, right before it meets Via Antonio Magliabechi (as they moved establishments).

We found this place in our Fodor's guidebook and decided to make a reservation. We came at 8:30, and the restaurant was almost empty. We thought that was strange for a Saturday night. The food was just ok, we ordered pasta and tagliatelle. The steak was very good, but the pasta was so-so. Definitely not the worst meal we had in Italy, but not a super memorable experience.

What a great spot! Riso alle fragole (strawberry risotto) was out of this world and a must. Perfect combination of flavors and balance between sweet and savory. Perfecto!