Osteria Santo Spirito In Firenze

31/01/2026: If you want an AUTHENTIC Florentine experience, here is the place. After We tried all the flashy touristy spots, consisting of bright lights, employees outside recruiting patrons, and Italian food made for Americans: salty with lots of cheese. Then have fun paying their outrageous prices. Our last night, I trusted my gut. Realizing every restaurant has access to, and pays the same for all their food from suppliers, I chose the one that lacks all their food touristy attractions, and does not charge tourist prices. Giovanni does not need to attract people; he is not looking for business, he seeks to serve unbelievable food. He let me watch while he made everything fresh, and I mean everything: he rolled dough, cut strips for the pastas on order. No sauce prepared, he cut the tomatoes on the spot and made the sauces When ordered. He served bistecca Florentino (steak) how it was done for hundreds of years. He held it on a long set of tongs and rotated it over a huge coal flame the proper way. No fancy shavings of truffle like the tourist spots just to blow up the price, they would have ruined its beauty. The bill was small, and it was the best Italian meal I’ve had in this world. I’m planning a layover in Florence on my next trip anywhere in Europe or Asia. I’m a lifetime customer. It was basically food sex. Yes, I made a new term. I experienced food sex.

04/01/2026: I was in Florence this weekend, staying a stone's throw from Barroccio. We stopped for lunch as soon as we arrived. Giovanni welcomed us with courtesy and prepared two excellent first courses: radicchio and pancetta ravioli and artichoke fettuccine, accompanied by two glasses of Chianti on tap. I would say it was excellent for a meal. We repeated the experience by eating an excellent Florentine steak, cooked to perfection. Excellent quality, it met our expectations. I highly recommend the restaurant for a family-friendly place and traditional Florentine cuisine.