Located next to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Buca San Giovanni has great ambiance - great for people watching and listening to local musicians. The food was great and our servers were very good. My friend and I both ordered an entree abs shared a veal dish. read more

Buca San Giovanni - Veal with Porcini Mushrooms - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

See all

The food was not great. The lasagna was good but the steak was terrible. I ordered it medium and it came out raw. I asked for it to be recooked and they threw the steak back on the grill, tossed with more sauce and said it was good to go. I cut into my previously cut steak and it tasted burnt and gross. I asked for it to be taken off the bill and they took £10 off. The waiter specifically said that's the best they can do. No! The meat was nasty and undercooked. I did not eat it. How dare they question how I asked for it to be cooked and only take £10 of a £40 steak that I did not eat. Do not waste your time at this restaurant! Straight trash! Tourist trap!! If I could give 0 stars I would! Trust me, stay away! read more

This restaurant was recommended by our tour guide, and we thought the food was delicious. To be honest, visiting from America, we don't know any better. To be enjoying Italian food in Italy was good enough for us. However, we could taste the freshness. Our waiter was kind and accommodating to our party, and the overall ambiance was relaxing. read more

The pasta was a 3/5 but mainly because I ordered a new kind of pasta that I usually wouldn't order, so incurred a risk there. The bread and olive oil was a 5/5. It was perfect and just enough for a family of 4. Thanks Buca San Giovanni; see you again soon! read more

Buca San Giovanni - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

My partner and I went to this restaurant dinner after we looked over the menu online - it's a nice menu. It's a super cute dining room and when it's full, the vibes are great. They open at 6:30 for dinner - go closer to 8 or 9 to get the experience of a full room. Our main courses were amazing - we thoroughly enjoyed them. Three things I personally think would make it even better are changes to the ... 1. bread at the beginning (I noticed the bread served here was served in other spots too - I don't think it's salted so it tastes bland to me) 2. Chocolate at desert (I'm in Italy, I'd like some delicious dark chocolate not something I can get back in America) 3. End of meal coffee (tasted burnt) Service wise, our waitress was lovely. Spoke enough English to get by and made up for it with a witty persona. The sommelier/maitre'd was a little grumpy, but I think that might just be how he is. He consistently checked up on us and was very kind as to explain to me any questions I had about the wine list. I would come again. :) read more

Linguine al pesto is amazing! Their wine selections are really good. The ambiance is very lively.

As many of you know, it is common in Italy to be encouraged into a restaurant. The young man working for this restaurant was really friendly and convinced my husband and me that we were not underdressed. At first, we had the entire restaurant to ourselves, which is not that unusual since we are early diners and Europeans are not. The waiter brought fresh bread and the restaurant owner's olive oil from the South of Italy. He also brought an American-sized glass of ice with my Coke Zero. (When you travel in Europe, you realize American portions for everything are gigantic.) He also brought an ice cold bottle of still water for the table, poured two glasses, and began telling us about their best dishes. Just hearing the descriptions made me hungrier! I ordered chateaubriand with porcini mushrooms and black truffle gravy, which were exquisite! My husband ordered beef, which was served over very fresh pasta. He moaned the deliciousness as he ate. Unfortunately for us, we were too full for dessert. read more

Buca San Giovanni - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

Love this place in a hot summer day given its vicinity to duomo and coolness of the cave in a grueling hot summer day. The pastas were fantastic. I ordered the salted cod ravioli with cherry tomatoes and the tomatoes were bursting with flavors. The best one of the table was the spaghetti with pesto sauce - just the right texture of the pasta with the right amount of salt content in the pasta itself. The pesto sauce is probably the best that I have had in my life (there is some really good pesto sauce in San Francisco). The best of simple Italian food. The Tuscan bean soup was quite good. Didn't love the sea bass dish. read more

Buca San Giovanni - Salted cod ravioli with cherry tomatoes and sliced parmagiano - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

Save your euro. I usually feel bad doing a review that is negative. Everyone has an off day. Perhaps at Buca San Giovanni it was an off day. But I don't think so. Service from our waiter was terrible. He was rude beyond belief. We had to get other waiters to help. He was just nasty. My food was awful. Ravioli in butter, sage and cream looked wonderful but in fact was way too salty. Served us really crappy appetizers - I could not touch them as they smelled bad. My niece and son took one bit and spit it out claim the mushroom pate tasted like .... Don't let location lure you in. Skip it and go down the street. read more

You must sit outside if a beautiful day. The ambiance outside in front of the Duomo is spectacular. The food was good and we had a great hostess to help. read more

Stopped by at this venue for the view of Duomo and people watching. Ordered a bottle of chianti, ham and melon and my friend had the Caesar salad. Chianti was good. My original plate of prosciutto arrived w short hair on display if the top of the dish. Radar salad was good w bland dressing. I've waited for ten minutes or more for my prosciutto dish replacement ( if it was a new dish). If you'd like a great view this is the spot. If you'd like good food for your money - pick another. Witnessed one of the waiters testing the freshness of the bread in the basket w his finger and then serving it to the German couple next to us. P.S. got reprimanded for feeding my left over bread to the sparrow and local pigeon ‍ Btw, it's tap water in the bottle for €4 ‍ read more

My husband, son and I came here for dinner tonight in Florence (7/1/19), and we had the best dinner and vino experience thanks to our waiter name Dario. His recommendation on wine and dinner was on point. We were especially impressed with his wine background. After eating dinner at nice restaurants in Milan, Cinque Terre, Venice, and Florence, this was my favorite one, thanks to Dario!!! read more

The location was next to Doumo and was fantastic ,but the waiter was disrespectful and unprofessional,not recommended.

If you're coming for ambiance, then this is your place. It's right in front of Il Duomo and a very picturesque place to have meal. If you're coming for food, I would skip it. I got the waiter recommended pasta with boar and it was just okay. The flavor was boring and it needed salt. The bread was not good. I also got to try the lasagna. It isn't worth the price and the pasta was overcooked. The gnocchi comes with a red sauce and wasn't noteworthy. I did try the linguini with basil pesto and it had the most flavor of any of the dishes we tried. We also had the deep fried mozzarella- flavorless. And the variety of meats was a couple of pieces of prosciutto and 4 slices of salami: so disappointing. Skip this place if you're wanting good food. read more

See all

My partner and I went to this restaurant to eat based on an online recommendation by a travel site. We always pick the best restaurants recommended by the reputable sites. This was the first time, I was disappointed. The owner was actually the problem, he treated us terribly. I own businesses myself in the United States and being polite and welcoming is something business owners do. Wow, what a rude person. I first sat down and got my first glass of champaign. Then he came to our table to take our order. I chose a fish dish, which was the only option for me as I have celiac and also have problems with dairy. He took our order and came back and said, that the dish could not be made that day because they were out of that fish. Since my partner had already ordered I decided I wanted to order soup and salad because that was the only thing I could eat from the menu, everything else had flour. He said, I could not eat just that, that I must order something else. I said, dont worry, I will get drinks and desert and it will make up for the dish that I cannot eat. He insisted that I could not order that. My boyfriend had already ordered his pasta dish. He was so rude at that point, I left my glass of champaign at the table, and told my partner, I am sorry, let me pay for what drinks I already ordered and I am leaving now, I cannot enjoy this place with such angry owner. I have never in forty some years experienced this before, anywhere in the world, and specially did not expect it from a place listed as "top 10" lol. Then I read the reviews and realize that other people felt the same way and were treated just as badly there. I do not recommend and I would be embarrassed had I taken guests with me to eat there. But, there are two amazing places Sesno, and also the restaurant Baglioni the B-roof top, those two I highly recommend and the view of the ones I mentioned are gorgeous. read more

We ate 3 times at Buca San Giovanni as our rental wasn't far from there and we got every time the best food, best service and you can't beat the view. If you eat late enough you might even hear the owner singing and customers joining in. It was magical! Highly recommend if you go to Florence! read more

I know you're not suppose to eat at restaurants in and around tourists sites. It doesn't get more touristy than The Duomo, but we were so tired, couldn't walk another step and couldn't think harder to read reviews on best restaurants in Florence. We stopped here, and took a chance thinking it would be quiet in a restaurant under the plaza of The Duomo. We were right. It's like a cave down in the restaurant with low light, little tables and pictures of the owner with famous people who have dinner here. There's also a large fresco of Santa Maria. The restaurant also has a bar, if you don't want to sit and eat. The menu is extensive and living in downtown Chicago where we have Little Italy and no shortage of Italian restaurants, the prices are very, very reasonable. I had a beef fillet with foie gras and black truffle for 27 euros. The beef fillet was at least 1/2 lb. It was generous and cooked medium rare. The sauce was a semi sweet vinegar. I soaked it up with all the free bread. Another night, I had the veal shank for 18 euros. My SO kept getting the house wine and pot roast with extra mash potatoes. They are so nice and accommodating. We also received free espresso. Love this place in Florence! We came back a second time to dine which says a lot for us. read more

Unfortunately I have nothing positive to say about this restaurant. The bread had no salt, and the owner insisted on what we should eat, and later brought us a glass of wine with a gnat in it. The steak was purple and undercooked. I ate what I could as I didn't want to create a problem, but when I didn't want to finish the rest of the food, the waiter began to insult me and my wife, who is Italian. He spoke English, but refused to so that he could intimidate my wife and I would not be able to understand. I put a stop to this, but he began to insist to know where she was from in a very threatening manner. This man is pretentious and full of himself, and this business has made it clear that they do not care about providing great customer service to their guests. When I go into a restaurant I want to feel comfortable and relaxed, NOT intimidated and threatened into liking food that is nothing short of mediocre. read more

I don't normally write reviews but felt I should do other tourists don't experience what we did. Slow service: first we waited for menus, then bread, then olive oil and vinegar. The minestrone soup tasted like it was from a can and our entrees looked and tasted as though they were leftovers. At one point, I moved to the Empty table next to us to get a better view of the duomo while we waited over an hour for our food to come out. The waiter asked me to move because he "needed the table." No one ever came. I hope our experience was the exception to the rule and that others are treated better than we were. That said, if you are visiting Italy and looking for a place to dine, keep walking and don't eat here. read more

Great view and location. Bread had no flavor. Had to ask for olive oil and salt. Tomato soup was excellent. Veal was terrible. read more

We have has two separate dining experiences here on two different trips and they have both been 5 star! The steaks are to die for and you cannot beat the setting and dining right on the street in front of the Duomo! Great food and very friendly service! read more

Buca San Giovanni - Our first night in Italy on the Candelaria Design Tour starts right here - right in from of the Duomo! - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

Beautiful place, great food and great service. Thanks to Livio he is so kind, who helped us to order the best food, he explained everything about the food and he understood what we like. Thank you and see you soon. read more

This was one of the best pastas we had in Firenze. Yes, it's in the middle of a touristy place but we were pleasantly surprised with delicious food & great service. The Caccio e Peppe was the best! The views from our outdoor table were amazing and made or dinner even more enjoyable taking in the view of Il Duomo and people watching. Compared all my next pasta dishes in Firenze to this one & none measured up to the Caccio e Peppe from Buca Dan Giovanni. The only reason I took away one star was for the bus boy taking my Husband's water glass while he was in the bathroom, without asking us if we needed it. He ended up with no water glass through the end of the meal :( read more

See all

dinner with family for about 3 hours. sliced meat - thick (It would be better if thinner) bread with tomato chees pudding vegi soup T-bone steak(1.8kg) medium - very good !! a glass of wines - good side dish - grilled vegi we arrived at the restaurant 7:30pm. there are only 6 travlers including us. at first its strange but later the restautant was almost full of italians. If there are many italian, it's not a travlers kitchines. for dessert pineapples and strawberries- fresh and sweet staffs were very helpful and kind. one of them told us 'thank you' in korean. overall good service and food. especially t-bone steak best. read more

See all

Right in front of the Duomo, so the view is beautiful. But the view is the ONLY thing this place has going for it. The epitome of a tourist trap restaurant - way below average food (pretty sure my €9 cup of soup came from a can), super overpriced (and there's an additional service fee of €3 per person), so-so service. Just don't go. With so many amazing restaurants to be found in Florence, this is nothing more than a waste of time and money. read more

Tried to sit down outside for dinner, stood at the menu for a couple minutes and nobody bothered to say Ciao or anything. Decided to just sit down, as a previous couple did and got service. Across the area a waiter starts Literally screaming at my wife. Asked us, and I quote "Tell me, what are you doing?" Extremely rudely told us that table was reserved, so we left. The entirity of the dining area stopped to look, that's how rude this guy was. I worked in food service for 3 years to pay for school, that is never necessary. Stay away. Don't support a bad business when there is a much better one right next door with friendly staff. read more

Excellent Bisteca alla Fiorentina, a little pricey, but it was worth it! Very cozy environment. Not a tourist-trap, even though it's in front of a city mark. read more

The Buca San Giovanni's outdoor cafe gave us a beautiful view of the Duomo while we ate dinner. My wife and I were leaving Italy the next day, but our son would be staying in Florence to complete his summer studies through the university. It was perfect, the Duomo at sunset. Unfortunately, our dream was interrupted by the conduct of the waiter and poor service at the restaurant. The waiter didn't bring spoons with our first course, which was soup. He was in no hurry to get back, it took him a while. Then, he completely forgot about the second course until I found him about 45 minutes later and asked him to bring it out. Afterward he disappeared again, not even returning to ask if we wanted coffee or desert. Almost another hour went by before I saw him and was able to ask for the check. When he eventually came back he presented the bill, but he also demanded a tip in cash - even though there was a cover charge and his service was poor. In addition he told me not to charge it because his boss would get it. I laughed and told him the service was bad and that he did not deserve a tip. But, he was undaunted by this. Instead of walking away, he insults me and tells me I'm not Italian enough and I speak the language poorly. I told him in Italian that what he said was not true and he should stop the insults. That was the conclusion of our unique dining experience at Buca San Giovanni. When we arrived back home in the U.S. I sent an email to Buca San Giovanni and told them what happened. They didn't have the courtesy to respond. In my opinion, the restaurant was at fault, not the waiter. Worse than that, they violated the rules of hospitality...That does not represent the Italy I know and love. read more

My husband and I ate here last night. The ravioli with saffron potato cream sauce was excellent. My husband (wanting a change from pasta) had the salmon which was cooked to perfection. We sat outside close to the Cathedral which was lit up and quite spectacular. Definitely try the 2012 Santa Martina wine it was excellent. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good meal in the heart of Florence. read more

I was concerned this was a tourist trap, but it's been here since the 1800s. The basement is cavelike with brick and stucco. Walls are covered with photos of owner w famous people. I've read all the other reviews and find I fall near the top end at a 4.5. I had a glass of Chianti reserva, ossobucco, a side of grilled vegetables, and biscotti with vin santo for dessert. All was excellent with great service. The only thing I would have liked better would have been for the meat to be more tender given the braising cooking method used for ossobucco. But that is how it is served in the US and maybe is not Florentine style. The restaurant was a little more expensive than others nearby, but the location, setting, service, and quality of food warranted it. I was there in January, so cannot comment on street service. The servings were large enough that I have a whole other meal to eat with what I took home. I would definitely return. read more