Under new management for just a few weeks (in April 2025), Osteria Toscanella leaves no detail to chance. The vaulted ceilings and transparent floor tiles celebrate the historic settling. The tables are beautifully set, with each dish matched to a presentation that enhances the delicious food. The service provided by Eldis and Safwan was professional, courteous, informative, and friendly. From papperdelle chiangale through made-at-table cacio y pepe and truffle specialties to salads and desserts, this was a delightful evening -- so much so that we cancelled our plans for tomorrow evening in order to return. read more

Great intimate spot. Ana (Anya) was our server, very sweet and on point. Add this place to your list when you're in town!

Beautiful decor, good bossa nova music, great food. Price was a little higher than some but reasonable for the quality.

We dined here in 2019, early in the evening (so it wasn't busy). The staff gave us a wonderful history of the space, which is centuries old. The food was delicious and the wine was fantastic. Bravo! read more

Osteria Toscanella - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

Sometimes you just get lucky and wind up at an absolutely great restaurant. That happened to us today. We had made a reservation at Toscanella Osteria and were immediately taken with the ambience and welcoming feeling of this restaurant. Alexi and Rabbi, our servers, greeted us like we were old customers - such a nice feeling. We took a while to take in all that the menu had to offer. We ordered a 1/2 liter of their house white wine and 1/2 liter of their house red wine - both wines were delicious. My husband started with the Tortelli Maremanni (little pasta bags filled with ricotta and spinach with a wild boar sauce) for his first course. For his second course, he went with the beef cooked in wine and peppercorn sauce with sautéed spinach. Can I tell you he was a happy man? I wanted to try something new to me, so I ordered the Carabaccia (Tuscan Onion Soup with almonds and fresh croutons). Oh my, a piping hot bowl of onion soup with the most delectable flavor. For my second course, I actually had a Primi of pasta with seasonal vegetables. This was a wide noodle pasta with carrots, eggplant, zucchini, red and yellow peppers in a light sauce. Both of my dishes were loaded with flavor and so satisfying. We finished with a Chocolate cake that was very dense, and just added the perfect ending to a perfect meal. This restaurant sits on a side street not on the normal path of tourists and has quite a history. The monumental portico (now the main part of the restaurant) was used by the Ridolfi family as an open-air reception room. The ancient well that gave the Toscanelli family their name has been restored, along with the ancient stones and bases of the columns of the portico, which can be seen under the glass floor. It is really worth a visit! This ancient street, Via Toscanella, was named after an old Tuscan family to which Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli (1397-1482) belonged. Paolo was a mathematician, astronomer, and cartographer whose studies and maps led to the discovery of America. In a letter to Fernao Martins de Reriz, a canon in Lisbon, he described a route to reach the Indies by sailing toward the West. Fernao gave the letter to Christopher Columbus, and the rest is history. read more

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Really enjoyed this place! In fact, We ate here twice during our week in Florence. Service was excellent. Recommend the filet, ravioli, and cheesecake. read more

One of our favorite restaurants we visited while in Florence. We accidentally discovered it and decided to give it a try. There's a great story regarding the history of the location, and they even have a plexi-glass floor area showing the old floor that was there previously. It really ties into a full experience of visiting Italy. We enjoyed all the dishes, and I went outside of my comfort zone and tried a tripe dish, which was glorious. The waiter had a lot of personality and helped make this a memorable visit. read more

Osteria Toscanella - Cool place with a real history! Good looks awesome - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

MY FAVORITE RESTAURANT HERE IN FLORENCE! The food and the customer service is amazing! While i was studying abroad in Florence for the summer I ate here at least two times a week. Recommend it my classmates and even bought my family here. They all agreed that the food was amazing! I highly recommend this place for a great meal. =] read more

Are you sick and tired of crammed, noisy, touristy, interchangeable restaurants in Florence? Want true Tuscan food in a unique, tranquil setting? Go to Osteria Toscanella. Take their ribollita. It's on all the menus in Florence advertised as typical Tuscan peasant fare. Nobody makes it better that Toscanella because nobody has researched the key ingredient that tips it into the sublime. Many travellers come to town hell-bent on having Beefsteak Florentine, and many restaurants serve it. But nobody nails it like Toscanella. They have a special relationship with a particular butcher in the Mercato Centrale who delivers the BEST. All pastas are made in-house daily. All sauces are seasonal. I just had one made with a cavalo nero pesto, because this is cavalo nero season. Other restaurants are serving typical pesto made from basil (out of a jar)...but basil is long out of season so you won't find it here. Get the picture? The owner is a fourth generation restauranteur, a major figure in 1960's Florentine Abstract Painting who is also an expert on Brunelleschi and the true story of Pinocchio. If you are interested in any of these subjects...or anything to do with Florentine history, ask Fabrizio as you dine. He is a gentleman, a scholar, and he knows how to set a hell of a plate of food down in front of you. read more

What a wonderful florencian experience! Decent wine selection and with some ok pricing. The waiters were wonderful. The service was wonderful. Unfortunately, no tap water, just bottled. The waiters did know English. I tried my best at italian-spanish. We had a bottle of Chianti. Molto bene! The place itself is quaint/charming. The home made pasta was perfect along with the yummy house duck sauce. The wine/peppercorn beef was succulent. It was fine and melted in my mouth. I hate fat, but even that was pretty tastey. The only lacking part was the bread. Something seemed off, but it didn't stop me from enjoying it. Great experience and thanks to our Airbnb host, we would have never found this gem. If you are looking for a nice romantic dinner, here you can go. I was very happy with everything. Gratzie!! read more

Osteria Toscanella - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

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Decent food, great atmosphere but pricey for what you get. I had the steak, a chicken liver appetizer, wine, and a dessert. All were average or slightly better than what i had in Florence. But, the steak didn't include any sides and my chicken liver crostini was served on soft barely toasted bread. Maybe i should have stuck to the basics like pasta. read more

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Osteria Toscanella is truly a hidden gem and I'm sincerely hoping others see this review and visit! We were referred to this restaurant by our awesome Air BNB host, who cited it for having the best Florentine steak. THEY HAD THE BEST FLORENTINE STEAK. Before ordering here's some things you should know before ordering a Fiorentina (googling would also help!). They sell this steak based on whatever cuts they have in that day. And believe me, all good chefs are picky about their meat and this is no exception. Our waiter brought out 3 different steaks (all gigantic) and asked which we preferred. We went for the smallest one; 1.1 kilos LOL. Which is a huge steak, and yes fairly expensive, but nothing compared to some other restaurants. Another thing to know about these steaks. They are cooked Medium Rare. You don't really get an option unless you're really picky and then you can ask the chefs to throw it on the grill for a few more minutes. Your waitor will bring it to the table, and hopefully cut it up for you to make things easier! They served it with a really interesting olive/garlic/anchovy sauce which I absolutely LOVED. Not really traditional to eat with this steak, but the flavor is so great, why not. If you're really curious about this steak (obvi I was). You can head over to this window and watch the chefs prepare it. They cook it over a huge open fire, lather both sides with sea salt (no pepper! that's an american thing), and it gains this perfect crispy flavorful crust. I'm drooling as I write this review! Anyway, for all you non steak eaters out there, don't worry, their pastas, side dishes, and other entrees are equally delicious. If you're craving vegetables, I highly recommend their sauteed veggies on the menu. They pull whatever is seasonal and braise it perfectly. The ambiance is trendy and upscale, but still homey. Excellent waitstaff, service, and food. Trust your waitors wine recommendation but don't be scared to specify what you like in wines or you'll get stuck with a Chianti that is either too dry or not dry enough for your preferences! read more

Authentic Italian cooking and service! It has a cool atmosphere where you can see the original floors and also see into the kitchen where they cook their huge Florentine T-bone steaks. We highly recommend the homemade pasta w rabbit sauce as well as one w pesto. The house wine is delicious and only €8,50 for a liter read more

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A quiet peaceful restaurant with some modern touches. A perfect dinner spot to get away from the frenzy of Firenze. Osteria toscanella has wonderful service and delicious fresh pasta. We would definitely come back here again. The fresh pesto and wild boar Bolognese were delicioso! read more

What a pleasant surprise in the Oltrarno! The staff was exceptionally patient, helpful and friendly. We were able to get in relatively quickly, and were made to feel like guests instead of pests. Our server not only took the time to answer our questions, but he also offered up little tidbits of history and humor. In addition to their excellent service, this little gem offers up delicious food too. They pride themselves in their wholesome and homemade fare, and of course, great wines! Eclectic decor and cosy setting makes you feel right at home. read more

The food was absolutely amazing. The stewed beef in wine and peppercorn was really good, and so was the pasta and stewed chicken. The ambiance is great, so long as you don't mind old looking structures. Entrees as 10-20 euros, and so is pasta. A definite recommend if you're in the area. read more

Absolutely great meal, fairly priced, has a fantastic ambiance. The signature steak dish is to die for. Would recommend to anyone in Florence looking for an excellent dinner. read more

We tried to get into Trattoria 4 Leoni, but the first reservation was 9:45 pm. After a day of walking, we decided to make a "plan b," and I'm glad we did! The decor is great--a fascinating combination of crisp and modern, mixed with old and quaint. The food was extremely fresh and delicious, although the menu is small. Pastas are freshly made (portion size was adequate, but not generous), and the eggplant parmigiana was excellent. Possibly the best tiramisu I've ever had. Service was attentive. Dinner for two with two sides, espresso and dessert was €53--a very good price, especially for this quality. read more

My husband and I ate here while visiting Florence after spending the day exploring the Pitti Palace. Although we had a somewhat limited budget, we really enjoyed the eggplant parmesan, pasta with pesto sauce, and mixed salad. We also enjoyed a lovely piece of Italian cream cake that we hadn't encountered before. The wine choices were very interesting. in addition to Florentine steak, we noticed the menu also featured many other more rustic traditional Tuscan dishes such a vegetarian bolognase sauce, as well as tripe. The service was helpful and attentive. After a day of noise and crowds, we really enjoyed the quiet atmosphere. read more

I'm so glad our Airbnb recommended this place. We had the vegetarian antipasto and it was great (even though I didn't know what all the vegetables were). The pasta was sooo tasty and we capped it off with tiramisu. The service was excellent and helpful. The building has an interesting history. Price seems comparable to the other restaurants around. read more