Ristorante Frescobaldi Firenze

What a wonderful restaurant! Everything was perfect. The setting on the piazza is insane! Yes, it’s not cheap, but that’s not why you’re there. Every bite was delicious. The wines - this is Frescobaldi, after all- were incredible and priced so favorably. Mirco and the whole team made it truly memorable. A special restaurant.

Our party of 4 reserved a table here for a very special birthday. I had arranged with Matteo via email for a surprise dessert for 4 with a candle. This was apparently not conveyed to our waiter who brought dessert menus for us to look at. I quickly left the table to find someone to explain the situation. It was embarrassing. Our waiter returned and picked up the menus. He then brought a rather large dessert, enough for 8, with candle. The price for this dessert on our bill was $60!!!!!!!!! Ridiculous!!! I did not think to ask in advance what this dessert would cost but never would I think $60!!!! We could have each ordered from the menu for much less. Also on our bill was a charge for an extra bottle of wine around $80. The wine and dessert were questioned. The wine was removed. Although the food was good the above mentioned service at this type of restaurant does not warrant a rave review especially when the occasion was so special. I will also mention an email I sent afterwards regarding my dismay in the dessert was ignored.

The quality of the food left me absolutely speechless, especially the pasta dishes which were truly exceptional. The cacio e pepe and the pappardelle with wild boar ragù were my top picks, but honestly, every dish I tasted was outstanding. The pasta was so good that I found myself returning to the restaurant multiple days in a row during my stay in Florence.In addition to the remarkable food, the restaurant boasts breathtaking views of Piazza della Signoria that only added to the overall dining experience. However, the service was disappointingly slow.

I discovered Frescaboldi last year and fell in love with everything that had to offer, from ambience to service to quality of food. Very sadly this year was the complete opposite. The server handed me my cutlery instead of placing it for me on the table ( not the end of the world, but nevertheless less for this upmarket restaurant its a big no no ). The bread basket was stale, at which point I asked the manager to test it, I was given a fresh bread and crisp wafers. If a restaurant cant even be bothered about the freshness of the bread you have to start asking yourself whats gone wrong? The starter, a carpaccio of meat was fine but the crisps that came with it had obviously been sitting in the fridge the whole day with the prepared sliced meat, as they were wet and soggy. The main course was a white fish with grilled artichoke on a bed of puree potato and pancetta last year and a dream to eat. This year the very same dish was a very soggy puree with 2 hunks of pancetta and a super oily tasting artichoke. I sent it back, citing a pic of last years dish, and the server began to argue with me that it was the very same dish. The manager didn't ever come back following the bread incident, and although I did have to pay for the main course I was very disappointed. The chef has changed or the manager and owner don't care that this once fantastic restaurant is now one. that I will never return to. I was informed by a shop owner that her clients from the USA had experienced the exact same issues as myself and will not be returning. Don't waste your money, when there are so many other great restaurants in Florence to choose from