Came in here with a large group to order dinner…read more The restaurant is a very authentic Tuscan trattoria where everything is homemade and locally sourced. They sent out some warm Tuscan bread and focaccia to start and then a series of appetizers; Tuscan bruschetta with chicken liver, various salumi, grilled vegetables and various cheeses. The table ordered several types of local wines and I found the Morellino Di Scansano to be the best among them. For dinner I went with the papardelle cinghiale (wild board) ragu which was absolutely amazing. I managed to sample a bite of each dinner everyone around me had ordered and they were all delicious. For dessert they brought out vin santo, limoncello and coffee along with several types of dessert. The hazelnut cake was the only one I tried and it was outstanding. Well worth a trip just to come here.

I had this place on my Yelp list for several months before our travels brought us here, and I am so…read moreglad that I trusted the reviews. We walked here from our hotel -- about a 10-minute walk -- and we arrived to find the place packed with reservations in waiting. They still managed to get us in! That's customer service! Fabio took care of us, along with another young lady whose name I did not catch. They were spectacular. I'm a Texas guy, and we eat beef for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I was impressed with the Steak Florentine here. It was tender and was mildly flavored with herbs and butter. The roasted potatoes were OK. The cannellini beans in tomato sauce almost stole the show. What a wonderful combination of meaty white beans and sweet tomato sauce! And the tiramisu was divine. This place was packed on our visit, and it is no surprise, because they are very good at what they do. Still, it was comfy, and we were well taken care of.

Great food and service - speaks very good English - a great side dish is white beans in tomato gravyread more

Really an outstanding dining experience. We stopped in for dinner after a day of sightseeing. We…read morewere welcomed and made to feel right at home. There is an extensive local wine list, we settled in the Brunello. We started with the mushroom polenta, it was excellent. The highlight of the meal was the cacio e pepe. The pasta was perfectly cooked. The pork cooked in bacon fat was also a highlight. It's a bit pricey for Cavriglia, but a bargain compared to home. It's money well spent. If you are staying in the area I highly recommend you stop in.

This restaurant is a must if you are in Florence. The service was great with vibrant staff members…read moreand reasonable prices as well. I visited from the United States with my family, so keep that in mind as I am not local to the area. We ordered the steak florentine which was cooked to perfection. This dish is a must in the area and Enzo's had a great crust and was served with potatoes. We had a larger cut of meat that easily fed four of us. It came out to roughly €60 but again, it served several of us. A heads up that this steak is cooked on the rare side. I loved it that way, but for awareness. We also got a salad which served four of us easily as an appetizer. For dessert, we had gelato with canatucci cookies and it was delicious. Highly recommend for a great meal in the area!

I ordered the spaghetti alla vongole €12 and started with a plate of caprese de buffalo €9. This…read morerestaurant has outside street seating along with indoor space too, of course. The mozzarella and tomatoes were very good with plenty of taste and freshness. I love the tomatoes here in Italy. The pasta and clams followed and I enjoyed them too as it was such a satisfying plate of food. After this, I decided to go for some Dolce and ordered the panna cotta alla Massimo €6. The cooked cream with fruit and mascarpone was delicious. It was cool, light and refreshing. As you can see, I really enjoyed the food here. Also, their house white wine was only €3.50 which is a real deal. So why an overall score of 3? They are lucky I didn't give them a 2. The service was horrible. After finishing the dolce, it took me another hour before I could pay my bill. I asked several times for it. At the table next to me a diner sat down 5 minutes after I did, ate his meal, paid and left. Then a family of 3 sat at that table, finished their meal and were waiting to pay their bill when I finally paid mine. The head server who waited on me finally arrived after me asking him several times for the check and apologized and offered me a limoncello which I refused. I saw that my wait was only due to his very poor waiter skills.

Couldn't wait to return to Florence just to eat at Sostanza. We arrived a few minutes before their…read moreactual opening time and we were seated. And I think in the best seat in the trattoria...were I could watch the food being cooked on the charcoal grill. If I saw one Florentine Bistecca being grilled I watched twenty. However, we ordered the Butter Chicken and the Tortellini with a Ragu Sauce. Both dishes were outstanding. Service is relaxed. Atmosphere is awesome watching all of the happy people. Don't be surprised when people are seated with you. Just relax and enjoy. We did. The place is small and very cozy. Already thinking about my next meal! Highly recommend and most definitely make a reservation.

I have a friend who lives in Florence, and this is her favorite restaurant. That probably tells you…read moreeverything you need to know, but I'm going to say more anyway. The best food in Italy is simple. It's when a kitchen takes outstanding ingredients, and prepares them in a straightforward manner. Sostanza excels here. Everything we ate was so simple, and so delicious. The trattoria itself isn't much to look at, just a casual space on a tucked away street. The staff will make you laugh, and guide you through the menu. We started with some cured meats, and the artichoke omelette. It looks like a little tornado of egg with artichoke in the middle, and it's excellent. We moved on to tortellini in brodo, and tortellini in ragu. Both preparations were nice, but tortellini in brodo is the move if you can only pick one. One of our wives actually tried to order a chicory salad, but our waiter told her that we were big men and needed to eat meat. (This isn't the reason I love this place so much, but it didn't hurt.) The butter chicken is obviously not the ubiquitous Indian dish, but young chicken breast that is grilled, and then finished in a sauce of butter and lemon. It is so uncomplicated, and perhaps the best chicken you could ever hope to eat. Don't skip it. Despite that being the best chicken I can remember, my favorite thing I ate at Sostanza were the "fresh new beans in olive oil." These are not to. be confused with the "white beans in tomato sauce" (this is how these dishes are listed on the menu...again, simple) which were also mind-blowingly tasty. But the fresh beans must've been picked that morning, and they just tasted like the platonic ideal of beans. Wash all this down with a quality bottle of wine (you can't go wrong with the list), and it may just be the best lunch you've ever had.

There are many things we liked about this restaurant, but for me, the best part of the experience…read morewas the service. We arrived a little later for lunch without a reservation and we were told the wait would be about 20 minutes. We were seated in 10 minutes and the wait staff was very helpful keeping us out of the sun during one of the hottest days of the summer. For appetizers we enjoyed a fresh caprese salad, a cheese board and mixed bruschetta plate. All of these were well-prepared, fresh and a great way to start the meal. Continuing with our plan to eat local specialties, we got two dishes with Umbricelli, a local fresh pasta, one with a sauce of roasted tomatoes and the other with tomatoes and garlic. Our other dinner guest had cinghiale prepared alla cacciatore. This was our first time having slow roasted wild boar, and it will not be the last. We had other plans for dessert, so we will have to wait until we return to Orvieto to try theirs and I am certain that it will be fantastic.

I can't believe I am just getting around to writing a review on this great restaurant. We were…read morethere a year ago and I still rave about this place. Be sure to make a reservation. Communication was a tad difficult as our Italian isn't great, but the staff (maybe owners?) really try their best to communicate with you. They were so kind. Now on to the good stuff- the food! We had the asparagus and pecorino appetizer and it was to die for. I had the fava bean pasta and my husband had the wild boar ragu. Both were exceptional. House white Orvieto wine was really delicious. We had no room for dessert. It was one of the best meals of this trip to Italy, and if ever in the area again we will make a point to eat here again.

Excelent "homey" vibe. Very casual and simple atmosphere. Food was amazing. I had an Oxtail that…read morewas generous and flavorful. My girlfriend had a pasta that was delicious and perfectly cooked "al dente". House wine was good and everything came up to less than 15euros per person including wine. Definitely a hidden spot out of all the attractions the walled city of Siena has to offer...

There are many excellent restaurants in Florence, but of all the places I've eaten over the years,…read moreZa Za stood out by far! Our party ordered four dishes: seafood pasta, shrimp pasta, fish, and steak. We loved everything! Each dish was perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection. The service was great, and they offer both indoor and outdoor seating. Be sure to make a reservation, as the wait can be long without one.

No water, salty food, and a server (CHAIME) who literally yelled at us…read more In all my time dining out, I have never had a server literally scream at me, but that was unfortunately the highlight of our night here. From the moment we sat down, our server (Chaime) treated us with disdain. While the food itself was overly salty, the service was far worse: * Ignored for simple requests: We asked for water immediately upon being seated and followed up three times throughout the night. Despite ordering heavily--a steak, pasta, omelet, and salad (while surrounding tables shared a single dish)--we never received water during our dinner. We had to eat our entire meal with nothing to drink. * Clear bias: Tables seated long after us were given water immediately upon seating and had their orders taken well before us. * Neglect until the check: Water was only brought alongside the check, and even then, we had to ask separately for cups. When I calmly asked Chaime why our water took so long, especially given that a nearby table seated as we finished was served water right away, she told me to speak with the manager. However, when I attempted to explain the situation to her, Chaime immediately cut me off and began yelling at me. I never raised my voice once. Yet, as she was yelling, she taunted me, asking, "What tone? You gonna cry? Huh?" To be treated with such hostility and malice simply for asking about basic service is completely unacceptable. Management needs to address this server's hostile behavior immediately. Save your money and go somewhere where guests are treated with basic respect.

Food was good. You are spoiled with the great food and wine in this region, so anything less than…read moreamazing is noticeable. We had a fine meal and the price was cheap. Ciciano is a tiny town and if you happen to be driving through this is a very solid choice.

From the owner: Un ambiente curato, come a casa della zia di campagna. Torte fatte in casa, un posto fuori dal…read morecomune