Eight days of meals in Florence, Verona, and Venice - many of them incredible and incredibly memorable. The pizza at Baldovino is at the top of that list. It was just so perfect. I've tried to find similar at "authentic" pizzerias in LA and have been sorely disappointed. Even had two other pizzas in Italy, both of which were very good and the same types of pie, but we still found ourselves saying "not as amazing as the one in Santa Croce." We had the Diavolo. Do yourself a favor and do the same. Or don't...otherwise you'll be haunted by it for the rest of your days! I want to add that because it was right across from Santa Croce, we were especially skeptical that it would be serviceable tourist food, and went somewhat reluctantly out of intense hunger. We figured "how bad can pizza be?" So don't be scared by the location! read more

Baldovino - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

Service was great, big party of seven and we want to sit outside. They immediately started moving the tables and chairs around so kind. The second we sat down we immediately were asked what we wanted to drink, and they handed us drink, menus and food menus very quickly. We ordered pizza and I'm probably about 10 minutes later. They pulled out three beautiful looking pizzas and tasted amazing. The ingredients were so real and fresh. read more

Baldovino - Lovely little pizzeria - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

This was actually one of the best restaurants that our traveling agency booked for our trip. I didn't love where we were seated since it was somewhere in the back room where all the pizza boxes were piled up. However, since it was a group of almost 20, I felt this was probably the best area to be seated together. We each got our own personalized pizza which actually looked like a small pie. I ordered the pepperoni which had thick chunks and gave the pizza a nice spice to it. The dough was well baked and the sauce was tasty. read more

Baldovino - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

This place was excellent. Originally we were looking for a sandwich spot. I walked by this restaurant and the waitress who was standing at the entrance of the restaurant said hello ma'am as I walked by. I stopped and said hello. I decided to inquire about the sandwiches. I said to her do you have any sandwiches because I only have about 45 mins to eat. She said no sandwiches but whatever we have on the menu is already ready and we can get you in and out on your time limit. So I sat down. We ordered the lasagna and the margarita pizza. Which was soooo good. Not to mention the bread and Olive oil. Very good. Very good food. I would definitely go back again. Excellent customer service as well! read more

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The staff was super nice and very helpful and accommodating. The wine excellent, the table a little crowded but yet we went in a Sunday, so to be expected. The food was good not great. For example my Ribollita was very dry. The risotto with the artichokes was good but I could not really taste the flavor of the artichokes. Still good... but not great. Also a little pricey read more

5 stars all around. The food was excellent, the service was outstanding and just an overall awesome dinner experience! We didn't have a reservation but they gladly took us in. Although it took a while for service to start, they more than made up for it in the long run with the food and service. We started with the steak tartare and I must say it's one of the best I've had. Ever. The little dollops of Burratta on the side was an excellent addition to the crisp crostinis and red onions and the meat was tip top tender and flavorful. It's only served with two crostinis but the foccaccia served with dinner is more than enough to cover the loss. This was followed by a seafood spaghetti with clams, mussels, and large prawn, as well as what looked to be a langostina. Again, sauce was great to sop up with the bread. Then came the Florentine Steak. Filet on one side and ribeye on the other, topped with a rosemary sprig and coarse sea salt. Delicious. Finally, our waiter was kind enough to comp us a delicious dessert; a definite must-try: their take on a cheesecake. It had a sort of berry compote, powdered sugar and some mixed berries. The cake was phenomenal. Not too sweet, made with mascarpone cheese and a delightfully light and again not-so-sweet crust. I'd get two if my gut wasn't already extending past my knees. The cherry on top of this wonderful dinner was the comp'd limoncello shots that seemed to keep flowing as long as we were sitting. I really can't say enough good things. If you are staying in the area, don't leave Florence without a visit to this place. You won't regret it. Ask for Zak. He's an amazing waiter, a delightful host, and is easy on the eyes. read more

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My husband and I both love Florence and when we stayed in the Sant'Ambrogio area, we had a late start, but were lucky enough to stumble upon this place close to closing time and they were nice enough to take our order and do take away! My husband got me there steak with pork lard and truffle and a cacio e pepe. The steak was made well and super filling. The cacio e pepe was fine. I'd come back to try some of there other dishes in person :) read more

Meh. We were out on a self planned pizza/beer crawl/hop/tour. We walked into Baldovino and the hostess walked us around the corner to another restaurant and said it was their sister restaurant. There was plenty of seating in Baldovino, not sure why we got moved. At any rate the menu in the other place was the same. We ordered a Margherita pizza 9 euro, Aperol Spritz 9 euro, Beer 6 euro and a bottle water for the table. The pizza was floppy and bland, yuck. I went to two other places this night both were better by far (Malborghetto and IL Pizzaiuolo). Then the bill came....42 Euro???? I guess the Cuperto or fees were high. The other two places combined were 37 euro. I also got 2 mosquito bites inside while sitting. For a quick stop for pizza and drink, I'd pass. For dinner I can't comment. read more

Baldovino - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

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I think my entire review can be summed up into once statement: Best Pizza Ever. My husband and I were traveling on a cruise, and our bus trip took us to Florence for a few hours. When it came time for lunch, our tour guide pointed out Baldovino, so we gave it a try. They have outside seating as well as plenty of tables inside. The service was fantastic. Despite our lack of speaking Italian, the waitress communicated with us well, and menus were offered in English. The back of the menu points out icons to represent allergens, and each item is clearly labeled with the allergens it contains. I really wish all restaurants did this - it's a step in the right direction for those of us with allergies! We started off with Caprese - and it was simply delicious. The fresh bread was great as well, accompanied by the olive oil and vinegar provided on the table. Then our pizza's came - much larger than we expected. At first, I thought there was no way I could eat that much food - but then I took the first bite. My husband and I both devoured our pizza's and had a very quiet meal because we could not stop eating! The crust was just thick enough, with a hint of saltiness (but not in a bad way) - and the mozzarella was incredibly fresh. Half way through our meal, our tour guide ended up walking in for lunch! That only reassured us that we made the right choice for our meal - if the locals eat there, it must be the best and not a tourist-trap! I honestly don't think that I'll ever find pizza that tastes as delicious as what I ate at Baldovino. Maybe one day we'll make it back to Florence - and if we do, this will be our first stop for lunch! Prices were also very reasonable for the quality and amount of food received. read more

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Very slow, indifferent service. Everything took forever. My wife's entree and salad finally came out at the same time, and at least 5 minutes before my pizza, which was average at best. The risotto was way too salty with almost no asparagus. It was recommended by our concierge, which makes me wonder about his motivation. Nearby, Finisterrae was much better . . . read more

Amazing Italian eatery in the heart of Florence, Italy near Palazzo Vecchio. We got spaghetti and pizza. The spaghetti was full of flavor and the pizza was very mouthwatering! Would come back here again! read more

Baldovino - Spaghetti Al Fresco - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

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A thick-cut T-bone (Italiano cattle only, naturalmente), charred with either coals or wood and brushed with olive oil before serving. I never heard of Florentine Steak before, but apparently, it's famous enough to be on the Wikipedia T-bone Steak page. (And no, I didn't edit page, so I could look cool on Yelp!) The B&B guy highly recommended Baldovino for it, so when in Firenze, we splurged on the carne. - BISTECCA ALLA FLORENTINA - €40/kg. Typically 1+ kg per steak (including bone weight), which was more than enough for a due. Thick steak, cooked to perfection for medium rare tenderness. The charring from the brick oven was good for flavor without being burnt. I couldn't taste the olive oil distinctive to alla Florentina, and perhaps it kept the charring from being too dry? Served on a round wooden pan with lemons and fresh rosemary, the pre-sliced steak with the bone looked as impressive as it tasted. - TOMATO BRUSCHETTA - As if the kilo of manzo isn't enough, we ordered the €4 "bruschetta," which was really a thin 14" pizza with tomatoes but without the cheese or sauce. It was a great large appetizer and surprisingly light. Service was typical Italiano and slightly better. There's the usual outdoor seating, elevated on a patio, covered by a veranda rather than umbrellas, and on a non-busy street (Via di San Giuseppe). Unfortunately the outside tables were filled, but luckily, our table in the dimly lit back room was romantic and intimate, as we had the room all to ourselves - perfect for a ravenous threesome with the lusty steak. Add in the €8 1/2 litre of house vino rosso to make the meal magico. read more

Baldovino - Bistecca alla Florentina - Florentine Steak, a by-weight T-bone, charred and brushed with olive oil. - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

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I had by far THE BEST MEAL here when I was in Italy. I cannot stop raving about how delicious my dinner was when I talk about my trip with my friends. Our tour manager told us to come here solely for the best chocolate cake (sold!), so we came here for dinner. I ordered the tagliatelle with a rabbit ragu sauce and a glass of chianti. Oh. My. Goodness. I kid you not, I would be happy to have this meal every day until I die. I'd never had rabbit before, but it was so tender and the sauce was flavored perfectly. The pasta was al dente. Perfection. Seriously. On to what we came here for: the chocolate cake. I posted a picture of what it looks like on Yelp. The outside of the cake was the perfect light texture, while the inside was slightly softer, not quite lava cake, but so incredibly moist. I have dreams about this cake. I wish they could deliver this by air mail. read more

Baldovino - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

Our first restaurant experience in Florence Italy. The food was amazing we got the Margherita and Smoked Salmon pizza along with a glass of wine and lemon soda. Pricing: The price was fair...I'm from LA so a full pizza with such quality will run you around this price...12Euros each pizza. Soda is not refillable and is pretty small for 4Euros. But the lemon soda was worth a try. I would definitely recommend this place!! read more

Baldovino - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

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Our first meal in Florence, the service is great and kid friendly. Great food and wine selection. read more

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My husband and I enjoyed dinner here. We ordered a 1/2 liter of wine, a main salad, two pizzas, and chocolate cake. The wine, salad, and chocolate cake were outstanding. The pizzas were quite large and we could have easily split one. One downside was how greasy the pizzas were - it was quite unappetizing. I stuck with the outer part of my pizza and it worked fine. The second downside was the service was not very attentive for our table, but I believe that is an exception because everyone else appeared to have solid service. We just caught a shift-change around 7:20pm. Definitely go for the dessert! read more

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I enjoyed the food. Service was nice. I ordered the caprese along with a pizza( which they allowed me to customize myself). The people we friendly and the food tasted fresh. A nice place for an Italian meal. The wine put the icing on the cake I had a Chianti and even got a bottle to carry home with me. If I'm ever back in Florence I will definitely go back there. read more

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Frendly staff, nice location, great food :) We have been there two years ago and last year too. Today we walked by and noticed that the name has changed, we assume it has been purchased. The first thing we noticed that the lighting was stronger than before. read more

Baldovino - The new name... - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

Recommended by a local and it did not disappoint. This is definitely the spot for authentic Italian food; with a variety of selection. Had the lasagna, and it was AMAZING! The service was good, but wish our waitress would have came back to check on us periodically. read more

Great place by Santa Croce! Their wood fired pizzas are amazing but they also have a selection of pastas, meat and seafood on the menu! Recently I had the steamed cod and it was delicious! I would definitely recommend checking out this spot if you need a last minute place to eat because you can often get a table without a reservation! read more

Great place... And it has been since the first time I went there in 1998! I was welcomed with a glass of prosecco.. :) good start! The grilled vegetables with mozzarella, ossobucco and cheesecake with berry sauce were delicious! It took a while for the food to arrive, but I was enjoying the atmosphere and company... ;) Whenever I'm in Florence I try to stop by Baldovino... read more

Really good food. Lots of local ingredients and Tuscan specialties. Great pasta and perfectly grilles steaks. Recommend The house wine. read more

We were all very pleased with our meals. We stuck with comfort food on a cold winter day: the minestrone soup, salmon carpaccio, marguerita pizza, spaghetti carbonara, spaghetti with truffle cream and sausage, sautéed spinach. These dishes are all pretty hard to mess up but the food was delicious nonetheless. read more

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Great Pizza and wine selection. The locale was clean and cozy. The servers were attentive and helpful. We had more than one server helping us and made things easier if we needed anything extra. The Pizza we had were great and had an authentic feel and awesome taste. The dessert was awesome and the presentation incredible. read more

Baldovino - Pizze Covaccino Santa Croce - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

Fantastic, best meal in Florence. We came to Baldovino on a recommendation from a friend who travels frequently...he highly recommended this place, so we had to try it out. Aside from us look like mega tourists by trying to go in the wrong door (don't try and enter from the side street, the main entrance in on the main street!) we had a fantastic experience here. We were promptly seated in the back portion of the restaurant and at first we were a little worried about our waiter being a little rude, but after the initial sit down, he was great the rest of the night. We started with the radish appetizer...my wife didn't love it but I thought it was delicious with the cheese and balsamic. The pasta dishes, my wife had a pesto pasta which was served with potato as well...this was the first time I think we have ever had pasta and potato together like that, but it was delicious. For myself, I'm a huge tortellini fan and had to try it when I saw they had an asparagus tortellini! And man, it was everything I hoped for. The tortellini was much bigger than any I've ever had in the states, they are almost like dumplings they are so big. But they we're absolutely delicious! We didn't go with a main course this night (though I wish we would have) but we did have dessert...and it was the highlight of the night. We had seen another couple order their cheesecake and it looked really good, so we went for it. It was the best cheesecake we have ever had, period. It was much lighter than cheesecake you'd normally find in the states, but it was so incredibly good. If we are ever back in Florence, we will absolutely be back here! read more

We ate here in two occasions. The first time later in the evening. We had lasagna, peppercorn fillet and a fabulous wine recommended by the waiter. My son absolutely loved the pasta. The fillet was tender and the peppercorn sauce was perfect. The second time we tried the spicy pepperoni and the sausage pizza. The pizza dough with the ingredients were delicious. read more

Recommended to us by our shore excursion tour guide. Definitely did not disappoint. The Regina Margherita pizza was the best and you can actually how taste how fresh the ingredients actually are. When paired with the beer our guide recommended it was perfect. Service was impeccable. Situated right next to the plaza outside the Basilica di Santa Croce di Firenze. read more

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By far, the best restaurant in all of Italy! Sara is the best server!! We will be back! Thank you for making our lunch so enjoyable! My family thanks you! read more

Spent lunch time here after a tour Florence. The food was absolutely amazing from the bruechetta Seafood spaghetti and then the gelato. When in Florence will come back and do this again many times. Very reasonable prices too. read more

Baldovino - Wonderful lunch... - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

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Decent food. Service could be way better. Had to ask for everything including bread. Tiramisu was really good, but rest ok. Seemed like you get extra points if you're local. read more

This was the best steak I have ever had. Service was great too for Italy. I highly recommend this place. It's not a tourist trap like some of the other places. read more

Baldovino used to be one of my favorite restaurants in Florence. When living here a few years ago, I used to frequent the quaint bistro 1-2 times a week for a great pasta dish, or a bowl soup and salad. Yesterday, I went back with much anticipation for my beloved Baldovino, and was left underwhelmed. It seems that they have taken a turn from a local favorite, to a somewhat overpriced touristy restaurant. My food was delicious as ever, but the prices have definitely increased, and the service was so-so. read more

I was so happy to hear such great reviews about this restaurant because I live down the block. Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations. All started off well, that is...until the food came. The free prosecco was delightful, and the bread was wonderful especially dipped in their olive oil. I ordered pasta with clams, and was very disappointed. There were a total of THREE small clams...THREE. As if that's not poor enough, TWO out of the THREE were EMPTY!!!! Absolutely ridiculous! When I told the waiter he legitimately laughed at me. Great service, right? Side note: I speak Italian so there was no language barrier. At the end, the waiter asked how everything was and I said horrible I will not return and he told me (after the check was given) that he could give me another plate. No thanks, a little too late. read more

Convenient, friendly staff and great food. The whole branzino, prepared table side is out of this world.

Great food and service. We dined there with a couple of friends 3 years ago and then went back this time again and coincidentally it was on the same day we had dined three years ago! The pasta with saffron sauce was what we had both times and it was great. The house wine is also great and the street side seating is nice. Great service.. very friendly. read more

Good food, friendly service and a lovely neiborhood atmosphere. We will be there many more times.

The bar part of this restaurant is a great place for an Italian breakfast. They make their own pasteries and theirs are excellent. The restaurant is good but what you choose is very important. They do some things well and other are a bust. My wife had lamb ribs breaded and deep fried in oil that was not the freshest so the taste was off and the meat was tough. I can;t recall what I had so there you have it. Reading the reviews I bet some items are very good, we just didn't order them. read more

Average at best. 4 of us for dinner. Service was inattentive. Food was OK but nothing special for the price. You're better off across the street at La Botte, where we had exceptional food and service! read more

Ended up eating here twice. The steak is a must have. The pizza and pasta were good too. Sara, the waitress, was extremely friendly and went above and beyond to help us and make sure we had a good experience read more

Very good food and good value. A casual spot with nice outdoor seating. House wine is great