Very nice people and patio. But the food is uneven, with some plates lovely and the other ones…read moreunder-sauced, flavored, or otherwise lacking. There are several better places in the area. If you go, skip the antipasti, get the gnocchi (either type), and focus on veggies and beans as sides.

I don't write reviews often, but this was truly a splendid experience. The ambience was super laid…read moreback and the food was incredible (carbonara to die for, smoked pork chop will melt in your mouth)! Katia was absolutely electric - very passionate, spunky, and personable!! 5 stars and more!! Xoxo Mr. Carbonara

Best Home Cooked Italian food I have ever had in my life! My Grandmother would slap me with a…read morewooden spoon but I telleth the truth! Went 2 nights in a row! Freshest selection of everything! It's this type of place that makes life worth living! I continue to fantasize about this wonderful eatery Every now and then! Bottom line it's worth flying here just to smell the fabulous cuisine wafting from the kitchen! Do they deliver?

Il Fornacino has an adventurous menu that I was excited to try. Like every restaurant in the area…read moreit offers the traditional Tuscan tagliata di chianina (is there a law?) but there's also rabbit stuffed with veal and truffles and a very on-trend Swiss chard, ricotta, and truffled egg raviolone. I started with the latter, which was delicious -- but the powerful flavour of cheese and the egg yolk drowned out the chard. My wife's potato flan was quite nice, but it arrived buried under a heap of truffle shavings that tasted of nothing in particular. My main was a special of roast suckling pig with potatoes and a savoury tuile made with the pork drippings. The tuile was gratuitous -- a chef-y touch that didn't actually taste very nice. The suckling pig was beautifully cooked but the potatoes were weirdly inconsistent; some crisp and others mushy. Il Fornacino is a good restaurant that would be the best restaurant around in most places, but the five-star bar is set pretty high in Tuscany. But the prices were very modest and the wine selection was great. It's a tremendously good value for what it offers.

A very lovely spot located on a beautiful street. The mista salad was only fair because of the…read morebitter greens they incorporated into it. The pizza was good but not great and the Branzino was dry. Service was so so, we had to fetch the waiter to take our order. If we had had a great experience we would of course come back tomorrow.

Pretty decent but not over the top good authentic Italian. It tasted more commercialized than…read moreauthentic...especially the pasta.

Really enjoyed this place. It's simple, seems like a local roadhouse. It's attached to a not very…read morefancy hotel, and is next door to a local youth athletic building (huge parking lot, free). We were looking for an everyday kind of meal, after too many fancy, "Best in Town" places. Just wanted something casual and decent. Stumbled across this, only because it was convenient. The staff was courteous and helpful, in spite of a language barrier that we all manage to crawl over. All we had was a salad and a calzone, and a bottle of water. The salad was nice and fresh, the calzone was huge (see photo), but not plump with stuffing, as I've had them at home. Never had one in Italy before, so this may be normal. It was more like a pizza, folded in half, with mozzarella, artichokes, olives, ham and sausage inside, and some tomato sauce and olive oil outside. At any rate, it was tasty, and I enjoyed it. While we waited for our order, the table was graced with the round things in my photo. They were balls of bread dough, about4cm in diameter, baked, and tasting very cheesy, although I could not see the cheese in them. Delicious, and free, and a basket of bread was served, too. The prices were beyond reasonable. Cover 1 euro each. Big water, 1, calzone was 6 or 8, and I forgot what the salad cost. I'd go back, except we left the area this morning

a nice restaurant on the road Good service…read more Basically pizza and pasta- very simple dishes Good prices

Incredible lunch - perfect soup! Wonderful pasta! Lots of locals, family enjoyed it! In Val…read moreCasciano in Tuscany!

Excellent dinner was had by all. My father and I both had the black truffle tagliatori which was…read morephenomenal. My cousin had the pasta with deer sauce and my mom had the artichoke hearts with goat cheese. Service was excellent and we had a great evening sitting outside on the patio! The gelato from across the street was tasty too!

Saw the reviews on Yelp and wanted to try it since we were staying around the corner…read more Had the Cacio Pepe and Grandma's Lasagna. Lasagna was 10/10 which is why my wife kept eating mine and the Pepe was still very good. Eat here for phenomenal food and value.

I highly recommend this charming restaurant. The owner took great care of us and the food was…read moreamazing! Definitely one of our highlights since arriving in Italy.

One of our favorite restaurants! Period!!! Simple food perfectly prepared with stunning views of…read moreTuscany everywhere in Certaldo Alto. Don't miss having a meal here if you're in the area!!!

This place is such an awesome spot, both for food and for ambiance! We came here twice during our…read moreweeklong stay. Reservations are recommended as it was always busy! The service is kind and quick! Very unusual in Italy to receive your food fast, but here they move pretty efficiently. I got a Sangiovese Cabernet and loved it; their bread balls with cheese and honey are *fabulous* and I was a fan of the Riboletta soup. I know that's not why people come to Italy- I tried my friends' pastas and they were great, too, especially the pesto gnocchi, which is served in the pan!- but I loved this soup. It was warm and hearty and even had some green vegetables in it. But the ALL TIME WINNER was the cheesecake. Holy cannoli, people!! This is like heavenly cream mixed with the berries of Mt Olympus and transported by magic carpet to Tuscany. Wow!! I don't like cheesecake in the States and this is not your normal cheesecake. Just get it. It's divine. (The tiramisu was also good, but the cheesecake!!!) Also, if you get to write on the wall...well, that's just a fun bonus :)

I was in Lucca and stopped here for dinner. The reviews were good and the menu online showed more…read morefish being offered I thought they would have more seafood, but being in Tuscany, I realized that most places don't. That's OK. The inside was very homey and nice. The owners, I believe are a husband and wife team who are helpful. Salmon carpaccio was an appetizer special - it was excellent Swordfish for the main was a mistake. Should have stuck with a pasta. This fish looked like it was frozen and it's was fair, nothing special. Tiramisu for dessert was so good. totally made up for the swordfish. It was made fresh that day and you could tell. This and the service raised the rating from to 4.

Both the gorgonzola gnocchi and the lasagna were some of the best dishes we have had in Lucca…read more Great service and a super helpful staff