Spectacular food and service. We got the salad sampler (pictured), the pasta sampler and chocolate cake. Stefano brought us a decadent chocolate/coffee drink that was to die for. read more

Acqua al 2 - Salad Sampler - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

Florentine restaurant that attracts a lot of Americans (fun fact: their second restaurant location is in Maryland!) The blueberry steak is the most famous, but I liked the balsamic steak better as the sauce doesn't mask the flavor of the steak. What's great about this place is that you can order samplers of the pasta, steak, and even desserts. House wine is a 100% Sangiovese Chianti. Service is great and fast. read more

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What a great find! Andre ' was our server and he was the best! You can tell he loved working at this restaurant. We were recommended to this restaurant when we arrived. We had such a great experience the first time, that we came back again! We were lucky enough to get Andre to serve us again! The food was excellent. We ordered the sample salad, sample pasta and sample steak and It was all soooo good!! Even though the manager could not find our reservation, which is required, he accommodated us with a smile. We were not rushed and Andre was on top of things! We never had to ask for anything because he made sure we had everything we needed. We will be back and we will recommend this restaurant to our friends and family. Grazie! read more

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Omg.... Their blueberry steak... I don't want to hype it up but... omg... when I sleep I am dreaming about it... when I'm awake I'm crying about it. I wish covid didn't shut down their US location. I will forever be thinking about this steak when I'm back home. For those trying out this restaurant... get the steak. But also, don't go in with high expectations. Just think that it's a regular steak, then when you try it prepare to have your mind blown. But again, ... low expectations people! read more

Acqua al 2 - Blueberry steak - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

Celebrated my wife's birthday here last night. We had heard about this place and were excited to try it out. We were disappointed! We started downstairs in basement bar where the music was so loud our party of 4 couldn't talk. The drinks were disappointing and after 25 minutes we left to take our table upstairs, with two drinks only half finished. The food never rose above mediocre, with the pasta rubbery, soup cold and chicken uncooked. Worst of all we were served sliced white bread ( think Wonder Bread!) instead of Italian bread before our meal. Ambiance was nice, the servers pleasant, which is why I gave it 2 stars. read more

It's funny how things happen. Spending a day in Florence we asked our driver about a fish restaurant for lunch. He said his sister lives in Florence he will check with her. About 30 minutes later he text me, Acqua al 2 is the best seafood places in Florence. We show up at 2 pm and as we are walking in about 6 lady's were walking out boasting ,"this was the best restaurant they have ever been too". Obviously I took this as a good sign. Like every other restaurant in Italy the place was very small. As we walked in the first thing I noticed was a display to the left filled with different salads and various wines. We were greeted promptly and shown to a table in the room adjacent to the main entry. The server who sat us was a bubbly young lady. Smiling and very nice. Italian accent but I knew she was grime elsewhere. We were given menus and I asked for a light wine. The owner cane over and suggested a rose. I obliged and looked through the menu. Everything in Italian so it was tough to read. I decided on melon salad, porcini risotto and filet with balsamic glaze. Now if you were paying attention I asked my driver about the best seafood restaurant in Florence. Come to find out, they don't serve seafood. At first disappointed. After enjoying my first course. Couldn't of cared less. The melon was fresh. Presentation was amazing. Server was funny. Risotto amazing. Best I have ever had. Steak was perfectly cooked. Balsamic glaze was perfect. I was blown away. I must say I loved this place and will go back again. Restaurant has a lot of history but I will leave that up to your own exploration and visit. A must see and must eat in Florence. Thank you driver for the mistake. read more

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Good food, AWFUL SERVICE!!! We went last night for dinner. We had visited a number of years prior and were looking forward to repeating. We ordered the pasta sample and the dessert sample. The server mumbled the names of the dishes as he threw them on the table. No chance to ask questions. He was not at the table long enough!!! When we we're finishing our desserts he told us that the table was reserved and to hurry up. It was like we were bothering him the whole time. When my husband complained to him, he threatened him!!!! I have never experienced service this rude! Will not go back. read more

This was my wife's favorite place in Florence, and probably her favorite restaurant on our Italy trip. It was the only restaurant we went to twice in Florence. The blueberry/balsamic glazed steak was her favorite. I personally really loved the gorgonzola gnocchi. The atmosphere is really cool with all the plates from past celebrities and notable visitors. The service was amazing, particularly since the two of us do not speak any Italian. read more

Maybe the best meal we had in Italy, and that's saying something! So nice we went twice. Simple, unassuming interior. Great service. The house wine was good and inexpensive and love they have a 1/2 bottle option for us lightweights. The single best dish I had in Italy, their huge ravioli (spinach & ricotta) in a cream sauce topped with shaved avocado and pomegranate seeds. The seeds provide wonderfully tart bursts that break up the richness of the cream sauce in your mouth. Brilliant combination! Just go. You won't be disappointed. read more

Acqua al 2 - Giant ravioli in cream sauce with shaved avocado & pomegranate seeds - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

This restaurant was referred to a friend of ours that had studied for several months in Florence and recommended this as her favorite restaurant. We could see why. There were a plethora of great salad, pasta, and beef dishes so the waiter recommended doing the sampler of each as an appetizer to see what we liked. We only ordered the pasta sampler and tried small portions of 5 different pastas. All were delicious and I wish we had tried each sampler as they were all very reasonably priced. I ended up ordering a pecorino ravioli with truffles that I tried through the sampler and my wife ordered a pear ravioli as her friend had always been curious to try it. It was a very unique flavor and was honestly very delicious. If you're looking to be a little more adventurous and go off the menu, then I would highly recommend the pear. read more

Acqua al 2 - Pecorino and truffle ravioli - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

Acqua Al Due is the best restaurant I've tried in Florence, Italy, hands down. It was my favorite for our week-long trip there. What's funny is that it was recommended to us by a friend, and the place where we stayed happened to be right down the street from it! I recommend getting a reservation here because it gets packed at night, but that's an indication it's a good one! The staff is always busy, but super friendly, and it was easy to get a reservation. The night we came our server spoke English and seated us near a less crowded area, where we could enjoy conversation together. The FOOD=awesome. We were given free bread with a bruschetta-type mix to start off(tomatoes and some type of tasty spread). We had a bottle of wine, ordered the pasta sampler, the steak sampler, and split a dessert. All of this was 78 EUROS for an enjoyable night! For the pasta, we sampled 5 different dishes: creamy risotto, penne with vodka sauce, broccoli and toast gnocchi, rigatoni, and a sweet bow tie pasta. My favorite was probably the broccoli and toasted gnocchi, but it was all very good. And I mean that! The steak sampler was just divine. We sampled three different kinds: the blueberry reduction, balsamic, and another juicy one that was sliced and served over arugula and grilled bread. I loved all of them; the balsamic probably was my favorite by a hair. All in all, a wonderful experience here and I highly recommend! I would love to try their Washington, DC location whenever I'm the area because the food was perfection. read more

Incredible place. The ambiance and the food is incredible. Highly recommend the steak and pasta sampler! Staff is attentive and service is amazing! read more

Acqua al 2 - Steak sampler! Also get the pasta sampler. AMAZING food and AMAZING STAFF!!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND! - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

This is our favorite restaurant in Italy. We have been enjoying wonderful dinners here for more than 20 years. The food is delicious. The staff is friendly and attentive. Everything is freshly prepared. We always enjoy a bottle of house wine which tastes great and is reasonably priced. I recommend getting the Assagios, meaning assortments. If you want to taste a variety of salads, pastas, meats or desserts, you don't need to choose only one. If your time in Florence is limited, make sure you have dinner here. read more

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This was by far my favorite restaurant that I visited during my week long trip to Italy. The food was AMAZING and our waiter was the best. Valentino made us feel welcome the moment we walked in, and he even treated us to some Prosecco while we waited for our table since it was taking longer than expected. The highlight of our dinner by far was the balsamic and blueberry reduction steaks. O.M.G. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Probably the best steak I've ever had. Definitely go for the sampler so you can try both! We opted to order one of each since our table was sharing. The pasta was so good and I would recommend getting the sampler so you can try a few different kinds. I mean just look at hat gnocchi! I could write about this place for hours but I'll stop myself here. Definitely the one place I would for sure visit if I ever make it back to Florence. read more

Acqua al 2 - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

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This place is great. They have an amazing selection on the menu with just the right amount of options. They also have a lot of unique dishes that are amazing. We tried many dishes but the highlights were the blueberry steak, balsamic steak, and the pear ravioli. The atmosphere of this place is very cool. I would recommend this place for anyone looking for a nice dinner in Florence. read more

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I'm really unclear how this place had 4 stars! Americans that don't enjoy food. Disgusting. The service is awful. The beef is soaked in balsamic. I'm shocked anyone eats here. Truly. read more

I think this place is a bit overrated. I had a reservation as soon as dinner time started and the seats filled up quite quickly. Tried their famous balsamic steak and strawberry wine. I guess it was an experience but I would go elsewhere. read more

Acqua al 2 - Balsamic steak - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

This restaurant was recommended by a friend of mine as one of the best places to eat pasta in Firenze, so we decided to order the Assagio di Primi for two, which is basically five different pasta plates. At first, the portions seemed small but in the end it turned out to be the exact amount. It is the best option if you want to taste different elaborations at once. I did not want to eat any dessert, but my girlfriend couldn't resist to a tiramisu... and it turned out to be one of the best ones I've tasted in Italy. It was delicious! The place was not very crowded at that time, so we were on a very comfortable atmosphere and careful service. We really enjoyed our friend's recommendation and now I recommend it to you! read more

Acqua al 2 - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

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After a long day being a tourist, Acqua al 2 was a great restaurant to stop at. We read all the Yelp reviews, and it is so hard to distinguish between the great reviews and the terrible reviews, since I'm unsure of how authentic the Italian cuisine is here. So my review is not taking into account how "authentic" the food is here. In our indecision and inability to choose the amount of food to order, we ended up getting the salad sampler, the pasta sampler, and the meat sampler. We also ordered a 12€ bottle of their red wine, which was quite tasty. Before we got our orders, the server brought out a complimentary hummus/bruschetta bread platter for us. The hummus was ok, but the balsamic tomatoes were tasty. We asked for a bread refill, which our server readily provided. However, that bread came out of a bag and wasn't as fresh as the originally provided bread. The salad sampler consisted of three small salad offerings: Fennel salad Corn salad Greek salad Each was tasty, although I preferred the Greek salad and corn salad over the fennel. I believe my table had similar sentiments. The pasta sampler consisted of 5 separate pasta offerings. We ordered two pasta samplings, so each pasta sample was doubled: Fusilli with pine nuts and spinach Farfalle with pumpkin - BEST Maccheroni with Gorgonzola - not a fan. She did ask if we preferred no Gorgonzola in our dishes, but I didn't realize they would use the cheese in this way. Conchiglioni with vegetable ragu sauce Rigatoni with mozzarella and eggplant All were cooked al dente and deliciously, some more so than others for sure. The favorites by far were the conchiglioni and the farfalle. We were stuffed at this point because of The meat sampler consisted of three meats on a single platter: Blueberry steak (filet) Balsamic steak (filet) Sliced filet mignon over focaccia with ponzu cheese over arugula This was my first experience with blueberry steak. Interesting? Yes. Tasty? Maybe. Getting it again? Probably not. The filets were oversauced, but the meat quality was still apparent. My sister had a 4% student discount card, which docked off a couple euros off the overall check. Yay students! Our server seemed to be standing by us at all times, seeing as we were the first people inside the restaurant once the clock struck 7 and they opened for dinner service. It is hard to get a seat without a reservation, so be sure to make one if you can. We were seated in the back at one of the only unreserved tables. If you have a reservation, you will most likely be seated in the main room to get the full rustic experience. Most of the dinner patrons were tourists, but we didn't mind. You do need your authentic Italian meals and I'm guessing this probably wasn't one. However, we would still have never found a meal like this in America, so I can't complain. read more

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My roommates and I are studying abroad and Acqua al 2 was one of our first stops. We have since been 2 more times, and it is consistently amazing every time! The pasta and salad samplers are delicious, and even our friends that don't prefer meat enjoy the blueberry steak. The ambiance is very relaxed and the service is great, we feel very welcomed every time we eat there. Definitely recommend! read more

Definitely one of the BEST restaurants I've been to in Florence. Their blueberry steak is a must. The owner Stefano is amazing as well as all the other servers. All pasta dishes there are unreal as well. The ambience is great and you feel very welcome ! read more

so good. great wines, famous blueberry steak. Florence Italy. get a plate! good ambiance too.

Easily the best restaurant in Florence. I had the best meal of my life here I would eat here for breakfast lunch and dinner. The chocolate cake is to die for. The blueberry steak is well worth it. Most delicious steak I've had in my life and I'm eaten at very expensive steak houses. Love it here. read more

This is a fun place to go for a quick taste of Florence. Just know you will one of mostly Americans, so if you are looking for something more authentic go somewhere else. Their whole thing is to order the various Assaggio or tastes. For the assaggio primi, you get 5 different pastas to share with the table that are the chefs choice. All are great and quick. It's a genius idea of the restaurant tbh. We then got the assaggio dolce for dessert. Overall, it's a cute and fun meal! read more

Acqua al 2 - Dessert assaggio - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

This is some of the best food we had while in Italy! I deff recommend going here! Be sure to get a reservation. Our server Elanora was wonderful! read more

Acqua Al 2 was truly a great experience. Aside from loving the atmosphere, service, and food, it's also just a nice, local restaurant for anyone who's looking for a casual and fun meal. I'd definitely recommend the pasta sampler for an appetizer. Each of the five small portions of different pastas was completely different from the last. My family and I had tons of fun selecting our favorites, partly because they were all good, so it was difficult to decide! For an entree we all agreed that the balsamic--glazed fillet was especially delicious-- just the right amount of sweet and savory. I know that the next time I come to Florence, I'll definitely be coming back to Acqua Al 2 for a great time. read more

I wish I could recommend it based on food, but we never got to eat there...and won't. We're staying nearby and when I told the manager that we're staying at the hotel connected to the restaurant, just to start a conversation about how flexible we would be with timing for dinner, he yells at me "we are not the same company"! I say "Ok, so do you have any..."...."NO! No times!" He says. So, no...we will not be eating there. read more

We have been going here for about 30 years. Every time we are in Florence we go here at least twice. We started when our kids were in their early teens. Now our grandchildren are in their teens. They have absolutely never disappointed us. Exceptional but then food in Italy is usually great. We have never had anything that wasn't great here. Their pastas, salads and steak are amazing. They have tasting menus for pastas and salads if you can't decide. Enjoy. read more

Excellent dining experience. We were seated right away. The menu is in Italian only and they have no English menu. However the waiter was happy to translate. The food also came quickly and each dish was better than the next. Excellent place to visit while in Florence. read more

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I can't say enough about this ristorante. I got to return with my family 23 years after my wife and I visited on our honeymoon; it hasn't lost a step. We ate there twice and both meals were absolutely incredible. We tried 3 pastas, 2 risottos, 3 chicken and 2 steaks; every bit was amazing. The blueberry steak is the best steak I've ever eaten. The staff is great: efficient, courteous, fun and friendly. The place is gorgeous and decorated with hand drawn plates from the many artists and performers who have stopped by over the years. We lingered for almost 3 hours over each meal and it hurt to leave. I can't wait to get back! read more

Oh how I wish I had known before making reservations that this was a "chain" and had locations in America. Why would I want to go all the way to Italy and eat at a place I could find in Washington, DC? #lessonslearned because this was my least favorite meal in Florence. So, here's the rub: 1. The prices were expensive compared to just about anywhere else we ate in Florence, 2. The food was mediocre at best, 3. Don't believe people when they rave about the "blueberry" steak; it's too sweet, and the sauce overpowers the meat, 4. Stay away from all of the samplers--these are super small, expensive, and will leave you still hungry. ...in other words, just don't do it! You've traveled to Florence to experience Florence. There are plenty of better places. read more

We went here after many years this past Monday(I don't remember the last time I was here actually) and were really happy that it even tasted better than we remembered and the prices are really fair as well. Considering how much English we heard inside, it's surprising that they do not have an English menu (not a problem for us but for our guests it was a real struggle - we just explained one by one what everything was) but in a way that usually is a mark on a good restaurant in Florence. My cousin's husband got the fusilli (twisty shaped pasta) with marscapone and funghi (tis the season) which was really really...really good. In fact we both commented this morning about how we wanted to eat it again like ..now. Me and my boyfriend got the "assaggio di primi" which is a sampler pasta plate consisting of five small tastings of different (all delicious pasta), along with a sampler plate of salad and also meat. We tried the blueberry and balsamic steak and both were out of this world. I wish I could eat that every day of my life. Highly recommend the house wine, very good and the sampler plate of desserts, which at 5 euros is a really great deal. Ours happened to be tiramisu, cheesecake, chocolate cake and a fruit tart. Great for sharing. This really is a great restaurant and you better believe I will be returning for that marscapone pasta and blueberry beef. read more

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I went with a group of 9 people. Had a great time. The pasta tasting was super fun because we got to try all different types of pasta. We also shared the meat tasting as well. I thought it was reasonably priced. Definitely a special occasion place, but it was 40ish euros for 4 courses. read more

The food is Florence is pretty hit and miss. Any place that is that heavily aimed at the tourist market is bound to have some shitty food wrapped in a pretty bow. Acqua Al 2 is not one of those places though. It was probably the best meal I had in Florence....actually no probably about it, it was. This restaurant is no secret to tourists. Expect to be sitting next to someone also visiting on a honeymoon/ birthday/vacation. I'm sure there are real local favorites, but we couldn't seem to find any. But just because there are tourists there, doesn't make it bad. People like me travel almost exclusively to eat, so in a way it's a good sign. Now let me say that not everything was amazing. The pastas they serve in the leading up to the big steak finale are okay, but nothing spectacular. The balsamic steak however, that is a work of genius! When it comes, it honestly looks like tar on a plate. Thick, black sauce is drenched over the steak, leaving it as helpless as a seagull in an oil spill. But that taste, MIND BLOWING! It seems so simple, just steak with a balsamic reduction, right? Yet somehow it is different and far better than any balsamic sauce I've ever had. This dish alone was worth the stop in Florence. When it comes down to it, Florence didn't do much for me. Like Rome, it's a city that has been transformed into making a quick buck off the tourists. But if there is one thing that would bring me back, it's this Acqua Al 2. read more

Acqua al 2 - Balsamic Steak - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

A friend highly recommended this place. The ambiance was nice & the restaurant was busy. We had 2 pastas and they were great. The owners were very kind and welcoming. Highly recommend! read more

We have reservations for 12 people the waiter was an asshole and the waitress was horrible this is by far the worst service I've ever gotten in Florence and I will never come back to this place. The food was decent and the bill was also a reasonable but there are hundreds of other places in Florence much better than this, they only have water wine and beer and one kind of beer only by the way. They will charge you for tap water FYI? read more

We were so lucky Georgette & her beau remembered this place - it was sooo good! Not only was it dark red and adorable inside, the food was all spot-on. Thank goodness they are patient with us and literally read us line by line everything on the menu (No English menus!) so we could order what sounded good to us! My husband's fusilli pasata w/marscapone and mushrooms won the day (we were all a bit unsure of the marscapone) - it was terrific! My dish was very good too, though I have a hard time recalling it a month later. My cousin and her guy got the awesome options of sampler plates - and really everything was great! The house red was truly excellent and, despite not being a 'dessert person' I even adored all the desserts! I would definitely suggest coming here for a truly delicious meal! I plan on returning if possible :) read more

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Im surprised to see there isn't a higher rating for this restaurant. They were super busy when my friend and I went but yet the waiter was attentive and friendly even though he was obviously very busy. We were able to get a table with no problem without a reservation and didn't have to wait long at all for our food to come out. I tried the balsamic steak and wow! It was absolutely delicious, everything I hoped it would be and more! The meat was super tender and the balsamic reduction was sweet but not too sweet. Definitely one of my favorite meals so far during my 2 weeks in Florence. read more

Amazing. Went to this place from a recommendation and we were so happy we went out of our way to search for it; the restaurant is on such a quiet street so that there was no way we would have stumbled upon it on our own. Make a reservation, because this restaurant can get pretty packed really fast. We were lucky to have the last table for 3 that night. The atmosphere: Dimly lit. Intimate. Cozy. Fun and interesting art on the wall. The food: AMAZING. One of the most memorable meals I've ever had. I ordered the veal steak with mushrooms... and it was great. The tiramisu was great. The pasta my friends had was great. You can't go wrong. Prices were reasonable for the quality of food and service we received. MUST stop here if you are in Florence!! read more

Acqua al 2 - adorable place mats! - Tuscan Near Me - Florence, FI

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With all of the spectacular restaurants that we visited in Florence, this one had the most rude staff. They took half of our order, then walked away when we had questions. The wait staff were extremely hurried and rude. Don't waste your time of money here - there are plenty of other places to eat when visiting Florence! read more