If I could give more than 5 stars, I would. Easily the best meal of my life. What a wonderful…read morediscovery of this 2 Michelin-star treasure on a Florentine side street. The calamari was light, airy and unlike I'd ever had. The seared tuna melted in my mouth. My husband's salmon was incredible. We shared a bottle of rose and followed it all with the pistachio tiramisu and millefoglie with chantily crème. Absolutely incredible, and wonderful service, too. We went on a Tuesday night and largely had the place to ourselves. I would absolutely recommend and if I am ever in Florence again, you'll find me there at dinner time.

The best meal we had in Firenze. We arrived at 7 PM and they were gracious about seating us. The…read morefood was delicious fresh, the kind of seafood that you wish you could have every day we had a cuddle fish appetizer that was wonderful the spaghetti al dente with clams was wonderful. I would highly recommend this restaurant.

Overall good experience Food is amazing…read more Reservations not required but better to have one

Made a reservation well in advance. Arrived for our dinner and were immediately seated. The…read morerestaurant is good looking and very welcoming. We looked at the menu and decided on a couple of things...the Burrata with Truffles, Eggplant Parmigiana, Cacio e Pepe, and a side of Tuscan White Beans. We ordered food and drinks. Drinks arrived within 2 minutes and lo and behold our Burrata Salad arrived Two minutes later...and yes I timed it. I asked that our food be slowed down and also asked that it not be cooked and served cold. We finished our Burrata with a Truffles which I might add was delicious. And within a reasonable few minutes our food arrived. The Cacio e Pepe was delightful but could have had a bit more Pepe. The Tuscan White Beans were perfect with a hint of spice which made them special. I wish I could say the Eggplant Parmigiana was equally as good as the rest of the meal. It was not. It was way over cooked - almost burned. Guess it just stayed in the oven while we slowed down our meal. We managed to delay our meal enough that we were actually in the restaurant a bit over an hour. I can't say service was lacking I would describe it as more overwhelming...almost uncomfortable. Atmosphere - 4 Food - 3 Service - 2 Price - 4 Overall Rating - 3.25

We made reservations at Osteria Pastella knowing it was a popular spot, and the whole experience…read morefelt like stepping into a well-run little performance. Everyone lines up outside, and once the doors open, the entire restaurant is seated at the same time. It's unusual, but somehow fun -- like the curtain lifting on dinner. We were greeted with a welcome drink, which set the tone perfectly before the main event: the famous cheese-wheel pasta. They prepared it right in front of me, swirling the hot pasta through a giant wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano until it turned silky and glossy. Then came the fresh truffle -- and I mean fresh. Easily the most fragrant, delicate truffle I've ever had in my life. Absolute heaven. For dessert, their tiramisu wasn't the classic layered version; it was more of a deconstructed, airy éclair-style creation that still delivered all the right flavors. We finished with limoncello, a bright little goodbye that wrapped the whole experience in a perfect bow. Yes, Osteria Pastella is a bit of a tourist vibe -- but the food does not miss. The quality, the flavors, and the whole tableside ritual made this one of our most memorable meals in Florence. I'd recommend it without hesitation.

A really great dining experience. Booked weeks in advance and for our time a lot 7-9pm, people were…read morelined up 10 minutes early to be let in. They brought us all in as a group (checking reso names) and sat us at individually tables. Then the "show" began with welcome prosecco, wine orders, etc. We got the squid and pork screwers as a starter and thought the flavors were just okay. The complimentary cheese bread ball and regular bread was super tasty. For mains, we got the truffle pasta (with the famous cheese wheel) which was fun to watch. The pasta itself was very solid, but not best ever. Also got the beef/boar pasta and it was better than the truffle pasta in my opinion and cheaper. The deconstructed tiramisu was yummy. Overall a good dinner with good service and pretty good food! An easy spot to recommend to others!

My husband and I visited Florence for a full week and came to eat here 3 times because everything…read morewas just so incredibly fresh and delicious! The oysters are ENORMOUS and the portions are very generous and extremely great value for money. The atmosphere is very cool and modern with incredible service as well. We basically tried through the menu while we were there and honestly loved every single thing we tasted. I highly recommend this to anyone in town to add to your list of you are a seafood fan!

4.5 stars The Fishing Lab presents an innovative…read moreconcept--seafood served in a variety of forms including raw, grilled, bar bites, and composed dishes, all on the same menu! The most creative dish we had was the Codfish Cappuccino, a codfish mousse topped with potato foam, served in a cappuccino cup with a croissant on the side. It was made to look like breakfast but was a savory seafood appetizer! One nice feature about the menu here was that many dishes could be ordered in a "Tapas" (half) portion, so it was easy to try and share lots of different items. The Catalan-style Calamari and Shrimp Salad was a refreshing mixture of chopped squid mixed with zucchini, carrots, fennel, tomatoes, and oranges; the Fusili with Galician-style Octopus Sauce came with al dente corkscrew pasta in a tomato-based octopus ragout made with spicy salami and topped with potato foam; and the Cacciucco was a tomato-based stew (from the Tuscan coastal city of Livorno) made with octopus, cuttlefish, mussels, and gurnard, along with dry chunks of bread that were moistened in the stew. Finally, we had the Isolana-Style Sea Bream Fillet, which was simply grilled and served over roasted vegetables including zucchini, potatoes, peppers, onions, and olives. Overall, the seafood here was fresh and tasty, fusing elements of Spanish and Italian cuisines.

What a great surprise this little food stall was! Fresh seafood, lightly battered, and perfectly…read morefried! With a slash of yellow lemon it was a delight! The combo mix was shrimp, squid, and cod. They have beer, wine, or soft drinks. The one guy there does everything and we really nice. Little English tho but we were fine. You can eat it here sitting on small stools or take it upstairs to the dinning hall.

FRESH CALAMARI! When…read moreI say fresh, I mean fresh! There was a line waiting to get fresh calamari and the smell was just too alluring that we had to line up ourselves. You can opt just for calamari or get a mix (fish, shrimp too). We went with the mix/combo and my tummy and taste buds did not regret it one bit at all. SO yummy. Next time, I want to get just the calamari. I love the tentacles :) Other than that, this place is cash only and it's located inside the Mercato Centrale.

Love this place! I've been here 6 times total on two different trips to Florence, 3 years apart and…read moreit was as good the first time as it was the last. I strongly recommend their Pizza and Lasagna but honestly, from sampling everything in my groups plates, I can say you just can't go wrong. Convenient location, comfortable atmosphere --yet very spacious for a historic area--, good staff, great food. I will be back!

We love this place in Florence which has indoor and outdoor patio…read more Pluses 1. Fresh mussels 2. Good wines by the glass especially Chianti Classico Reserva and the Brunello 3. Boar pasta Ragu 4. Lobster pasta 5. Triple tiramisu is the highlight and so delicious 6. Helpful and friendly service Highly recommended!

November 7, 2024 7:30PM…read more The Osteria was really close to the duomo and the ambiance looked so cozy from the outside. We decided to stop in for some seafood items and white wine. This is the place where I ordered my first vermentino of my life and have forever changed since. I thought I was just a sauvignon blanc girlie but I think I love vermentino more. I didn't get a chance to take a photo of the mussels we ordered but both the mussels and the spaghetti alle vongole (Spaghetti with Clams) were so tasty. Met some new friends from England while were were here that's from similar area as my partner's ancestors... The service was amazing, the restrooms were clean. Definitely a nice pitstop before moving on to sightseeing near the Duomo for the evening. Really love their seafood dishes that we tried. I thought they were very reasonably priced but maybe it's because I'm from a landlocked state. :)

Ambiance =10 AC= !!!! 10 (it was 100+ outside)…read more Bathrooms= beautiful 10! Eggplant app =12/10!!!! The rest was ok.... Wanted a glass of rose, not on menu for glasses, but small 1/2 bottles exist but not on menu.... Open during the quiet time when most others are closed so that's a plus for jet lagged Americans. Service was fine.... Not bad, not great Homemade pastas were ok..... nothing that much better than boxed.

Amazing 5 star service and meal. Our last night in Florence and by far the best experience in the…read moretwo week journey. Owner and staff could not have been more attentive. Highly recommend.

My hubby and I went here in our first night in Firenze, because it was recommended to him by 2…read morepeople in our home city. It was an incredible experience! We started with the bruschetta and the Fresh Burrata on garden soil and fresh truffle appetizers. The truffle appetizer was layered on a textured base of deliciousness, that you must try. For dinner my hubby got the Beef fillet with potato cream, olive soil and fresh truffle and I got the Tagliolini with fresh truffle and truffle caviar. Everything was exquisitely made and the details were impeccable. My husband was going to get a Negroni with another type of booze and the owner, Besi, strongly suggested he try the one on the menu. He shared the artfully thought-out process to barrel age his feature drink, so my husband tried it and loved it so much, he ordered 2 more ! Besi, and the two gentlemen who waited on us were absolutely delightful and very welcoming. Definitely stop here when you are in Firenze!

Great food. Excellent service. Beautiful ambiance…read more A welcome surprise just off the beaten path with plenty of reasons to go on an adventure.

We walked to this restaurant only to find that it shut down last month. :( we walked into a wine…read morebar where the location was supposed to be, saw the Lobs sign, and asked for a local recommendation.