Buca dell'Orafo on Postcard

"Another time-cherished eatery, this basement wine cellar-turned-restaurant is small on space but big on soul. Dive deep into true Florentine cuisine with mainstays like ribollita soup, gnudi, artichoke omelet, panzanella, maltagliati pasta, steak, and fried cow brain — plus a great wine list. Overlook the rough-around-the-edges service, and you’ll find one of the best meals Florence has to offer." - Coral Sisk

The 38 Best Restaurants in Florence, Italy - Eater

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@afar

"A Delicious Hole in the Wall Located afew steps away from the Ponte Vecchio in what was at one time a medieval palace, this restaurant serves a traditional menu of dishes made with regional ingredients. Their beef is sourced from a farm in the Maremma countryside and the wine list highlights Tuscan producers. Even the restaurant’s name is a nod to the local culture— orafo means "goldsmith," and this neighborhood was wheregold workshops were once located. Start with Tuscan white beans drizzled with olive oil, with a serving of fennel salami, then move on to the pasta course. (The taglierini ai piselli freschi , pasta with fresh peas, is particularly good in season.) For dessert, try the pear slow-cooked in wine or cantucci cookies dipped into vin santo, a strong sweet wine."

The Best Restaurants in Florence

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M Z

Google

Booked this cozy restaurant for 6 and was only somewhat impressed. The pastas were good but the steak quality wasn’t over the top and wasn’t worth ordering. It was a bit chewy and the quality was a little less than mid. Overall, I would recommend this place if you only get the pasta.

Kristy Chen

Google

Super interesting design for the restaurant as they use to be a pawn shop and the place itself is under ground. There is not a lot of space and sound echos heavily, but I enjoyed the interesting decor and ambience. The fried zucchini flower is amazing, fried perfectly. Their liver paste was also very good as the seasoning complimented with the taste of liver without trying to mask it or making it over seasoned. The rabbit is cooked very well for that kind of meat, I quite enjoyed it and the pasta was great too. The service is fantastic as they let us know that the pasta may be a tad over cooked and asked if we wanted to switch it out. We found the pasta texture to be great, I would definitely recommend this restaurant for traditional Italian cuisine.

kimberly fry

Google

Authentic quaint Italian food with great service and prices!

Lisa Callaghan

Google

We had reservations for 7:30 and I thought it would be kind of quiet since it is February. But when we arrived there was a line of people who also had reservations. We were all seated quickly. This restaurant is so tiny! We were guessing it has around 35 seats. Each one was taken. I can see why. The food was outstanding as was the service. Truly a delight! We highly recommend this little 💎

Rosellina Giardino

Google

We were able to get a table without reservations at this cozy basement level restaurant. Good service and great food. Enjoyed the pasta dish a lot. Bistecca fiorentina was good but Canadian steak is so great whenever I order steak elsewhere I regret it.

Won Suk Song

Google

Friendly enough service in a really cool venue accompanied by good food. It's set in a basement level location off of a little side street which gives it a real hole-in-the-wall, cozy vibe. My friends and I ordered the ribollita, tortellini, and the osso buco with a meat platter to start (with salame and prosciutto). All of the food was quite good, but my osso buco was a bit cold in middle which hampered my experience. It's a dish that's probably best made over a long period and may involve reheating, but getting cold bits of meat really let down the delicious, tender meat and rich sauce that it came with. Otherwise, an excellent meal.

Damien Nelson

Google

Nice restaurant … very small and quaint atmosphere. They open at 7:30 for dinner and the front door opens down Into a basement area where the dining room is located. I tried rabbit 🐰 for the first time here. Its right by the river and a pedestrian bridge with lots of retail shops from Rolex and Petek Philip to leather goods and souvenirs. The pesto pasta was a favorite in our group. We were a bit warm, granted there was a heat wave

Angus Kininmonth

Google

One of the best authentic Italian restaurants we have been to while in Italy over the last 2 weeks. We’re Australian and the waiter was more than happy to translate each item on the menu as they did not have a English menu. They also gave us the best recommendations for what to order. We ended up ordering the Panzella as a starter and the beef with pecorino cheese as a main. Was the one of the best steak/beef dishes we have ever had. Definitely recommend to dine here for a well valued high end dinner.

M Z

Google

Booked this cozy restaurant for 6 and was only somewhat impressed. The pastas were good but the steak quality wasn’t over the top and wasn’t worth ordering. It was a bit chewy and the quality was a little less than mid. Overall, I would recommend this place if you only get the pasta.

Kristy Chen

Google

Super interesting design for the restaurant as they use to be a pawn shop and the place itself is under ground. There is not a lot of space and sound echos heavily, but I enjoyed the interesting decor and ambience. The fried zucchini flower is amazing, fried perfectly. Their liver paste was also very good as the seasoning complimented with the taste of liver without trying to mask it or making it over seasoned. The rabbit is cooked very well for that kind of meat, I quite enjoyed it and the pasta was great too. The service is fantastic as they let us know that the pasta may be a tad over cooked and asked if we wanted to switch it out. We found the pasta texture to be great, I would definitely recommend this restaurant for traditional Italian cuisine.

kimberly fry

Google

Authentic quaint Italian food with great service and prices!

Lisa Callaghan

Google

We had reservations for 7:30 and I thought it would be kind of quiet since it is February. But when we arrived there was a line of people who also had reservations. We were all seated quickly. This restaurant is so tiny! We were guessing it has around 35 seats. Each one was taken. I can see why. The food was outstanding as was the service. Truly a delight! We highly recommend this little 💎

Rosellina Giardino

Google

We were able to get a table without reservations at this cozy basement level restaurant. Good service and great food. Enjoyed the pasta dish a lot. Bistecca fiorentina was good but Canadian steak is so great whenever I order steak elsewhere I regret it.

Won Suk Song

Google

Friendly enough service in a really cool venue accompanied by good food. It's set in a basement level location off of a little side street which gives it a real hole-in-the-wall, cozy vibe. My friends and I ordered the ribollita, tortellini, and the osso buco with a meat platter to start (with salame and prosciutto). All of the food was quite good, but my osso buco was a bit cold in middle which hampered my experience. It's a dish that's probably best made over a long period and may involve reheating, but getting cold bits of meat really let down the delicious, tender meat and rich sauce that it came with. Otherwise, an excellent meal.

Damien Nelson

Google

Nice restaurant … very small and quaint atmosphere. They open at 7:30 for dinner and the front door opens down Into a basement area where the dining room is located. I tried rabbit 🐰 for the first time here. Its right by the river and a pedestrian bridge with lots of retail shops from Rolex and Petek Philip to leather goods and souvenirs. The pesto pasta was a favorite in our group. We were a bit warm, granted there was a heat wave

Angus Kininmonth

Google

One of the best authentic Italian restaurants we have been to while in Italy over the last 2 weeks. We’re Australian and the waiter was more than happy to translate each item on the menu as they did not have a English menu. They also gave us the best recommendations for what to order. We ended up ordering the Panzella as a starter and the beef with pecorino cheese as a main. Was the one of the best steak/beef dishes we have ever had. Definitely recommend to dine here for a well valued high end dinner.

Buca dell'Orafo

Buca dell'Orafo

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