I'm a regular visitor to Italy, but had never been to Pisa (apart from the airport) before. This time around I was on my way across Italy from Venice to Corsica, so decided to stop at Pisa and finally take a look at the famous tower and the rest of the buildings in the Piazza dei Miracoli. I Santi was recommended by the owner of the guest house we stayed in (Luca of Four Rooms - nice place if you need one, right on the square).
I Santi doesn't claim to be much, and from the outside only seems to have a couple of tables or so outside, but it's much bigger within and far superior to the rest of the many restaurants and osterias that seep onto the streets from around the piazza. It's still a family affair as far as I could tell, and friendly, well priced, with quick service too.
Food wise they offered something much better than average. My partner had a very well prepared octopus salad, with wonderfully tender little critters which is a tricky thing to pull off in a cold salad, as they can become tough so easily. I had gnochetti to start, served with mozzarella and tomato, which was perhaps a little too bland and soft for my taste, but the tagliata that followed was sublime. I'd not tried it before, but am now a convert. It was a good flavoured piece of beef, cooked rare and served sliced thinly with a hot rosemary olive oil poured all over and fresh bread. One thing I would say though - don't order the house wine. I had some of the red and it was just fruit juice really, detracted a bit from the rest of the meal.
Since trying tagliata at I Santi I've had it elsewhere and have made it myself, and it's confirmed my suspisions that the folks at this restaurant do know what they're up to. I don't know many other restaurants in Pisa (having only visited two others personally) but nonetheless I can recommend I Santi for meat lovers at least. read more