"If you’re looking for a place that is fine in the full sense of that word before four “ ’s” have been added dining in Florence before it has been Stanley Tucci’d or influencer’d to death, this is your spot. Friendly, welcoming staff: check. Beautiful, tasteful and comfortable ambiance: check. Totally reasonable pricing: check. Accessible reservation queue: check for now! DELICIOUS, innovative, and authentic Tuscan menu: double check! Less than one block from the tourist crunch of the Gallerie dell’Accademia, this exquisite, professional experience delivered the best meal we‘d had in Italy, and we were here for the food. Our waiter, Francesco, was as delightful as the food was delicious, and getting to meet Marta herself was as close to a brush with the living artisans of Florence as we came in our week in Florence. We sat at the two-top table in the window facing the shaded yet bright busy street, bounce lighting is gorgeous in Florence enjoying the street scene with the perfect distance to enjoy our wine and meal. Think: romantic movie lunch of your Tuscan dreams. On Francesco’s recommendation, I had the egg pasta with “seafood truffles” a clam-like shellfish , peaches, ginger, and hazelnuts, which was truly outstanding. Rick had the memorable meatballs with tomato confit, served over squares of delicate polenta-like potato. The portions were perfect, and if you’ve spent a week being overwhelmed with ridiculously huge servings of just “meh” pasta, this was such a welcome relief in itself. The freshness, ripeness, and flavour pairing of each element was spot on. So we went back for dinner. And the magic continued. From the chicken liver pate on perfect croissants! appetizers to the incredible “Martare” chocolate heaven-on-a-plate dessert, our evening experience met and even exceeded our hopeful expectations. This is what they mean by “old world hospitality.” Francesco, Marta, and Massimo are a remarkable team that enjoy their shared passion around beautifully conceived, prepared, and presented food. They also genuinely enjoy their customers and each other, and that’s a winning combination that delivers everything Tuscan food is celebrated for around the world."
