Amazing dining experience in this small rustic Osteria! Chef Julio masterfully cooks Bistecca Alla…read moreFlorentina to perfection in his wood fired oven! Pici Con Ragu Di Cinta Sense e Tartufo is a must try. Authentic Tuscan food! Atmosphere is very cozy with shared tables.

Great dining experience. One of the best meals we had in Montepulcino. We ordered the steak, which…read morewas perfectly cooked and a couple of sides which were also delicious. The house red wine was quite good.

Wow, wow, wow. We stayed in historic Montepulciano and this Osteria was recommended by the locals…read more We had a beautiful experience siting on their outdoor patio overlooking the Centro. Ate a delicious plate of pasta! Friendly service! Highly recommend!

Both our pasta dishes had little flavor. The photo in menu had lots of meat. In reality maybe 3…read moretablespoons! Boiling a few large shrimp took 45 min. Hectic service. Overrated.

The staff are so friendly, quick to smile and laugh. Very attentive working as a team. Beautiful…read moreview from every angle. Would you believe the food tastes better than it looks?

Loved it here! We arrived on a Saturday to Montepulciano's during a week where many restaurants…read moreclosed for the season. It was great service, we had the pici pasta, flatbread with porcini mushrooms and sheep cheese, and table wine. Since I can't eat cow cheese this region has many sheep cheese options since it's a specialty. I would definitely love to go again!

We stopped in on our first day in Montepulciano after checking in to our Airbnb. We had the most…read moreincredible, delicious, and memorable meal of our entire trip. Plans on returning next year!

Hands down, this is the best place that I ate at while I was in Italy…read more The restaurant was very unique with a vibrant interior that you can't help but love. The salad, pasta and vegetables were nothing but amazing. The pasta was fresh and the tomato sauce was indescribable. The freshness was out of this world. What also made this experience perfect was the hospitality shown by the owners. They were extremely kind and friendly. The male owner also goes around and sings to the guests, which is a great surprise. It's a very family oriented restaurant with home style cooking and beautiful ambience. 5/5!

We had a nice meal here from beginning to end. Service was deliberate and professional. Outside…read morearea looked like great ambiance, but we had to eat inside due to large party. Started with the Panzanella, then had the pici with ragu. Finished with the tiramisu, which was different but still great. Would love to visit again.

Excellent spot for dinner just outside the walls of Montepulciano. Our group had been busy seeing…read morethe sights all day and we were pretty hungry for something filling at a spot that wasn't too fancy. The setting and service were terrific and we shared several types of pizzas. The wine suggested to us was great and hope to get back to try the rest of the menu!

An absolute must of you ever visit this fabled town. The perfect Tuscan experience for amazing…read morepasta!

This is awesome…read more... Went to this place on a recommendation from a winery because they actually served their wines. But I have to say they have not disappoint. The place was packed because it was one of the few in town opened for lunch that day. The place is small and it seems like family run. One chef in the kitchen and maybe 6-7 tables altogether. Pasta dishes are absolutely delightful. The Tagliatelle al sugo di Cinghiale is my personal favorite and it makes for a very nice pairing with local Montepulciano wines.

Where do I even start? Montepulciano is a dreamy town tucked into a Tuscan hillside. In chilly…read moremid-November, it's haunting and empty and blessedly peaceful. Admittedly, a fair amount of places were closed, possibly due to it being a drizzly (but still so atmospheric!) Monday evening, so when I looked at the menu for L'Altro Cantuccio, I was excited to see that it was open. I was even more excited to see a vegetarian entree that I figured could be made vegan. We entered the restaurant at an early time for Italy, 7:30 or 8, but we'd skipped lunch and we also were calling it an early night because we were staying at an agriturismo about 45 minutes away. Not surprisingly, we were the first customers (by the time we left around 9:30 or ten, there were only 2 other tables). If you're looking for a dark, intimate dining experience, this is your place. It's so beautiful inside, like an upscale tavern, with ambient lighting and a fireplace. I was totally unprepared for this utterly exquisite dining experience, but I had a hint of what was to come, once we were greeted by an urbane set of waiters. I asked if the farro dish could be made vegan and he said it could. That's all I ordered (besides a glass of sparkling wine, and my husband ordered some kind of steak), but we received several curated complimentary amuse bouche, presented like the edible works of art they were. Only one item was not vegan, a duck liver macaron. Besides two tiny bites of vegan pates, there were these incredible bites that appeared to be olives but were savory cocoa butter truffle that contained olive oil and crushed olives (like a filled chocolate). I never had anything like this before. This was followed by a single cherry tomato... or so it seemed! It was actually a bite of pappa al pomodoro. And then there was the divine bread service (see my photo). The main event, also presented like a work of art, the farro. It's absolutely delicious and I treasured each bite of grain, truffle, mushroom, beans in a porcini broth. This was followed by a complimentary dessert, two tiny chocolate shells with a passion fruit topped non dairy cream and two tiny spoons of chocolate pop rocks. I can't say "exquisite" enough! Now I must note my appreciation here for the service, as I was informed as to exactly what things were vegan when they brought out all the complimentary courses (I am not entitled... I never expect such service). I walked in without a reservation and this meal exceeded my expectations beyond words. And coming from the US, it blew my mind that the cost of this extravagant meal was comparable to a casual dining experience. Core dining memory may be an understatement. I'd return to Montepulciano if only to dine here.

Our Perfect Last Night in Tuscany - Best Romantic Dinner in Montepulciano at L'Altro Cantuccio!…read more After a day of strolling up and down the winding hills of Montepulciano, my wife and I stumbled upon L'Altro Cantuccio, and what a find it was. Tucked under the archway of an ancient stone breezeway, our romantic little table caught the cool evening breeze and gave us front-row seats to the quiet hum of this timeless Tuscan town. The dim lighting and centuries-old walls made it feel like we were dining inside a piece of history -- only with the comfort and warmth of a dear friend's welcome. From the start, the staff set the tone, with Leaza leading the way. "Outstanding" doesn't quite cover it -- her knowledge of food, wine, and spirits transformed the evening into an experience. She presented three perfect wine options, guided us like an old friend, and had that rare gift of knowing when to be right there and when to step back, letting the romance and flavors speak for themselves. A rustic bread board with pillowy focaccia, nutty seeded bread, and golden olive oil -- the perfect Tuscan welcome. We began with cocktails -- a Negroni for me, an Aperol Spritz for my wife -- followed by an appetizer that can only be described as edible theater. The crispy egg "candido" with pecorino foam, green coffee, and Sichuan pepper arrived in a smoked ceramic egg, releasing an intoxicating aroma when the lid was lifted. The smoked ceramic egg, opened to reveal the delicate crispy egg "candido" over pecorino foam -- like unwrapping a culinary gift. Alongside came a complimentary aperitif -- whimsical bites that looked like one thing but tasted like another -- playful and creative. A tiny "tomato" that burst into chilled gazpacho on the first bite -- a fun and surprising twist. For our first course, my wife had the ravioli of stewed pigeon topped with seared breast, Sangiovese wine reduction, and a butter-sage powder. It was perfectly cooked -- tender, rich, and delicious. I had the truffle pasta, a nest of golden tagliolini crowned with a snowfall of freshly shaved truffles, the scent so intoxicating it turned heads at nearby tables. The truffle pasta -- a mound of golden tagliolini under a generous snow of fresh truffles, plated on sculpted white porcelain. Both dishes were paired with a 2018 Talosa Nobile di Montepulciano, deep ruby in color and velvety on the palate -- a flawless choice from Leaza. The mains were pure Tuscan indulgence. The local Chianina beef cheeks were slow-cooked for 50 hours until they practically melted on the tongue, plated with seasonal vegetables and a silky sauce. The Fiorentina T-bone steak was a feast for the eyes -- thick, juicy, beautifully charred -- presented whole before being sliced and served on a black marble slab. Too full for dessert, we closed the night with an Indonesian Kopi Luwak coffee. The brewing process was presented tableside like a ceremony. Sitting there, sipping coffee in the cool night air, hearing the faint murmur of other couples, I couldn't imagine a better way to end our last night in Tuscany. L'Altro Cantuccio isn't just a restaurant -- it's a memory you'll carry home. The flavors, the setting, the care in every detail... you must eat here!

This family run restaurant is warm and welcoming. The servers (father and son) were very welcoming…read moreand personable. We had fantastic Steak and pasta dishes. We loved the food and ambience. Steak was cooked just right with great flavor and perfect salting. We felt like we made new friends as the staff were so friendly. I definitely recommend checking out this small family restaurant in a very beautiful mountain town very close to Pienza and Montepulciano.

Overall 4.5 stars. We two had dinner…read more SERVICE: 5.0. The gentleman who runs the restaurant is a character, and fun to interact with. Every one we dealt with was friendly and professional. FOOD: 4.0. - Pecorino Pasta: 5.0. Fun to watch the preparation, and excellent taste. Hot pasta is placed on/in a large cheese round, and the resulting melted cheese with pasta mix is then delivered to one's plate. - Pork: 3.5. - Tiramisu: 4.5 We ended the meal with a limoncello digestif. AMBIANCE: 4.0. Indoor and outdoor seating. Very pleasant. This night only the outdoor was being used. Located just inside the main gate of the quiet and pretty town of Montefollonico. As we left there was a group of locals of varying ages sitting outside at a patio across from the town gate, watching a soccer game together on a large TV screen.

By far the best dinner I've ever had in Italy, and that's really saying something. Don't do what we…read moredid and waltz up with no reservation and hope lots of smiling and high school-level Italian will score you a table -- even on a Wednesday night the restaurant was fully booked. We did manage a table in the end, very luckily for us. The menu here (which changes annually) is pretty hefty but is dwarfed by the wine list, which is so thick it -- no kidding -- has a table of contents. There's a lot of wonderful things on that wine list, including a number of bottles from the Montefollonico area and neighbouring Montepulciano. The food, which started with a surprise complementary amuse bouche, was nothing less than exquisite. A number of the things I wanted to try (like the Filet and sirloin of wild boar, eggplant, chocolate sauce and raspberries) were sold out for the night by the time we'd sat down, but what we did get was truly top-notch. I'd put La Botte Piena up against any fine dining restaurant in London. The biggest surprise of the night was the bill. After a good bottle of wine, four plates of food, a dessert and coffee, we hadn't even managed to spend 100 euros.

We chose to eat a la carte, as we were 6 adults with different food needs. If I say perfetto!, do…read moreyou know what I mean? La Botte Piena aspires (correctly) for a Michelin star, and it shows in the whole dining experience. Obviously, from the name of the restaurant, they know wine. The small touches that Michelin seeks are all there. Our amuse-bouche was a delicious pasta chip with flavored cheese and a spoon of bean soup. Our primi were perfectly prepared - pastas, ricotta gnudi, ravioli. The secondi were also delicious - beef cheeks and (for our birthday boy) bistecca fiorentina. I dolci delighted us, as did the dessert wine we chose to finish our 4 hour meal. We chatted with the sommelier and the owners, which rounded out a great evening. Highly recommended!

Gluten free pasta options are pici. No pizza offered for lunch. Gluten free bread was still cold in…read morethe center when we got it. I also had to remind my waitress 3 times we were gluten free and she still almost gave us regular bread. My husband got the pici with tomato garlic sauce and I got the ragu. It was good and we enjoyed it but we're not overly impressed.

I had an amazing pizza at this restaurant last month. It's a lovely place to sit at outside if the…read moreweather is nice. My husband really liked their house red wine.