I'm so confused - this place gets super high reviews and the lines are ridiculously long so you would think it would be an amazing sandwich. But honestly it was just ok. The place is so famous that there are two of the exact same places across the street from each other to accommodate all the tourists - and yes, everyone in line is a tourist. They're known for their giant sandwiches filled with local meats and cheeses and they all sound amazing. There is a menu outside in Italian and English - there are only 5 sandwiches to choose from so it's pretty easy to figure out what you want quickly. The great thing about the sandwich is that it's only 5 euros each which is a steal of the amount of food you're getting.
The bad news is that I didn't think it warrants waiting in line like a dodo. I got the Summer sandwich which is a traditional prosciutto, mozzarella, tomato and basil in between two huge pieces of focaccia bread the size of my head. I will say that the tomatoes and basil were amazing - the best part of the sandwich. The tomatoes were super ripe and juicy and the basil was incredibly fresh. It makes you realize why Italians use so much of these delicious ingredients in their food. Unfortunately, the prosciutto was super super salty and there was way too much bread. I tried my best but in the end I ended up feeding the local birds a lot of my lunch. It was worth the try and for 5 euros, I'd say it's definitely a good deal but I would just wait until there aren't a lot of people in line (not sure if that is ever the case?).
Casa Toscana Via Giovanni Da Verrazzano 3R, 50122 Florence, Italy 4.5 Forks
This place is truly a hidden gem. It was recommended by our Airbnb host and it did not disappoint. Even though we made a reservation the place was completely empty, which I would normally think is a bad sign but it wasn't at all here.
The menu is described as true Tuscan food, so it's really simple and natural food. Everything sounded amazing and we ordered a ton of food - so much so that our tiny Italian waitress literally said to us "You're ordering way too much food!" No wonder everyone in Europe thinks Americans are fat. But whatever, we were on vacation. Everyone got a fresh salad to start, then we all split the rigatoni with sausage, spicy penne, beef stew pasta (because you just can't get enough pasta in Italy), vegetable risotto, meatballs in a fantastic red sauce, fava beans (which Tuscany is famous for), spinach (because we need something green) and last but not least the famous Bistecca Fiorentina (it's essentially a giant T-bone steak). I felt like it wouldn't be right to be in Florence and not have the famous steak as least once.
Everything was wonderful and the steak was perfectly cooked with giant salt crystals sprinkled on top of it. The pastas were all wonderful and cooked perfectly al dente. We washed everything down with a deeply flavorful Chianti - truly heaven. Since there wasn't anyone else at the restaurant (except for this random couple who we couldn't figure out if they were on a date or having an affair with each other), we were able to hang out leisurely and really enjoy the whole dinner experience. This place was even some of the folks' favorite restaurant of the trip...It wasn't my favorite but it was definitely highly ranked. It's crazy to think that we had all of this incredible food for $31/pp. Unheard of and if this place existed in NYC, I would definitely be a regular there.
Forno Brunori Borgo Pinti 16 R, 50121 Florence, Italy 4.5 Forks
OBSESSION. This place is truly one of a kind - it feels like one of those really authentic local bakeries that are slowly disappearing from the city. While it's not really a bakery bakery where they sell cakes and pastries, instead they sell something much better. It's these small heavenly mini breads topped with all kinds of savory toppings. I'm not sure if the locals eat these for breakfast or a snack but we decided since we were on vacation we would eat mini pizzas for breakfast. Ha!
The toppings range from porcini mushrooms (my favorite), broccoli, tomato sauce and fresh mozz, red peppers, and sausage. I can't remember but there was one topping that was not a fan favorite but overall, they were all incredible. They're each $.60 so you can order one of everything and still not even break $5. The bread is perfectly soft and the right amount of salty. We got lucky and happened to have gone one morning when the adorable owner was taking a bunch out of the oven so they were super fresh.
Definitely go there early because we were so addicted that we went the next day and they only had a few choices left. As I mentioned the woman behind the counter is so sweet and while her English isn't perfect, she really tries hard to help you. It's places like this that remind me why it's important to support local small businesses and to keep cities full of original stores and restaurants because it's truly what makes a city unique.
Ristorante Natalino Borgo Albizi 17R, 50122 Florence, Italy 2.5 Forks
This was our one epic meal fail of our entire trip. We had just came back from a day trip to Siena (I'll post about that later) and were exhausted. It was late and we hadn't done any research nor in the mood to really look up places to eat. So we picked what was honestly what just open for dinner at 10pm and within walking distance. It's funny because usually there is a stereotype that Europeans eat really late and in many countries they do but in Florence it wasn't really the case. A lot of places were closing for dinner by 10pm.
As I started doing a bit of research for this review, I was shocked at how many good reviews there were on this place on Yelp. It reaffirms my belief that everything on there needs to be taken with a huge grain of salt because there is no way in hell I would give this place 4.5 starts. I'll cut it some slack by saying that it was late and I'm sure the waitstaff was not thrilled to see us walk in. But whatever, it's still their job to provide great service and food.
The food was panned by everyone in the group. My spinach "salad" was literally a bunch of spinach that they dumped out of a box or bag into a bowl. That's it. No dressing, no squeeze of lemon, no other veggies, just a pile of naked spinach. My actual meal of the meat lasagna was fine - nothing to write home about but not as bad as some of the group's other dishes. Kinney's chicken was super dry and boring and Aarti was not a fan of the eggplant parm or the gnocchi.
I know that not every meal in Italy was going to be a winner so I can't be too bummed out but it did prove me wrong in the sense that I alway said that there are no bad meals in Italy. Total bill: $135 for 5 people with tax and tip
Photo Credit: Yelp
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